At any given moment there are more rabbits in my yard than anyone could successfully shake a stick at. For me, the concern is winter season snacking, that time when shrubs and tree bark become buffet items for a host of hoppity creatures. Many of you are struggling with rabbits now or have been all season. They devour most anything in sight, even eat plants considered by most to be rabbit resistant. Your Hosta have been chomped, your perennial beds missing key flowers, and there are little turds everywhere in your lawn and garden.
What can we do to keep rabbits out of the garden? Pick one or two methods of attack and be thorough.
- Spray the garlicy, predator urine laced sprays.
- Plant the systemic deterrent with your new plants.
- Put up low fencing.
- Wrap your tree bark with tree wrap.
- Limb up low canopy shrubs.
- Get a dog.
- Let your big cat out to roam.
All of these are good suggestions to deter rabbits. Choose one or more action plans to be impactful.
One rabbit can become 36+ in a year. It’s helpful to know that rabbits find shelter in brush piles, under decks, under low shrub canopies and under that canoe stored in the back yard. Take action on where they want to live (your yard). When applying your sprays and granular deterrents, make sure to take note of these potential breeding areas and go ahead and season those areas with garlic and other stinky stuff while taking extra time to rake up any leaf matter that could be used for bedding.
