I could tell that the rabbits had returned by the immense piles of rabbit shit that adorn the back yard. I don't think it helps that we are sandwiched between two homes that own dogs. I am sure they see this as a kind of refuge: safe from dogs and in the presence of a 3 year old girl, they surely won't kill me.
Little do they know that the 3 year old is NOT always home and my Fuddian instincts are kicking in due to the teeth marks all over my lilac bushes and not a single leaf bud to be found. The massive piles of deification doesn't help their cause either.
Unlike last year, I actually have plants that I put into the ground with my own hands that I care about. This thing better tread lightly or it is Fatal Instinct Surprise!!!
5 comments:
Ah yes. "Watership Down" You've read the book. Seen the movie. Now meet the cast!
The wascally wabbit!
I haven't had to deal with rabbits in years, but will soon be planting extensive flower beds around the new place. I was told to try blood meal, cayenne pepper, or coyote urine sprayed around plants to keep the little buggers away. Or when planting bulbs, add a pinch of cayenne as well.
Blood meal always worked really, really well for me. They used to strip the marigolds I planted in front of a previous residence. And the blood meal actually acts as a fertilizer as well, so it's a double-bonus. It just all depends how "dangerously" these rabbits are willing to live.
I've heard of the cayenne pepper trick.. that's certainly the cheapest route if it works. Course, maybe you'll just end up making the rabbits sneeze.
Of course, you'll lose the satisfaction of chasing the little critters out of your yard.
I've used cayenne pepper. Problem is that you have to reapply frequently in the moist weather that we have in spring when the rabbits are most voracious. I've been using coyote urine (available at garden centers) with some success.
We've got a bunch of rabbits under our front hedge. My crocuses did not survive last year's rabbit onslaught - before I started using the coyote urine as a scent border around plants I want to protect.
If you have any major plants or small trees to protect, consider a temporary cage made from hardware cloth (cheap hardware store item). That saved my little Japanese maple last spring.
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