Bulbs Harmful animals

Rabbit Fence Saves Lilies

Comment: Last year my lilies were completely ravaged by a family of rabbits! I tried all sorts of things that didn’t work (like a sprinkler equipped with a motion sensor). Since nothing I tried seemed successful, I scoured the web for several hours and finally found a solution on SFGate that has been 100% effective: a 2 ½ foot (75 cm) hardware cloth barrier buried in the ground at the base.

It has to be about 2 feet (60 cm) high or they’ll still reach the lily leaves. Plus, what you can’t see in the photo (because it is buried underground) is that you have to bend the lower 6 inches (15 cm) 90 degrees outward at the base; otherwise the rabbits will dig under the fence.

I thought I’d let you know in case any of your readers have the same problem.

My new motto: “Here, it’s not rabbits we put in cages, but lilies!”

Claire Sauvé
Montreal

Response: Thanks for sharing this technique. I’m sure many readers will find it helpful.

Laidback Gardener

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

2 comments on “Rabbit Fence Saves Lilies

  1. The lilies are beautiful!

  2. Those pesky wabbits! Mine used to eat everything but the grass. I even found them eating a yew hedge once but thankfully they are about the only mammal that can tolerate it.

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