What you need is a Schnauzer. Unfortunately, they reproduce faster than my dog can catch them.

OMG, that photo is hilarious and made me laugh out loud! Unfortunately, there is a general dearth of good varmint-catching dogs in my area. And between work hours and a tiny urban yard, it would be difficult to take one on myself (and probably unfair for the dog as well). Sigh.

Any chance though I could borrow your dog for a weekend? :-)

I would consider doing something really nasty to that neighbor.
just kidding - sort of

I had a elderly neighbor who fed the feral cats. OMG! We must have had cats coming from miles around to take part in the feast she set out every day. Of course, the cats didn't stay put in her yard, I was overrun with the beasts doing what cats do.

She passed away a couple of years ago and the feast ended. Cats aren't nearly the problem they once were.

I really feel for you. Rabbits have to be the most loathsome problem a gardener can face. For some odd reason, I have a few in early spring munching select plants. Then they seem to disappear for the summer and fall. I do have to remember to cage in some young shrubs for winter 'cause I know they will be stubs by spring if I don't.

Kevin

Kevin, thanks for your kind words. I think any animal (including humans) can become problematic when found in unnatural excess.

The rabbits in this area used to be bothersome but never as horrid as they are now. Once upon a time, there was a sizable population of crows that preyed on the baby rabbits. Then along came West Nile virus and the crows were decimated and have still not staged a comeback. And now, with no feral cats, free roaming dogs, foxes, coyotes, hawks or owls, these rabbits have been reproducing unchecked for several years. And the next door neighbor feels it is her duty to help them even more...

Whenever I take a short walk around my neighborhood, regardless of time of day, it is now rare not to see at least 5-10 rabbits of varying sizes, all in plain sight. I am sure there are many more feasting away out of sight, tucked among the herbage.

I wish they would take a few good bites out of my aconitum and hellebores.

Well, my dog isn't so good at being careful of the plants while he is hunting, so you might not like the results, even if I could get him to Chicago. It really is frustrating though to have them nibble off stuff just when it is going to bloom etc. Rabbits are an intractable problem for sure. Good luck!

I feel your pain. We are overrun with rabbits during the spring when there is nothing for them to eat. They've eaten poisonous plants right down to the ground. If I saw a dead rabbit nearby I might be happy to sacrifice the odd lobelia, but there's no body to be seen.

One saving grace is that we have a good population of predators - coyotes, hawks, bobcats - so by mid-summer, the rabbits are no longer leaping over the wall to eat everything in sight. Unfortunately DH thinks they are cute, and laughs his head off when we see a pile of tomatoes or apples by the gate. They can get under it, but they can't take the fruit with them.

DH made several large cages to protect some plants, but there's a limit to the amount of fencing you can tolerate. A dog or cat wouldn't be much use. A coyote would take them in a flash, they're slower than the rabbits.

Cheryl

I feel for you. I cage all aster, phlox, tiarella, echinacea, blueberries, roses, geranium 'Rozanne', and new shrubs. (I don't even notice the black wire fencing anymore.) They don't seem to bother the foxglove, lobelia, Joe Pye Weed, geranium maculatum, jumpseed, delphinium exaltatum, hosta, ferns, bloodroot, mayapple, Jack-in-the-pulpit, peonies, rhododendron, mountain laurel, luecothoe axillaris, Virginia sweetspire, hydrangea, monarda, mints, daffodils, and astilbe. They nibble at the viburnum, winterberry, and summersweet in the winter, but it's all so big now, it doesn't matter. I've given up on crocuses and tulips. If they're not eating them to the ground, the squirrels are digging up, and eating the bulbs.

My neighbor snapped a photo of a hawk sitting on top of my trash container with a squirrel in his claws. The squirrel seemed very relaxed. In fact, I think he was sleeping. Nice of the hawk to give the squirrel a ride like that. Maybe that's why we don't have many rabbits. They don't like the free rides from the hawks.

Kevin

ROFL Kevin!

We were talking about rodent prevention at work (yes, at work!) and it was mentioned that predator urine pellets work well- for deer at least. I suppose you can buy them online somewhere. I think also that one needs to "reapply" regularly. Perhaps the rabbits will be as concerned about a fake bobcat or mountain lion?

I feel your pain, Ispahan.

Sue

Ispahan, since when is Chicago in Z6a? Have another look. I hope you're not buying 6a plants!

MM -- Lifelong Chicagoan a prisoner in Kansas

I usually see a rabbit or two but this year we've had our son's dog here and I haven't seen one since March.

MM - I've always wanted to see the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park in Chicago. I'm a fan of PIet Oudolf and although I've only seen his work in photos, that seems to me to be the best he's done.

I'm wondering why you are a prisoner in Kansas. (g) I think just the Tornadoes would keep me away if I could help it. Is the climate difficult for gardening too?

MulchMama, welcome to GW! I've got news for you, even the official USDA zone maps put my neck of the woods in 6a. And yes, I really do believe it is 6a. I live within a mile of the lakeshore, and that generally equates to very long autumns and very early last frost dates compared to any of the Chicagoland burbs. Add in urban heat island effects, etc., and you've got quite a warm microclimate. My parents, who live on the other side of the lake in the lake effect belt, were reclassified as 6b. Maybe it is time for a prison break? Lol :-)

Prairiemoon, the Lurie Garden is absolutely lovely. Piet Oudolf truly is a master. Oudolf himself was quoted somewhere as saying the Lurie Garden was his favorite/best garden so far. I do want to see the High Line in New York after it matures a couple more years.

