Early spring blooms

20 years ago

About 3 weeks ago a rabbit was nice enough to prune my little Star Magnolia for me. She (or he) didn't eat the stems, just left a pile on the ground around the plant. Since most of them had flower buds on them I took them inside and put them in a cup of water. They started opening yesterday. I was so excited. Since the rabbit bit off almost all the flower buds (the plant is only 3 feet tall), at least I will get some enjoyment out of them this year. Since I have 2 more in the yard, it also means the plants are probably still alive.

The rabbits sure seem to be getting worse. Or maybe it's just my yard full of tasty stuff.

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Comments (6)

selkie_b
20 years ago
We had an interesting one this winter - the usual rabbit or two, but we've also had a snowshoe hare! I'll scare off the rabbits, but the hare I won't, as long as I can keep it out of my roses this spring. It did a GORGEOUS job of pruning them this past fall - really! Perfect 45 degree cuts at just the right places - I'll have some nice shapes for blooms this spring. And it was so neat to occasionally scare it up in the evenings, they run so differently and look so lovely.

-Marie
leftwood
20 years ago
I am pleasantly surprised at how well this is working out for you, ginkgonut. Next time I am at my parents' I think I'll try a few flowers myself of my Magnolia 'Wada's Memory'.

Be sure you are regularly changing the water and recutting the Magnolia stems. The limiting factor is usually water uptake, which is impeded by bacteria/fungi clogging water conduits at the cut area. I assume you are actually cutting underwater too. Otherwise air bulbs blocking conduits could be a problem too. A few grains of sugar in the water couldn't hurt either.

A lovely hare, Marie? Well, maybe as long as that hare doesn't multiply like rabbits.
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selkie_b
20 years ago
Yeah yeah, I know... they eat stuff. :) But this one seems to mind its manners (so far) better than the usual rabbits. We have a weird thing about hares in this household anyway, something to do with having an English husband :) I'll explain that to you sometime...

-Marie
leftwood
20 years ago
And now that you mention it, I do remember you saying something about that, Marie. Maybe the hare will stake the territory and keep more ravenous critters out. Could actually turn out to be a blessing in wild fur! Who would've thought? (Except you and your hubby)
luvmydaisies
20 years ago
Hmmm I am not liking the rabbit at my house. It chewed my azalea down to almost nothing...ALL my blooms gone and this would have been the first time I got to see it bloom...Maybe next year.
zenpotter
20 years ago
A totally different rabbit story. There is a rabbit that comes almost every morning and sits on a rise about six feet from our kitchen window staring at or in our windows. Then he disapears until the next day. We have dubbed him the spy or CIA rabbit, but I can't imagine what he finds of interest in our kitchen.

Pauline