We had this issue last winter, when there was a prolonged period of deep snow with a very hard crust which not only obscured other food sources for the rabbits, but gave them easier access to numerous shrubs and trees.

After suffering a lot of damage last year, we learned our lesson and put a much greater effort into fencing things this winter that suffered significant rabbit damage last year (in particular: Fothergilla, Clethra, Hamamelis, Viburnum, Lilacs and Japanese Maples). I didn't bother protecting our various Smooth Hydrangeas and Beautyberries, since, despite getting chewed a lot, we cut those all the way back at the end of winter anyway.

The weather conditions haven't been quite as conducive to rabbit damage this winter (less prolonged periods of deep snow), and the only noticeable damage I've seen so far has been to one unfenced Clethra and a few Smooth Hydrangea that are going to get cut back soon anyway.

Bummer. I used to have issues with rabbits but they disappeared. I do not think it was something I did though. You may want to try Plantskydd in granular form at normal times and and liquid during periods of prolonged snow.

What a shame, sorry the rabbits are being a problem. I would not put food out for them. If they have moved on it could just give them reason to return and hang around. Putting out food would be no guarantee that they would leave your trees/shrubs alone. They would just appreciate the variety.

@sah_upstate4 (zone 5b - NY) I see you mentioned ....and Japanese Maples....

Again this winter has not been good for some of my JMaples because of the marauding rabbits. I had protected some in the Fall but not enough of them :(.

@sah_upstate4 (zone 5b - NY), did your chewed on JM recover this past season?

@peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada, lots of people in and about my neighbourhood report lots of sightings of coyotes and yet it appears to me that the these 'beasts' are not making nearly enough of a dent in the rabbit population. And we have so many rabbits around all summer eating lots of our perennials down to the nub...over and over again.

You may want to try Plantskydd in granular form at normal times and and liquid during periods of prolonged snow.

@luis_pr I have used Plantskydd and Bobbex many times in past winters and I am convinced they do little to repel these mammals. (And they arent cheap).

I don't know about granular Plantskydd but I detest the liquid. It stains certain plants and clogs any sprayer. I have used Bobbex concentrate with extremely good success in spring/summer. I have insatiable deer. I have never used it in winter. You are certainly correct that it is not cheap!

I have used Bobbex concentrate with extremely good success in spring/summer.

I remember quite clearly this past season rabbits constantly chewing down our Rudbeckia (Little Goldstar) and so they would never reach bloom :(. I sprayed with Bobbex regularly but to no avail. I was surprised given that it was the summer and they had lots of other stuff to eat. (Clearly there is no reasoning with rabbits ;))

Wow, were you using the concentrate?

I was using the convenient premix in the spray bottle.

I can't speak to bunnies - the local coyotes, eagles, owls and my own clueless dog keep their populations down (or at least away from MY garden!!) - but the Plantskydd RTU works wonders to keep the deer away. And it has a vegetable oil base so stays put with watering and light rainfall. I have not found it damaged anything that it was sprayed on.

The bunnies have never touched my paniculatas, but have pruned down the arborescens for me before.

I remember quite clearly this past season rabbits constantly chewing down our Rudbeckia (Little Goldstar) and so they would never reach bloom :(. I sprayed with Bobbex regularly but to no avail. I was surprised given that it was the summer and they had lots of other stuff to eat. (Clearly there is no reasoning with rabbits ;))

I've also had great difficulty establishing R. fulgida and probably because of rabbits.

A lot of rabbits here but they rarely bother anything in the garden other than beans, peas, and occasionally a single plant which they return to again and again until I finally fence it. Last year it was a purple gomphrena and a new and special milkweed, the year before a 'Julia Childs' rose... weird taste if you ask me. Usually they're just fine with the weeds in the lawn!

That's in the summer. In the winter as soon as the snow sits and covers the ground they'll destroy any unfenced blueberries, witch hazels, camellias, hollies, dogwoods... Fortunately this year either the snow hasn't been too bad or the rabbits enjoyed the purple kale I had planted here and there and I only had to fence the tastiest of things or the things like a row of serbian spruce transplants which had been almost completely decimated last winter.

I suspect our hawks and the local fox family are a bit lazy.

It happens at our house but only the youngest newly planted hydrangeas (and Asian lilies - not the tiger lilies) are chewed off - usually paniculatas by rabbits. Gotta feed the wildlife, right? Once the shrubs get large then rabbit damage is not noticed (if the limbs were close to the ground then they will nip the ends off.

But they're so cute - HA.

I went to the state gardens of Georgia a couple of days ago and took a picture of this very large (very old?) crepe myrtle guarded by a rodent fence (I guess that is what it is there for). I sure would hate to fence in all my favorite rabbit and deer food in wire mesh. I tried bird netting over hostas to deter deer in the past but then I had to cut free a couple of snakes so I tossed the bird netting the second time.

I think that crape is wrapped to guard against deer rubs over the fall & winter.

Thanks cecily - that makes sense but I've never seen a crepe myrtle guarded like that before as they have such hard wood and that was such a big CM.