I would fence it now. If it does comeback, bush should have great color in the new branches. The rabbits didn't bother mine either until spring. I guess the bark tastes good then. However you can't trust rabbits, they chew when they feel like it, so I put my fence on mine in late fall. I keep it fenced from fall until leaves start sprouting. These bushes need an annual shearing of the thin branches each spring. If you do not shear them, you just get green leaves on the old growth wood. I was being nice the first year after planting, didn't shear it off. The whole year was a big nothing for color. I got real unhappy with it, sheared it strongly the next spring after. Bush came back strongly, had white leaves, good color until August. Located in a damp location, which willows like. Half day of shade so the white is very bright there, which is what I was hoping for against the dark green behind it. Again, I get the twiggy growth trimmed off each spring, before leaves start opening. Shrub easily replaces the old growth in size and keeps the light leaves long into the summer season. I keep mine about 5ft high. Not trimming any pencil size or above, branches unless they grow and rub each other. Fence comes off after grass starts growing.

My vegetable garden is also in a screened area but the dogs do there business somewhere else. Do you think I should open the gates for them and allow access? Or, would it suffice if they did their business around the perimeter? Rita ------------------- Rita Abend

Oh she's too cute!! I bet you must miss her. That was a great story. My kids had an adopted house bunny named bun bun She passed away October 2000. We have two more adopted house bunnies. Sarah

I was planning on starting a topic on this but I'll add here for now. I recently started getting vivo compost from the city of Bryan. It is sewer sludge and browns(mostly wood chips) mixed, composted and finally screened to .375". It has done WONDERS for my grass and flowers but I have found an added bonus... I used to have to fix the mulch on my orchard (23 trees)everyday due to the armadillos digging in the good soil it created underneath it. It was a big PITA to fix it all the time. Since putting the screened out wood chips from the compost on the trees 3 weeks ago not one mulch ring has been disturbed. Not one! I'm so dang happy it ain't funny. Now, some may have a problem with sewer sludge compost and I understand that. I myself being in the building trades for many years know many old plumbers, and they see a lot of that long before I get it composted from the City of Bryan, and it hasn't hurt them yet. I don't think I'll be growing carrots in it any time soon but like I said, the grass likes it and the 'dillos don't. Unfortunatly, I still see rabbit dung in my grass so it doesn't work on them. In fact, it may be drawing them in with the better grass. It is also sold in bags in many places so you may be able to find some there in your area, or a similar operation. I know B/CS is a long way from Dallas.