PUSHING THE BORDERS

I know it's an old moan, and nothing much can be done about it, but I'm getting really fed up with the rabbit damage about the place.

Trachycarpus fortunei 1, 120613 by John Jearrard, on Flickr

I was walking past this Trachycaprus a couple of days ago when I noticed that the trunk had been attacked and the fibre had been removed at the base. I stopped what I was doing to build a little fence around it which is rather ugly, but the only solution I have found that works.


Trachycarpus fortunei 3, 120613 by John Jearrard, on Flickr

This is what happens if I do nothing. This was a nice little plant once, reduced to a stump overnight.

Sorry about the moan. Is anybody else getting problems or have I become a rabbit-magnet?

Wow, they really go for it don't they. We don't have rabbits here, too many foxes who thankfully have no interest in plants.

Its sort of your fault John, you have taught your bunnies that they like palms :) they can hardly have known this until you planted some palms for them to try.

I kept several pairs of toes crossed while typing that in case the gods of fate should decide to exact revenge by inflicting some enthusiastic wildlife on me. The grass snakes we get here do no real harm (unless you are one of the gold fish in the pond)

Are you sure that rabbits are the pest?, looks like Beaver damage to me :)

To be serious for a moment, I guess you must have a good knowledge of what is and is not rabbit proof in your garden. Do the rabbits like Hedychium?

I see rabbit's but have not had problems with them so far (keeps everything crossed).

I do have a real problem with Muntjac's in one of my clients garden, they pick off the leaves of many evergreens just leaving bare twigs! Grrrr!

Thanks for the comments - I am grateful that the little b*****s (bunnies) aren't attacking everyone.

I accept that the fault is mine, Charlie ;) , and I can't really be upset at losing an occasional palm to rabbits - I have killed hundreds over the years without their help, but its sad to lose one of the rare survivors!

Beaver's you think? Dam! The list of things that get rabbit damage seems to increase every year. So far the Hedychium haven't been touched and thet haven't started to eat galvanised wire netting yet. Apart from that, I'm not sure anything is safe. A couple of years ago they completely ringbarked a 12foot Liriodendron with a 4inch diameter trunk.

Hard luck with the Muntjac, Darren. Two years ago the garden was filled with deer slots, but I didn't see them. For a time things were grazed from the top down by them, but they seem to have moved on. Perhaps the rabbits ate them.

John wrote:Perhaps the rabbits ate them.

That made me smile John.

Too urban here to be troubled by rabbits but squirrels have once again chewed a few emerging bamboo shoots :evil: They don't eat the lot, just a small section of each culm and leave the rest to annoy me.

Steve

JohnJearrard wrote:. Perhaps the rabbits ate them.

:lol: Anyone seen the film black sheep, may "beige bunny" is the sequel.

JohnJearrard wrote:. Perhaps the rabbits ate them.

Maybe there is some truth in that ;) It does seem that you have killer bunnies!!!!

I have never seen or heard previously of rabbits causing damage to trachys. To manually strip a trunk to remove the fibre is hard going.

John