I've wanted a butterfly weed plant for years and this year I finally just decided to buy some small ones and remove any guesswork. That night the idiot squirrel that lives on my property dug them both up, so this is my solution to protect the new one i was graciously given for free from the same nursery i got the others.
I used like ten 6" landscaping staples to anchor the wire, and if the squirrel gets through that I'm gonna lose my shit
My wife wanted tulips. So we bought a dozen and planted them in a row next to the driveway. As they came up the bunnies and squirrels ate them. My wife was sad. So my wife said, if they eat a dozen, they won't be able to eat a hundred before they bloom. So we planted a hundred. After several years, we still have a couple, but we need to plant more. The critters will eat what they like. If I wanted something, I'd plant more than 3. In all seriousness, I hope it survives and thrives, I have a few, and the critters and insects like them.