Why I Oughta...

This Winter has been brutal on our garden thanks to the (dang) rabbits.  The pests apparently set up shop in our beds and feasted on everything they could find.  Including the Oakleaf Hydrangeas .  And all three of our Gold Cone Junipers .  Those two things had material that was well above the snow cover.  But, they were also pretty active BEFORE the snow came.  How do I know?  Have a look at the Everillo Carex that are planted in our backyard.  Sheared right off at the ground: The same thing happened in previous seasons - these same Carex Everillos were eaten by rabbits in Fall 2022 .  At that I time, I posted the photos with a little surprise - as most sources on the Web say that rabbits will stay away from Sedges.   Not so fast, my friend.  What does all of this tell me?  I have to go back to being more proactive with chicken wire cages in Fall 2024.  

Last week, I posted some photos of the (dang!) rabbit damage on our Oakleaf Hydrangeas that occured over the past few months .  I attempted to protect some things in the garden from the rabbits using Chicken Wire cages, but I must not have done enough this year.  The hydrangeas only bloom on 'old wood', so that means that 2024 will be the year of fewer Oakleaf Hydrangea blooms.   But, the rabbits also went ham on other things in the garden.  And in particular...devoured the Gold Cone Junipers.   Some of the earliest shrubs that I installed, the three Gold Cone Junipers have seen highs and lows since 2019 .    They've experienced some stress (at times), but also put on a spectacular show come Spring .   By the Fall of 2021, the bottoms of these upright shrubs had emptied out.  Between rabbit pressure and natural decline, the bottom third was (mostly) bare .  But, they were still distinctly 'multi-stemmed' at the time.   Now, thanks to the rabbits, you might consider

A few years back, after getting to know them via Erin the Impatient Gardener, I planted three Gilt Edge Toad Lilies back by the firepit .  Three of them.  That first year, they did great .  They were about to bloom (I think), when the dang rabbits found them.  And gnawed them right off .  The second growing season (2022), the rabbits, once again, found them.  And ate 'em up .  That's when I put up some Chicken Wire rings.  I left them in place all-year-around. And today?  I have two Toad lilies.  Or...maybe this is just ONE plant that has two stems.  They're awfully close to be two different plants, right?  I'm not sure.  See below for a few photos showing these survivors in their chicken wire protection ring: I've said a few times that I should add more of these and I stand by that.  But, I think I need to see if these can get into a place where they're more rabbit-resistant.  Either by being more productive or less tender.  

 You can't swing a dead cat and not hit someone on the Web saying :  "oh...no, no, no.  Don't worry....rabbits hate allium.  They won't eat them.  Go ahead...plant them." For those people:  I have news.  They eat allium.  Gnaw them right off the top.  Don't believe me?  Have a look below at some of our allium foliage that has emerged this Spring in our backyard.  Those tips weren't taken off with a tool.  Well...a tool that isn't a pair of rabbit teeth: I'm going to go on offense this Summer with the rabbits.  I've done the cages during Winter.   But, now is go-time to get them to find other places to visit.  

Two things might be true in our garden right now:  First...the chicken wire cages that I've made have protected quite a few of our shrubs.  And...second...the rabbits are still here and eating new things.  Including this Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass in the photo below.  This is the only one of these that has been gnawed off near the ground by the dang! rabbits this season. Something to watch this Winter. I have mixed thoughts on this;  in terms of something that I don't mind sacrificing...these grassses would lead the list.  I was going to cut them off at the ground come Spring anyway.  So, having the rabbits graze on these do not really do any damage.  But...on the other hand....it means that they're still sticking around and not moving on to other yards where they can feast on unprotected plants.  

I've just about had it with the dang rabbits.  Most recently, I posted some photos of how they've gnawed at one of our contorted trees and one of our evergreens (Mugo Pine) .  And, before that, there are a bunch of posts showing these pests eating things up in the garden .   For the most part, the dang! rabbits seem to have focused on everything but the sedges in my garden.  Until..... Today. That's when I was out puttering around and saw what they had done to a few of the Everillo Sedges - Carex EVERCOLOR everillo .   I have five of these yellow-green (or some may say chartreuse) sedges planted around the Kwanzan Flowering Cherry Tree in our backyard.  Three from Fall 2020 , two from Spring 2021 .   They've done ok in this spot - with some of them growing larger than others, but for the most part, getting established and filling in some bare spots. This Fall-time damage is a first for these sedges.  I posted about how these same plants were eaten-up by the dang! rabbit

I took a walk around the garden this weekend thinking about what I needed to do to button the yard and beds up for the Winter and came across a bunch of rabbit-caused problems.  The dang rabbits are giving me a lot of worries about this Winter.  I posted about some of the problems they've caused over the years including how they went whole hog on our small Oakleaf Hydrangeas last year .  We didn't get ANY blooms because of their chomping.  They ate off ALL the most recent growth - and Oakleaf Hydrangeas bloom on 'old wood' (aka...last season's growth) .   Those dang! rabbits have destroyed all of my Toad Lillies , killed a Canadian Hemlock tree , stunted some of sedges and chewed off a bunch of branches on our Hicks Yews.   Knowing my enemy, I've started to protect things with cages of chicken wire - including these Arrowwood (Chicago Lustre) Viburnum  and some of our Hemlocks .  And...(this year)... ALL of our Oakleaf Hydrangeas .   However...it is clear that

