Bunnies are so cute and cuddly.
Wrong! Well at least from my point of view as a purveyor of everything roses.
This year I have seen more damage from the cotton tails then ever before. I have had customers bring roses back that had suddenly lost their leaves that it was obvious to me that they were in a bunnies belly somewhere. It has been so bad that they are even eating the new basals as they emerge from the ground giving the roses the appearance of just setting there, not growing. I have even see young rose plants totally killed by the varmints.
What is the answer? There are several options for solving the problems the rabbits cause and the best involve keeping the pest out of the garden by mechanical means.
Some of the Repellants work if you use them as directed but they require multiple applications and are time consuming and are most of the time limited in their effectiveness. Traps work but you are left with a disposal problem. My choice is mechanical separation. Mechanical separation requires that you use a barrier of rabbit fence or 1 inch chicken wire at least 2 foot tall.
For 10 bushes or less or for bushes that are spread all over the landscape the least expensive and easiest to build are the rose columns. They are constructed by using chicken wire (netting) that is 24" tall and cut to a length of 5 1/2 feet. Roll the wire into a column and connect the ends together with ties, rabbit cage clips or hog rings. The circumference should allow the column to be placed over the rose bush. I have found that the rabbits seldom attack the older bushes so they seldom need protection. If for some reason you need to protect a larger bush the same type cage can be constructed using a longer length of netting. After placing the cage over the rose bush you should use at least 4 landscape staples to fasten it to the ground. Be sure to move the mulch so the staples can go into the ground. After the cage is placed you can move the mulch up against it. Once the rose bush is able to harden off the lower new growth the cage can be removed. My preferred mechanical means and the one that is more esthetically pleasing is a fence around the entire garden. The fence is best suited for areas that are dedicated to roses whether it be a mass planting or a formal rose garden. The fence is more expensive if you have under 10 roses to protect but it pays for itself when the garden is larger. When building a perimeter fence you may still use the chicken wire netting but a much better appearance is achieved by using Rabbit wire fencing. Many supports are available to hold the fence in place. You may use wooden stakes, plastic coated steel rods or my favorite is a 30" steel "u" post. I prefer this type of post because it has a stabilizer at the bottom that, when driven in the ground, provides a support strong enough to pull against to keep the fence from sagging. Below is such a fence that we constructed for one of our customers.
If you are interested in Roses inc. building such a fence for you please call 918-455-7673 and we will give you and estimate for us to build it for you.
Rose enemy # 1