Have tried several border flowers for my garden. So far, every one was a smorgasbord for the rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks. They took the tops off of 36 marigolds the day after they were planted. Two days later, the stems were eaten down to the ground. Can anyone recommend a perennial border plant that can survive this onslaught.
Someone else can recommend plants. Meanwhile, try some Irish Spring bar soap. The smell did a good job of repelling almost everything including deer in my garden, at least for a month or so. Sometimes all you need to do is give the plants a chance to reach a certain size and they'll be fine afterward.
I placed the soap bars in yogurt containers and laid them on their sides, with the bottoms tipped up slightly so they wouldn't fill with water when it rained. I know - it's ugly, but it worked. Maybe you could disguise them with some mulch. In my vegetable garden, I really didn't care, and the plants themselves covered up the plastic things.
One thing I found that worked to keep the deer and the rabbits from my hostas etc. was to put stakes in and around the plants, tie a piece of rag to it and every other day or so spray with downy fabric softener. Once they got a bit of a size the animals seem to leave them alone. I know, it is ugly as well but if it saves the plants!!
Might be a good idea to cut fabric softner sheets in strips and use them instead of material?
Upon recommendation from a friend, I tried Liquid Fence to keep squirrels out of my peach and pear trees as the fruit was ripening. I sprayed some on the trunks, and the tree rats decided they didn't like it. It also keep them away from flower beds where I had used it for Bambi, and I don't have the usual buried hickory trees sprouting in all the flower beds. It not only works on wood rats but, as a bonus, on tree rats as well.
JPS
For the flower beds, did you have to spray it *in* the beds, or around the perimeter grass? I'm interested in the stuff for a vegetable garden, but not too keen on applying it to the soil or plants themselves.
I would not use it on vegetables, only shrubs and flowers. (It does contain putrescent egg solids, garlic, and hot peppers.) It must be sprayed directly on the plants you wish to protect, not the perimeter of the area or the ground around them. It has no adverse effects on the plants sprayed in my observation, and they continue to grow and thrive. It is almost impossible to detect any smell after it has dried and remains effective for quite a while, even after rain. I spray it on the highly deer attracting plants such as hydrangeas once every three weeks, give or take a few days.
I tried a Google search, and most were sales sites. All claimed it ecologically friendly.
For what it's worth, I hope my observations helped..
JPS
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