We have a couple of clusters of Brunnera in our garden - a trio of Jack of Diamonds on the southside .  And a trio of Queen of Hearts on the northside .  Both of those sets have done well and are quite striking in their silver-tinged foliage.  They work well in shady spots and have seemingly established themselves over the past growing season (plus).  Last week, I showed a photo of one of the new perennials that the Bird bought up at Northwind Perennial Farm in Wisconsin (White Wanda Speedwell - maybe White Wands Speedwell... ) and mentioned that she bought a few other things.   This post is about a pair of Brunnera Macrophylla - Hearth-leaved Brunnera - that she bought and planted in her little garden in the backyard.   Below is the sign from Roy Diblik's nursery in Wisconsin: And, here (below) shows the location of the pair of these Brunneras in her garden.  They're planted in front of the Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum (you can see one of them at the top of the photo.  Al

We had some (dang) rabbit damage this Winter on most of our young Oakleaf Hydrangeas in our backyard .  They ate away on a bunch of the shoots, stems and limbs.  All of the shrubs made it through and have put on new foliage and growth this season.  The problem?  Oakleaf Hydrangeas flower on what is called 'old wood'.  That means...the growth from 2021 creates the buds for 2022's flowers.   The dang rabbits going hog on these this Winter means that I wasn't planning on seeing any flowers this season from these Alice Oakleaf Hydrangeas.  Last year, they were lovely - see this post from a little bit over a year ago showing tons of flowers .  This year?  Not so much. We have just ONE bloom - on a dwarf Alice Oakleaf Hydrangea - munchkin.  You can see it below: One of the big projects this Fall is going to be protecting these - and others - from those dang rabbits - so we get a full set of blooms next year. 

I bought and planted a pair of Ruby Slippers Oakleaf Hydrangeas from the Morton Arboretum Plant Sale this Spring.    Here's the location and lay-of-the-bed where they went in . I've had trouble with Oakleaf Hydrangeas being eaten up by dang rabbits in the past, so I decided to ring these in chicken wire to protect their tender shoots this Summer - their initial growing season. By last month - the end of June - they both were showing the beginnings of tall, pointy blooms .  Three weeks later?  They're starting to earn their name by putting some color on those blooms.   See below for a look at the pink that is emerging in mid-July on these flowering shrubs: I don't want to jinx myself, but (*knock wood*) so far, so good when it comes to the chicken wire.  These have seemingly avoided being decimated by the dang rabbits and leads me to believe that I REALLY need to wrap all of these in wire this Fall ahead of Winter.  

Last year, I planed my first three Toad Lilies.  Gilt Edge variety .   I didn't think much about them last year, but they seemed to do just fine.  Then... the dang rabbits started to eat them .  This year, they seem to have come back. Mostly.  There are three clumps of them.  Not all the same size.   First...the photo at the top shows one of those 'clumps'.  And some of that rabbit damage that is back this year.  Jerks. Below, you can see all three clumps - if you look hard.  Stretched out from top to bottom with the 'best clump' being at the top.  The second 'best' at the bottom.  And some small, emerging tips in the middle. Ground cover is one of the big needs in my garden and something that I'm pretty sure will be a key focus in 2023.  I'd like to buy more of these and plant them in different spots to fill in some gaps.  I'll need to protect them this Summer and Fall from the dang rabbits, but that should be doable with chicken wire.  

Last Summer, we had a Rabbit create a little baby bunny burrow right on the edge of our patio .  While it sure was fun for the kids, it created some problems with the dog.  Frankly... as I said back then :  it was a bad spot for stashing some tiny bunnies.  All Winter long, we've had rabbit damage, so they're not on the top of my 'invite list' when I think about critters making a home in our yard.  But...I have to remind myself that one of the criteria for a "Certified Wildlife Habitat" is having 'places to raise young' .  So, I suppose having our yard used for a second-straight year as a place to raise tiny bunnies speaks to the conditions. I said second-straight year.  Yep.  They're back.  But, this time, the Mamma Rabbit picked a MUCH better spot:  tucked in against the house, behind our air conditioners.  Here (below), you can see the little fur she's provided as a blanket in the corner and how she puts the leaves and other landscape materi

I used to not mind rabbits.  Now?  I do NOT like them at all.  Earlier this month, I showed off some Oakleaf Hydrangea damage from some critters .  Today, I found a LITERAL MOUND of evidence of who is doing it:  a bunch of stinkin' rabbits.  How do I know for sure?  Well...Here's a look at what they left behind - right next to the Oakleaf Hydrangeas.     Bunch of jerks.  They gnaw off my hydrangeas and then leave their turds all over the place.  Why I oughta....

