Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Rabbits

Q. This is probably an age old question, but what can you do to keep rabbits from eating flowers? We thought Marigolds were safe from them..WRONG!!! Our mums just started breaking through the ground and now there is no sight of them. What is even worse you can't even scare those pesky rabbits away. They just sit there and look at you! Any thoughts?

A. This is one subject that is brought up yearly and I cannot find a wonderful solution. I have bought the white metal decorative garden bed fencing and made small circles around the new, tender growth of lilies [chicken wire also used], but as far as protecting a large area, I do not know.

Marigolds, mothballs, and crystals have been used for years with little help. Dried blood, dehydrated sterilized steer manure and expensive stun apparatus have been recommended.

"For the best protection against foraging rabbits, nothing beats a fence. Sprays are the second most effective deterrent. If you find fences unacceptable and don't want to spray, you are probably going to continue to lose plants to foraging rabbits." Gardener Bill Quarles

Other ideas:
Try repellents and commercial preparations that have worked for neighbors, not wild contraptions and concoctions that 'might' work.

Clear out brush piles and dense vegetation, including ground covers which serve as protection.

Contact your local Master Gardeners or Extension Service for methods of control that have been successful in your area.

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