This is the time of year rabbit damage starts to popping up everywhere in landscaping. The photo above is some damage I’ve seen so far this year. The grass is dormant which is why rabbits turn to alternative sources for food which is usually young trees and shrubs. People with perennials do not need to worry because they come up from underground stems. However for trees and shrubs damage is caused when rabbits feed on the bark and branches these woody plants which effectively girdles them, killing them to the ground. Young trees and shrubs are most vulnerable before the bark turns rigid with age. Voles and field mice cause similar damage and are dealt with the same way. I’m going to discuss when and ways to deal with these problems.

Protect your asset! If you know you have an abundance of rabbits or other rodents, plan for the protection of these plants. When you purchase your landscaping, ask a horticulture specialist if the plants you are getting are rabbit resistant so you will know if you need to provide protection. If you are not sure its better to be prepared then unprepared. Repellents and spays will not work or is impractical in the winter months. There is only one way and that is fencing and barriers like the one above. I have used fence circles like the one above for years. You can make these by getting chicken wire and using string to tie the ends together into a circle that will fit around the plant. For trees there is also a plastic tubing which is widely available or you can use wire like above. Remember that protection will only need to be provided during the winter months. Install barriers before the first big snowfall, they can be removed once the grass as turned green. Old trees and shrubs with rigid (rough) bark does not need protection because the rigid bark does not allow for feeding rodents to take hold. These simple barriers can make the difference from an exciting spring or a disappointment!

So how about Spring? It may be late winter and the weather is turning colder this week, but spring is soon on its way! I have Crocus that came up in January leafing out in the garden despite the recent cold temperatures. Magnolias have buds ready to go into bloom once the weather turns consistently warmer. The normal first bloom of the season in southern Iowa typically happens in the end of February from Crocus or Snowdrops. I will be following the first bloom here. Just remember that warmer weather generally really starts to come in about 4 weeks from now!