Ugh, rabbits. The horror...

ispahan, that seems so odd to me that here I am in New England zone 6a and someone can still be in zone 6a in Kansas. I know it is true, looking at the zone map, but Kansas seems like such a different climate than here, in my imagination, never having been there.

I have read a few of his books with photos of other gardens he has done and by far the Lurie Garden is my favorite of his, interesting that it is his.

Yes, the High Line, another garden I would also like to visit. I find that so fascinating and encouraging to see such an ugly structure that was so in need of new life, be transformed into such a wonderful space for people in the city to have access to. One of these days, IâÂÂll get to both these gardens.

PM, zone is really only talking about the lowest average temps a place will experience. Rainfall, length of season, humidity, soils, all those things can vary quite a bit giving a big difference to each particular place. That's why its good to give people a good idea where you are, at least a city or something, to get the best answers when you ask questions here. I am zone 5, but I have a much shorter growing season than most zone 5 people. I keep thinking that you are in KS, just because of your screen name.

aseedisapromise, lol, yes, my screen name is only based on my love of prairies and meadows and moons. I'm from the Boston area, MA is for Massachusetts. I've never been to Kansas. California is the only area I've visited outside of the East Coast. I guess I might have flown over Kansas, if that counts. (g) One of my favorite movies was 'Oklahoma' which is next to Kansas, mostly for the beautiful soundtrack not the plot. I suppose most of my geographical impressions of the midwest come from that movie though. Agriculture, corn fields, ranches.

But you are in South Dakota? Which is another state I've only heard about. Seems like a challenging climate in the winter, yes? Are you affected by the drought conditions too?

As for zones, I guess in my mind, Kansas is somewhat more south than Massachusetts so I just expect a warmer zone anywhere South of me, which is just not the case. It isn't like there is a line separating the north of the country from the south, it's more like a curve I guess. And I am a little warmer than many areas very close by me. Zone 5 is more prevalent here with a little of zone 7 on the Cape and the Islands.

And I love your screen name. It is so true...a seed is a promise. I've always enjoyed starting plants from seeds and it is amazing when you think about it.

This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Mon, Sep 9, 13 at 11:12

ispahan, don't mean to steer your thread off topic, sorry. I am in an urban/suburban area and see few rabbits. I did see one in the yard, back in March but to tell you the truth, I've only noticed it eating the clover in the lawn. We have a dog that chases squirrels out of the yard, and I haven't seen a rabbit since March, so I suppose rabbits can smell the scent of the dog and maybe that keeps them out?

BTW, does your screen name represent the rose 'Ispahan'?

PM-a good rule of thumb for the climate in places in the middle of the country is to imagine a big finger of cold coming down out of Canada through the middle of the country in winter. So there are frosts in Texas at times. So in general it's coldest in the Dakotas and Minnesota in winter, you can think of it like half of a target. Then it gets warmer and warmer as you go in any direction from there. I think it's warmer on the coasts with the ocean moderating the temps . There are pockets of moderating temps around the Great Lakes as well, like ispahan was saying.

We are having some drought, but it has been cold and rainy this spring and summer so it has eased off some. The ranchers were all having a party because they didn't have to sell off their cows since there was a good hay crop this year. It's bad because if you do have to sell, so does everyone else and you don't get much for them. So it really is hard on folks.

But I guess we won't starve, we will all get fat on perennial-fed bunnies!

That is such a sad situation to have self perpetuating drought conditions over so much of the country and the fires further west are just stunning to contemplate when you see it on the news. I'm glad to hear you've had a little more rain this year. We can usually count on a string of hurricanes coming up the coast for fall rains to relieve summer drought, but so far this year, we're not hearing about any significant ones developing. I can't imagine trying to make a living in Agriculture with these climate changes, it has to be very scary.

You're right ASIAPromise, Bunnies just could be part of a solution....they multiply so fast! ;-)

Ispahan, I'm sorry your thread has gone more off topic than on, so I googled it and found this article. Hope that helps....

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants that Bunnies Won't Eat

"Are any plants really immune to rabbit destruction? "

A whomping willow .... {{gwi:272642}}

I have serious rabbit issues, so I use (successfully and with minimal trouble) the I MUST GARDEN rabbit repellent. It is plant-based and the smell is fine. I spritz my flowers when they emerge and the repellent lasts at least a month and I reapply. Given the cost of plants and missed seasons of enjoyment if blooms are eaten, I find this repellent to be preferable to anything else I've tried. It doesn't wash off in heavy rain. I buy it locally since it's made here in Chapel Hill, but you can order it online.

Hope this helps,
Cameron

Indoor/outdoor cats are the real answers to squirrels, rabbits, mice and other little munchers. We live in the country so we currently have 7 cats (all neutered) that come in regularly for lap time and to check out the basement for mice. They don't sleep indoors at night except in really brutal winter weather.

We no longer have any problems with little varmints damaging plants. Even the moles seem happy to stay out of the gardens. Our two labs take care of those that do.