Rabbit-Proof Plants By Angela Fry, Oldina, Tas.
Angela shares her top picks for colourful and resilient plants for restoring rabbit damaged gardens. determined bunnies, are appearing throughout the garden where just days ago flowering groundcovers and low growing shrubs were flowering prolifically. What we have noticed is that the rabbits seem to dislike strongly scented plants including herbs, and this could be a clue to living with rabbits which are trapped within the rabbit and wallaby proof fence of the house yard.
At present there is an ongoing battle at Lovelock Farm between us and the increasing population of rabbits enjoying our garden and lawn. Mark has completed the restoration of the rabbit eroded bank beside the driveway (described in GR 276). Now it is time to assess which plants are surviving and can be successfully used to replant the bank as well as re-establishing other damaged areas of the garden. Much to our dismay, the magnificent Bidens ferrurifolia ‘Goldmound’ border plants, which were gloriously covered with a mass of bright yellow flowers along many of the garden edges, have been munched down to struggling unidentifiable fine branching stems. Thankfully, it has been easy to propagate from rescued cuttings, and will be grown on in the hothouse, ready to plant in a future when rabbits are a pest of the past. Areas of exposed soil, complete with mini mineshafts excavated by
It has always been necessary for us to protect new plantings from being grazed down by wallabies and rabbits who cannot resist the succulent shoots of newly planted tubestock or young plants. They also love freshly dug soil. Avoid the temptation to leave your plants before putting in place a physical barrier such as a plant guard. If you do so, disappointment will surely follow when you return the next day, your hard-earned labour and
Brachyscombe close up.
Protected creeping lasiandra.
Protective Measures
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precious plants will be munched down unrecognisably or dug up. Plant Guards
To protect plants from animals and strong wind while plants are becoming established, use fluteboard plant guards, secured in place with recyclable bamboo stakes. Our guards and stakes have served their purpose well and have been reused many times over the past 20 years. When planting out, it is good practice to get into the habit of completing the process one at a time before moving on to the next plant: dig a hole the appropriate size, water the hole, place the plant in, backfill gently with soil, firm down, put the guard in place, hammer in the wooden or bamboo stakes, water in, then move on. Wire cylinders
As the plant outgrows the fluteboard guard, it is usually safe to remove it when the plant appears
Groundcovers intertwined to successfully stabilise sloping bank.
