All my life, I have loved roses. My father, husband, and I have all planted and tended them. I love seeing them and having some cut roses in the house. I planted three rose bushes in front of the bird bath this spring.
As you will see if you search my blog posts, it is also the case that I like all kinds of critters. My dear Dad used to feed the birds; he was known to sit on the back stoop and restrain the cat while feeding a cracker or something to a visiting squirrel.
Well, I love to feed the birds and bunnies. Every day I take out clean water for the bird bath and leave heaps of birdseed on the driveway. I also take out a bowl of small carrots for the dear neighborhood rabbits who love to visit.
There are a few young bunnies who, along with their older family members, show up to nibble on the goodies I leave for them.
But recently, I have been perturbed off! The doggone rabbits have eaten two of the three rosebushes I planted nearly to the ground, and on the largest of the rosebushes, they have eaten off ALL of the flowers and buds.
The dear little bunnies will NOT have access to the rosebushes! My eldest brother has come to the rescue. The work is still in progress, but we have the materials needed to finish the job.
I had been kind of wondering if the critters turn around and eat other things. Hopefully the wire fences deter them!!!
Now we just need to protect the other two roses!
Yikes! No good deed goes unpunished…maybe the rabbits thought the roses were for dessert!
I love roses too and once had a beautiful rose garden. They were not bothered by bunnies but the Japanese beetles were a nuisance!
Come over to my house. We have roses.
Perfect solution. You share quite enough with the furry and feathered neighbors! I, too , am having some critter problems. The deer jump the fence and cruise the yard, nibbling off the tomato and bean leaves and branches. Enough already! Trim the lawn and we’ve got a deal!.
Long, long ago, when I used to garden, I learned to sprinkle cayenne pepper (or perhaps any hot sauce) on the veggies and that really stopped the bunnies. Maybe try that on one of the plants!
In the case of deer, rather than bunnies, wise old friends in the low country of South Carolina knew that you could never solve the problem with deer eating summer vegetable gardens by excluding them–or trying to exclude them. Rather, you planted extra rows for them, and for them alone. Perhaps, my dear friend, you should inquire of the bunnies whether they prefer hybrid teas or knockouts and then ask if they might not find a yummy apple preferable to a thorny rose stem? Maybe they’d like both. Don’t think you’re going to win this battle, and remember, they too are part of God’s creation and were pronounced good. I’ll even bet the grocery store that sells those apples and carrots might be able to give you a deal on a dozen long-stem red roses!
Even though we are in a first ring suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, we have acquired a devoted herd of deer in the last ten years. Interestingly they haven’t presented a problem of eating things. I suspect that is because we have plenty of neighbors who are excellent gardeners and by the time they come though our front and back yards and over the back fence they only nibble occassionally.
One has decided that our clump of tall grass makes both a very comfortable bed and good camouflage. So, right in the middle of this five foot circumference clump is a matted bed just the size of an adult deer. One day I look down from a 3rd floor window to see a fawn bedded down, hidden in a low spot in the ivy!
As to fences, there’s not one in the neighborhood they couldn’t hop over without an effort. Just glad they don’t find pets or small children tasty!
Greetings: It appears that whatever is in the backyard critters and pets can have a field day eating
plants and in Tucson, AZ chasing lizards..