Bunny Wars: Opening Battle
A few weeks ago I showed how my peonies were attacked by rabbits with some of my favorites eaten! It’s Bunny War time at our home.
This Had Been a Thriving Peony
No, I’m not going to kill the little cuties. All I want to do is let them enjoy the great prairie acres behind our fence. They have several hundred acres to roam, filled with tasty weeds.
Wide Open Field for Bunnies September 3, 2013
Maybe that’s the problem. Weeds don’t taste so good. They don’t eat the weeds in my garden either. The hole here used to be a peony. Notice the weeds are nice and healthy.
This Means War! My Mom’s Peony Destroyed
I would not have thought peonies would be particularly succulent. Nasturtiums, yes, zinnias, of course, even phlox or mums. Peonies???
Bunny Wars: The Tide Is Turning
First Good News:
At least one of my eaten peonies has a live root. I found this on Saturday when planting perennials.
Found a Peony
Second Good News
You’ll recall from my previous post that we bought some bunny deterrent.
Prior Post: This Means War! Bunnies, Peonies and Me: Warfare in the Garden
So far it’s working. I’ve not had any more peonies destroyed since putting the pellets around the plants. They didn’t smell and were easy to use: Poke one or two holes around the plant and stick a pellet in, then water.
My nasturtiums didn’t get the pellets and are completely gone. Those gosh darn rabbits ate two whole rows of glorious orange, gold, red and cream flowers. Tjese few plants were left in mid-August.
A Whole Row of Gloriously Colored Nasturtiums Before the Bunnies
Besides the pellets Dave put up this handsome fellow.
Here’s what he looks like on duty. If I were 5 inches tall and furry I’d not want to meet him in a dark alley – or my garden.
Hawk On Duty
The pellets are so promising that I put them around the plants in the front circles. The previous owner had dianthus, holly and gallardia. No one bothers the holly but someone digs holes right in the center of the dianthus plants. And someone else ate all but one of the red gallardia. Let’s see whether these pellets protect up here. The digging friend is a chipmunk. The pellets list voles, ground hogs, gophers and moles but not chipmunks or ground squirrels. We’ll see how much they help.
In the meantime, Bunnies 20, Kathy 2. But I’m gaining on them!
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