Landscaping woes...something is eating our shrubs and trees.

[majestic]

Hello,

Last year we had a landscaper come and do our back yard and we got a wide variety of shrubs and small trees.

This year we noticed that our burning bushes, azaleas, and weeping blue spruce have branches that appear to have been nibbled away. The azaleas are replaceable but the others can be rather expensive. We are in an area that has deer but the yard is chain link fence enclosed.

We think it may be rabbits. My wife saw a family of them in the yard this AM but I read that rabbits won't eat Azalea?

Anything else it could be?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Fred

[Stephen Henning]

Unless the chain link fence is over 7' tall it is useless against deer. They don't need a running jump, the just stand beside the fence and hop over. It is worth watching.

[Alan Sung]

Rabbit damage is limited to around ankle height. Deer damage goes higher. Rabbits like tender plants and don't usually eat woody plants or evergreens like spruce.

How high is the chain link fence? Deer can easily jump over most fences.

-al sung Hopkinton, MA (Zone 6a)

[Chuckie]

The same thing has happened to rose bushes in my yard. I have a lot of deer in the area. I vote deer