The rabbits did quite a number on a few of my roses over the winter. This past winter was particularly harsh here as we had more snow on the ground than usual, for longer than usual. I think that must have made finding food much harder than normal for the rabbits as they really went to town on every one of my roses that weren't protected.

They chewed a Moondance down to a woody stub, removing all the bark in the process. But worst hit was my Awakening climbing rose, which they completely stripped of all the bark off all the canes at the bottom of the plant. This of course led to the death of all the canes during the winter and now it has to regrow completely from the ground up. I'm so mad that I still haven't taken down the dead twigs, which is going to be a major hassle considering the top of it is about 15 feet high. I had it climbing up my chimney and now it is all dead.
I've suffered plenty of rabbit damage over the last couple years but nothing like this year. I'm so mad I could shoot them. Oh wait, I have been!!!

We have Donny Darko bunnies, but I have small garden with a fence, so far they have not tried getting in. What I DO have is evil, perky squirrels, that dig and chew and dig some more and sneer at my cats in the window. But I fix 'em by saturating the ground with red pepper flakes, when they root around they get a snootful of hot pepper. It works, but you have to re-apply now and again. Sometimes I dig in onions and garlic too.

I understand what you mean completely. My rabbit monster keeps eating my broccoli sprouts. I have had to replace them completely once already. It also ate two brand new heuchera in the front of the house. Oh, and half my newly planted blackberry. And a bunch of tulips. I hate seeing the tulip leaves with no bloom. It hasn't bothered the roses yet, but I'm keeping an eye out. I've got too many to fence now so I have to keep spraying liquid fence every time it rains - which has been about every three days this spring.

I need to start trapping.

Rabbits are my biggest nightmare. I totally understand your anger and frustration. Just this afternoon my Vetrans Honor was attacked and lost two big stems,both loaded with buds. I have fenced my smaller roses but never dreamed they would attempt larger ones. I have 150 roses, so it is not possible to chicken wire every one. I have lost so many lilies,too. I spray and I use wire, but they seem much smarter than me. So sorry about your Mr.Lincoln. Lesley

I don't know how many of them, I've threaten to put into rabbit stew. Earlier this spring, I found a baby rabbit had feasted on spiderwort and two of my ferns. I didn't think they like ferns. One looks its going to make it but I think the autumn is a goner. They normally don't go after the roses they prefer the quince instead.

Oh, no!!!! poor Matt_in_M and lesm especially!! I can't believe an entire 15' classic climber is now kaputz. That has got to be the worst of the worst! And that gorgeous Veteran's Honor losing its entire bouquet of buds????!#(*! What's scary is that these critters give you no time to prepare. It's like bam! they strike and everything vanishes, no trace of fallen leaves or stems! Just naked stalks. Athenwainwi those rabbits will strike out-of-the-blue. I used to think the thorns were enough protection... but Donnie Darko Rabbit, just like the movie's metal masked rabbit, must have scissor jaws of steel... Never before could I ever imagine those critters being able to eat thorny rose bushes... but they do!!! they keep eating around the thorns like rose clippers... Stone garden, thanks for telling me about squirrels. I didn't know they too liked to chew on roses... Uggggh!

What I've found is they won't go after any of my more established roses, they demolished some of my smaller own roots that aren't bouncing back.

Cutting the bottom out of a pot and slipping it over or around (cutting a side as well) works.

A few weeks ago, I was looking at all of the growth, stepped into the garden to fix a clematis vine on Gertrude and what jumped? a tiny rabbit. I chased him back & forth, then it turns out there was another. They did not want to leave, and I really didn't want to hurt them, some how I got them out of there.

Yesterday I went in the basement to do something. I go to the left and what am I greeted with? A SNAKE wrapped around a brown bucket my hubby has down there. I'm not a sissy girl, I hate snakes. This is the 2nd one down there, 1st one was tiny, this one was over 2 feet. Thankfully my son came home to help me. Since he got a better look, he's going to find out if it's poisonous of not. It did not look like the 1st garden snake.

Give me rabbits in the garden any day. Now I have to worry about stepping on snakes.

Roselovr, LOL! give me a snake any day! Snakes give me the heebie-jeebies (ick!), but I want them to EAT the baby bunnies. I used to love bunnies but not!!! anymore... Roselovr, I think the major reason why Donnie Darko bunny has totally devastated my Lincoln is because all my roses are spaced 2-3 feet far apart from each other. The bunny is very large sized, I can tell because of how high it reached to get all of the leaves plus its voracious appetite... For newly planted roses that have not formed a barracade of several rose hedges, a bunny can easily go around the plant and thorns and pick everything off clean until only a bare cane is left. I hope this post will save other newbie rose fans who used to think thorns will scare off a bunny... From now on it's war between me and the bunnies. Or rather I'm praying for a lovely baby hawk to come and eat the baby bunnies and the squirrels...

It's hopeless in my yard. Bunnies are too stupid, hungry & good at reproducing. I have 2 huskies and the neighbors on either side of me have dogs. Then there's the neighborhood cats. Every spring we get babies which the dogs & cats get and there's the occasional adult munching in our yard. The very real threat of being eaten doesn't seem to pursuade them to go elsewhere. Our smorgasbord of flowers and veggies are too good to pass up apparently.