About three months ago, I purchased two windmill palms online. (Looking back at reviews of the nursery I purchased them from, I should have looked elsewhere.) With that said, the trees are growing new fronds, and seem to be healthy. However I have a few concerns.

1) My biggest problem seems to be rabbits. The trees are roughly 4 ft. in overall height, with the truck being maybe 4 - 6 inches in height. Rabbits are a real problem as they have chewed off several fronds. (They chew the frond off, and that's it....they don't eat the frond....just leave it on the ground.) I have tried everything to keep them out. I have tried human hair, dog hair, sprays, and blood meal. Blood meal actually seems to help, however I have to reapply every few days to keep them at bay. I have a black lab that chases them out of the yard daily, yet them keep coming back. Any tips on keeping them away? Also, will the missing fronds have significant side effects?

2) I, like everybody else, would like to see fast growth. Is there any steps I can take to help promote fast growth?

3) I have fertilizer spikes around the bases, and when I water all of my other plants, I lightly spray them with Miricle Grow....is this a good idea?

4) The Missouri soil is mostly really tough clay. I dug a fairly large hole when I planted, and used mostly a good black top soil, and some potting soil. My concern is, no matter how big of a hole I dig, the clay will not give good soil drainage. Will this present an issue? If so, what can I do combat this problem?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!