Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
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Those Pesky Rabbits!
A list of ways to keep rabbits out of your landscape
One of the issues we contend with in both urban and rural landscapes is that some of our favorite plants and flowers end up being chewed down to nothing. Normally, it only happens here and there.
In the last two growing seasons, Texas has seen two of its hottest and driest summers in a long while. The current dry spell actually started a year ago during Fall. We didn’t get the rain we normally get in winter. And then we didn’t get the rain we’re supposed to get in Spring. By the time the summer heat set in, we were already way behind in rainfall.
Because of this, the regular menu items for the common rabbit have been scarce and dwindling in the wild. So naturally, they have started turning to the populated areas where fresh supplies of seasonal flowers can be found, and feasted upon.
This presents a problem because seasonal flowers can be expensive. Most troubling is that in some cases, that investment can disappear in only a couple of evenings.
Below, we’ll talk about some ways to deal with the rabbits and other varmints and keep your landscape and lawn damage-free.
What do rabbits want in your landscape? What type of plants do they eat there?
Since we’re going into the Pansy planting season this month, I’ll start with them. Rabbits LOVE Pansies. You will definitely, especially this year, want to do what you can to protect those Pansies. Pansies aren’t cheap. They will also eat the ornamental Kale that we often plant with pansies.
They will eat Periwinkles, Begonias, some ornamental grasses, Nandina shrubs (both Firepower and Gulfstream varieties), Roses, Daylilies, Daisies, just to name a few.
If you are a vegetable gardener, know that most of what is in your garden is on a rabbit’s menu, including lettuce, kale, spinach, beans and broccoli.
How can we tell that it’s rabbits doing the eating and not some other animal?
First, if you’re seeing damage that is about knee-high, it is probably not rabbits. Their damage would be found lower. Rabbits can only feed on plants within their reach.
You can also search the surroundings for small, round pellet-like rabbit droppings, with each one being about the size of a pea.
Looking at the damaged plants, if you see sharp, clean cuts rather than jagged edges the damage is most likely caused by Rabbits with their long, sharp teeth. They will eat all parts of a plant, including stems, roots, tender leaves and flowers. They prefer new, young grow over older established plants.
Some solutions include:
1. Planting Society Garlic, a landscape plant, in the same general areas as your tender flowers. Rabbits hate the strong scent of Society Garlic, which is in the onion family, and they’ll avoid them and the area. Humans don’t smell it, but rabbits have a heightened sense of smell. They do not like strong smelling plants. Society Garlic does produce clusters of pretty blue blooms, so they fit right in.
2. Select plants that rabbits don’t eat. Geraniums, Daffodils, Lavender, Marigolds, Mint or any type of Sage are all plants that rabbits will leave alone. Rabbits will of course eat about anything when food is scarce, but it helps to make your garden and landscape less tempting.
3. Build a small fence around your garden, using poultry wire. It doesn’t have to be real sturdy and only needs to be about two feet high. Keep the bottom edge tight on the ground or buried a couple of inches.
4. Remove areas populated with leaves, weeds, stone piles, etc. Keep as little natural cover as possible to prevent nesting.
5. There are products, such as “Rabbit Scram” and granulated fox or coyote urine that often work well to keep rabbits away. Both of those are products that humans won’t be able to detect, but rabbits can. With the fox/coyote urine, rabbits smell “predator” and prefer to stay away. The only problem with this method is that you’ll need to reapply after any rainfall or sprinkler use.
6. As a last resort, trap the rabbit(s) using a box/wire trap so that they’re not harmed. Once you have them, relocate them to the nearest park or nature space.
The Fall Flower Change Out
October is the month when we plant our Fall/Winter flowers. It is best to do this as early in October as possible because we need the warmth of this month to grow our Pansies’ root systems. When planted in early October, Pansies will grow to a full, large size and of course resulting in healthier plants.
Plant Pansies in a light and airy planting mix. Pansies like to dry out between waterings, so do not plant in locations where the soil stays wet. Plant your Pansies slightly above the landscape bed grade, allowing the Pansies to dry out easier.
One thing that is helpful in producing healthier, more colorful Pansies is to feed your Pansies after they’ve been planted a week or two. You must use a product that is specifically made for Pansies, having the term “Pansy Food” on the label.
Perfect October!
Thinking about a new landscape or a redo? October is the time to do it. The heat of the summer is behind us and rainfall becomes more commonplace, this month is the best time of year to install plants, shrubs and trees.
What we’re focusing on with plants is think about how big of a window there is between right now and the month of July. The bigger that window is, the better off our plants will be, having enough time to get established before the heat of summer arrives. We don’t worry so much about the winters, it’s the high heat that can cause us the most frustration.
So if the idea of a new or redone landscape has been in your mind, this is the ideal time to do that.
Tree Trimming
For those of you who have deciduous trees in your landscape and yards, it is a good idea to get them trimmed in October or early November so that the cutters can tell which limbs are dead and which are not before the trees start dropping their leaves.
It is a good idea to take off the heavier and more cluttered parts of your trees’ canopies before Winter. If we do receive winter precipitation, a heavy canopy will put the tree and its limbs at risk. Reduce the risk by reducing the weight of the canopy. You’ll get a healthier, nicer looking tree that is ready for whatever winter will bring.
