Hungry Rabbits Take out the Tulips

Every year I hold out hope that the rabbit population in my neighbourhood will magically decline, but it never does. This year is no exception!

Last October, on one freakishly warm day (the last really warm day of the year), I happily planted tulip and grape hyacinth bulbs along the perennial border in my back yard. I thought about how lovely it would be to look outside at that garden in early spring and see the hopeful green shoots of these spring bulbs emerging from the soil.

I love grape hyacinths, also known as muscari, and when they are allowed to naturalize in the garden, they create a pretty purple blanket of colour. I looked forward with hopeful optimism to creating this same patch of purple in my own garden.

Over the last week or so I’ve noticed that some of the homes in my neighbouhood are sporting flowering spring bulbs already. I decided to check out the situation in my own yard to see what was what.

Upon closer inspection of my perennial border, I was dismayed to see that almost every last one of my emerging tulip and muscari bulbs have been nibbled down to nubs. Those blasted rabbits are at it again!

Rumour has it that some thoughtless resident in our subdivision kept rabbits in their yard at one point in time, and when he got bored of them, simply set them free. The critters have multiplied, living under local porches and decks, including ours. While we have made efforts to deter the rabbits from eating our prized plants, it’s a real struggle.

I’ve made chicken wire cages, plastic mesh cages (they chew through it), cayenne pepper and even trapped and moved a few of the critters in efforts to prevent the rabbits from chewing and killing young plants. Nothing really works.

I’ll just have to begrudgingly add tulips and muscari to the list of plants I can’t grow in this garden.