Dang rabbits.  They've taken a pretty big toll on my row of Oakleaf Hydrangeas in our backyard.  In the photo at the top, you can see the freshly-shorn-off tips.  This has happened on all of them along our south fence line - including the pair of dwarf ones. I didn't protect these from pests with wire cages because they haven't been hit in previous Winters.  However...I *have* had one of our other Oakleaf Hydrangeas (planted on the northside bed) get hit by rabbits previously.  I've protected that one with a cage.  Just like I've done other shrubs like the recently planted Arrowwood Viburnum .   Our history with rabbits is well-established and we've had them around the yard since we moved in.  Last Summer, we had a little litter born right next to our patio .  They eat anything they can get their little teeth into including some of my tree seedlings , Hemlock trees , Toad Lillies and even young Hicks Yews . Below, you can see a few more photos of these small sh

As part of my Fall planting this season, I put in a pair of Chicago Lustre Arrowwood Viburnum shrubs that were called for in our backyard plan .  I put these two near the fence on the north side of one of our beds and when I planted them, I noticed that when you read about Viburnum, it seems that rabbits like to eat them up.   Noted in the garden diary.  And solved for today. When I was beginning to overwinter our backyard, I made sure to grab a couple of cages from wire (chicken wire and grid wire) and make a little perimiter ring for each of these young Viburnum to keep the rabbits at bay.  I started making these wire rabbit-proof cages for tender plants last year and have had good luck with them .   Below you can see the two shrubs with different material cages around them - with the goal being to keep the pesky rabbits (who I continue to see hanging in our beds) away from these until they get established next season. 

Back in September, I showed off a partial flat of some viable Kentucky Coffee Tree Seedlings that I had collected and germinated from seed this Spring.   In that post, I talked about how to overwinter them and explored various methods.  With our climate (Zone 5b), it seemed that the best way was to dig them into the ground to provide insulation over the harsh Winter.  So...that's what I did.  I found a fairly sunny, but protected spot in one of our beds and dug a trench.  I put the flat in the ground, covered the seedlings up with dirt and then put a layer of mulch over the top.   Then I went in for the night.  What happened next?  The damn rabbits ate a bunch of them.  Now, these Kentucky Coffee Trees have - for a long time - a bare trunk and leaflets off of them, so I can't tell if the rabbits ate down the trunks or just the leaflets.   When I figured out what was going on, I grabbed some chicken wire and made a little perimeter fence.  Below, you can see the seedlings (or w

Documenting a bit of pest damage to our Toad Lilies in late Summer/early Fall here with what I think is a rabbit gnawing on these perennials.  See below, for a photo of one of the three Toad Lilies that I planted this year.  This is the one that is closest to the fence and has suffered the most damage.  It is down to a single stalk with one good-sized leaf.  I mentioned in August that we didn't see any flowers on these this year as they were chewed right off by rabbits (I'm guessing) while we were on vacation .  In that post, I talked about having to put up some pest fencing - and I thought that would be a "next year" task.  But, with one of these suffering and me seeing a lot of rabbits around our garden, the time is now to put that fencing up.   I grabbed a little bit of chicken wire and wrapped them in a ring - with the goal of keeping these alive during their last few weeks.  I put the two on the right in one ring.  And the most-damaged one (on the left) in a ring

The last time, I posted on our toad lilies that I planted this Spring was earlier this month when I shared some photos of the buds that were about to burst and show flowers for the first time in our yard.  Fast forward to today and when I was out in back, I noticed that ALL of the flowers were gone.  Cut right off below where the buds were located.  I say 'cut', but what I really think I mean is 'chewed' right off.  By whom?  I'm guessing rabbits.   I planted these in late Spring . See below for a photo showing how these toad lilies were clipped/chewed right off.   This means that we didn't get ANY flowers from these.  Or at least, I didn't SEE them.   Note to my future self:  protect the toad lilies with some pest-fencing next year.  Maybe with some poultry wire to ring these up?  Seems like the critters like the buds and not the leaves.

This past weekend, I wandered in the back part of our yard and was stunned to see the bare trunks of our tiny Canadian Hemlock trees.  They have been totally ravaged by what I presume to be rabbits.  Freaking rabbits.  Last year, I planted six small (like 18" tall) Canadian Hemlocks in two spots of the yard.  We lost one of them before Winter , but the other five appeared fine before Winter. Today, the three in the very back are the ones I'm posting about and two of them have been totally attacked.  One of them you can see above with just the trunk remaining along with few lower branches.   This is the first real set of animal or critter damage that I've see on the trees in our yard. It is interesting...I've noticed that almost every morning when I take Lizzie out, we have a pair of rabbits that are hanging in our yard.  Up until now, I thought that was nice to see the wildlife.  I mean...we're feeding the birds and squirrels, so I assume that the rabbits a