I'm sorry to here about your spirea, Wendy; they are such a pretty, flowering faithful. :)

I feel your pain about those . . . darn . . . BUNNIES! I try to live and let live in my yard, and I am thankful for no deer, rats, or raccoons. HOWEVER, bunnies have hard pruned all of my rose bushes except my all-powerful and razor-sharp William Baffin climber (but they tried). They have also pruned all of my hydrangea. I have some spirea in the front, and I am scared to check after reading your post! I still have about a foot or more of snow in my yard, so I will have to see after more of the drifts recede.

Urg, bunnies. It gives me a different perspective when I read Peter Cottontail or the Tale of Benjamin Bunny to my daughters. I'm beginning to have some sympathy for the MacGreggors. :)

I hope your spirea bounces back this year.

Cheers,
NoraBelle

I have circled my front yard(were all the flowers are) with used kitty litter. The bunnies have some pines to the north that they hide in. When ever branches break off the apple trees I throw them under those pines. I don't know if those things help or if it's just dumb luck but so far so good....-B

I wouldn't give up in the flowering yet. I can cut my bridal veil spirea back now and it blooms.
Although the bunnies stay clear usually because of my male cat, the deer had a late winter party pruning junipers, cottonester, iris and other gorundcovers. That saves me alot of time , lol. Now all I have to do is shape the way I want.

I live within the city limits of a very small town, but I live on a 1 acre lot, my problem is domestic rabbits that have gotten free and we are now on about the 5th generation. They don't run and hide, just sort of move out of the way. They have, for some reason, taken a liking to one of my daylilies, a dormant one, so when it started to send up shoots they eat them off. I made a new bed for some flowers, (cosmos, stocks etc.) and they enjoyed those very much. The spot was not very big so I made a small fence around it I hope this works. Now to get some more flowers out of the soda bottles and back in the ground.
Ted

Humm, I wonder if they really taste like chicken?!?-B

Mmmmmmmmm bunny stew is Yum Yum Yum! They are all white meat by the way. If so inclined you can fry up in a pan like Sunday fried chicken LOL!

BTW Brandymulvaine, two springs ago we had a rather big stray pet rabbit out in the side yard humping away on my neighbors male cat. He just let him too! LOL!!!!! I don't think rabbits are that scared of cats. hmmm?

Yes, my approach to rabbits is to bribe them, especially in spring when they're hungriest. Carrots, collard greens, etc. And I leave some clover around, they love that stuff. The only thing that doesn't seem to dissuade them from is tulips. I have to protect them with an improvised wire fence (I cut the flowering stems for indoor arrangements and take down the ugly fence when the blooms arrive).

Oh Wendy - How awful!! From what I understand, the Bridal Veil Spirea blooms in the early part of the season, and so blooms on year old wood. If that's the case, then I feel for you. They are such pretty shrubs.

Farfaraway - You are not off key in suggesting that weeds are prefered by bunnies. My DM has gorgeous gardens. Surrounding these gardens are lots of Dandelions. At first glance, when you see the wild rabbits, it looks like they are heading straight for her gardens, but they always stop at the edges and eat away at the dandelions and never go in.

The grandkids love to see them! They found the entrance to the burrows last year and now will sit patiently at a distance to see them come out on Sunday mornings in the summer.

And, yes, everyone, they do make good stews and meat pies!

Vera, Just imagine what kind of babies that would make -if it were possible!!LOL Our cat lets the dachshund do that too and yes their both boys-could not even begin to figure THAT one out!!
Wendy, the rabbits did the same thing to a neighbors bushes(don't know what kind) they were small that year but the next year they were so full and uniform in hight and shape it looked like they had hired someone to keep them trimmed all summer long!!

I think it's because of the huge snow cover we've had this year. We have weeds, but they're under a foot of snow!

I think farfaraway is right. We have 5 acres and lots of weeds & clover. We have cottontails and jack rabbits and they rarely bother my plants, an occasional nibble is all.

Here phy1345, I bumped this up just for you!!-B

thanks darlin' (grin) ...phyl

Last year I noticed that it seemed the baby bunnies were the ones going after the flowers and mom and dad were always nibbling on the grass.

I guess flowers are junk food?

Yeah the nerve of those bunnies! I feel your pain. I couldn't understand what happened to my kerria(sp?) shrubs in my secret garden.

The branches were cleanly severed, that has never happened in the three years I've had them. They are usually so darn gorgeous.

Well, there's always next year. By the way, my compost bin made of pallets were tampered with. The slats were ripped from the door! I wonder if the raccoons did it?

This winter has been rough huh!

L.