Next year you could just place an upsidedown wire hanging basket (the kind with the cocoa liners) over top of it early spring. I use them a lot for struggling plants/ dog trampling, bunnies etc.

Curious if it gets enough sun?

GardenHo, Thanks for the wire basket idea - a much more "attractive" option than the chicken wire I had in mind for the front yard. I will remember this whenever the rabbits strike. North Texas plant pros list Kerria for shade/partial shade and say it will "tolerate" our clay soil; so, lack of light in its current spot and heavier soil than it prefers probably are other factors in its slow/no growth.

Ken, That's what I'm going to do because potting it will also let me also see how it responds to some different exposures. Will find a new spot for it if a little more light makes a big difference. The rocks were placed as markers when it was first chewed down to the stubs and found the critters don't take it all the way to the ground with them in place. They get little direct sun, so retained heat is probably not much of a problem.

Thanks for nudge forward... noticed in my notes that I've been procrastinating on this for a couple seasons.

Lack of light is not a concern for Kerria......in fact, this is a shrub that does best in shade and will even tolerate and bloom well in very heavy shade. And it does very well in clay soils as well, provided drainage is reasonable. But it dislikes overly dry conditions - consistently moist (not necessarily wet) soils will generate the best growth.

If you keep finding it nibbled I wouldn't delay caging it.

I've had one for a dozen years and though it is supposed to be tough it won't win any prizes for speed. Now it is a stick growing in the middle of another shrub. It was largish, then it got eaten, it grew to about 3x4 and flowered.. Very attractive, but not high impact. I don't know what happened next maybe I moved it. But now it is a stick. again.

To its credit it hasn't died. But it sure hasn't thrived. You can't lose a thing by following the advice. But keep your expectations modest, from my experience.

I fear Marie Tulin is probably right. I've never seen a really robust looking specimen of this shrub. They always seem to look a bit thin and ratty. And that's in a temperate maritime climate which should suit them down to the ground. I suspect it's just not cut out for life in Texas. It gets a slightly less than stellar endorsement in this article. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/donotmigrate/3326869/How-to-grow-Kerria-japonica.html

Ditto what Marie and floral_uk say.... I planted one of them years ago - attractive foliage but never grew strongly. It eventually just disappeared on its own. Survival of the fittest gardening here :-) It did not survive!

Interesting comments, all. I thought it was just me.

Marie

I tried one in the shade of my Maple tree and it did absolutely nothing. It looked worse the 2nd year and the third year I removed it.

I tried two. Neither lasted their first winter, though I do see the regular green version in gardens around here

'Picta' was my selection.... the FWBC horticulturist's strong recommendation mentioned only the more robust noid geen or 'Pleniflora' plants. He also said they will tolerate our north Texas clay, but do better in amended beds. So, sounds like the weaker cultivar in unamended clay spot is not likely to ever grow as hoped... especially with a rabbit residing somewhere in the yard again.

I would have moved it by now, but straight-line winds that came through our neighborhood earlier this month took out two of our trees and I've been preoccupied with clean-up and transforming the previously full-shade spaces.

Green leaf varieties of kerria grow like weeds around here in any shady location. It is a suckering shrub tolerant of dry soils but grows faster/spreads more agressively with adequate soil moisture. One of the better flowerng shrubs for the dry shade areas under our big native confiers. 'Picta' grows less aggressively and stays smaller than the species.

Just an FYI, but kerria is typically listed as very rabbit resistant. You must have very hungry bunnies in TX!!

I'd be tempted to try 'Pleniflora', but would probably become too big for the space IF it managed to grow typically. We get some color in heavy shade from 'Proud Berry' coral berry in the fall, Turk's cap in the summer, and gulf coast penstemon and Spanish bluebells in mid-spring. Liked Kerria for filling a gap in early spring in the full shade..... any other ideas that might handle the north Texas climate and moderately alkaline clay?

I've not actually seen a rabbit nibbling on the Kerria... though have watched them inflict most of the similar damage to other plants in the front yard. Could have been wrongly accused as our many, many squirrels seem willing to chew on most anything outside the seasons of fruits and nuts. Current bunny-in-residence under the yaupons has left it alone so far.

I am sure it is rabbits who eat my KJVP in the winter. They eat everything they can reach.