I have to say that my patience has been put to the test this year. I now have a garden with little wire cages around my dearest plants that I am trying to save from the bunnies dinner table which does not look like good design.
Do I just build caged structures that I can garden inside or grow plants that bunnies don't like?
And I know I shouldn't admit it, but I read Monty Don's book Nigel, about his dog and got the odd piece of gardening information, almost accidentally.
Gardening on coastal sandy soil with bunnies in drought
Discussion
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Hey Dorothy, have been feeling grumpy about battling sand, but sand AND rabbits! I feel your pain
Hi Dorothy, a few suggestions. Rabbits are experimental and will nibble anything new. They are also attracted to newly turned soil. So if you are planting new plants, try making up some new little cages, which you may be able to remove as the plants get older. Also you can have some fun experimenting with rabbit resistant plants, with the aid of helpful lists (lots on the internet) and in gardening books.
My favourite quote is from William Robinson, “And now we come to the sad subject of rabbits”
Yes I too have a garden of fenced beds or cages, I have a collection of old hanging baskets I cover young plants with. Come summer as numbers reduce I can remove some guards. I find fencing large beds with 30mm high fine bird cage wire is relatively unobtrusive and effective tho bunnies will jump it for somethinghing really tasty.I have abandoned growing some plants completely as rabbits, kangaroos and possums love them ( eg kangaroo paws) and am moving predominantly to ones that survive eg. Penstemons, Euphorbia, Digiplexis,, Lavender., Lomandra., Westringia …there are quite a few coastal plants they dont touch. Good luck experimenting, certainly better if one doesn’t have to remove multiple cages for aesthetics whenever you have visitors.
I have serious rabbit and hare problems too. They will nip off pretty much any new plants regardless of what they are – even oleanders! To deter them I try to assault their sense of smell and taste. They are wary of synthetic odours and hate garlic and hot spicy flavours, so I sprinkle granulated garlic around the plants, place a cheap synthetic scented votive candle from a $2 type shop at the base (eg choc vanilla or strawberry etc), then mix up a most unpalatable brew of Tabasco sauce, a generous amount of water and the strongest smelling detergent I can find and put it in a sprayer and spray liberally. It really does work but you have to give the plants a quick top up spray each time you water, at least for several weeks. Once their pattern around these plants is established, they’ll stay away. Good luck!
scented candles would keep me out of the garden too!
Bunnies are a problem for me too – and I have sandy soil. I have found Salvias of all types are undesirable to rabbits and experimented by planting Salvia lanceolata next to a warren and it survived with only a nibble. Rabbits hate strong smells so chicken manure mulch works a treat for a short time and I also resort to chicken wire collars when they are particularly pesky.