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Hornbeam Hedge

Hi, I am going to plant a hornbeam hedge this Friday morning and have noticed a couple of rabbits in the garden at night time. Does anyone know if the young plants (90cm approx) would need anything on to protect from rabbit damage? I will be putting up a small fence around the garden and letting the existing hedge grow through the mesh but I will not be able to do this for a month or so.

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I'd protect them as best you can Dave. The little *******  will eat almost anything - or try to - despite what  the books will tell you. You can get tree guards quite cheaply or make cages with mesh and canes to keep them away until the hedge is established enough to fend for itself.

    Can you tell I've done that before?  image 

    If it's any consolation - they don't eat snowdrops or daffodils!

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Thanks for that Fairygirl, I have bit the bullet and ordered a load of galvanised fencing and posts. I plan to put in some veg beds so rather than fence each thing I am going to fence the garden boundary. Looking forward to planting daffodils at the foot of the hedge.

    Last year we only got the odd rabbit but this year they seem to be in the garden every night.

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Don't forget to bury the bottom of the fence.  And get yourself a good terrier or gun!  Or both.

  • Jim MacdJim Macd Posts: 750
    Fairygirl wrote (see)

    I'd protect them as best you can Dave. The little (manure balls? imagewill eat almost anything - or try to - despite what  the books will tell you. You can get tree guards quite cheaply or make cages with mesh and canes to keep them away until the hedge is established enough to fend for itself.

    Can you tell I've done that before?  image 

    If it's any consolation - they don't eat snowdrops or daffodils!

     

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Jim - that's the polite word! I can't repeat what we used to call them at my last house, but after they munched their way through large quantities of new, supposedly rabbit proof plants,  overnight, a machine gun was next on my shopping list image

    They can be worse some years than others Dave - unfortunately! We had a long front boundary fence which would eventually have been replaced with a hedge, but the previous owners  had put daffs and snowdrops all the way along it and it really was lovely. It's the new little baby rabbits in spring that do most of the damage - they have a nibble at anything and everything - and that makes it difficult to have lots of perennials. 

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Rosie31Rosie31 Posts: 483

    Watership Down used to be my favourite book.  And then I became a gardener.

  • Well, the hedge is going in on Friday and the fencing will be delivered tomorrow! I am going to bury some in the ground to hopefully stop them getting in. Can't wait to get a veg plot going and the wife fancies a cut flower bed. At least it will make use of a long front garden. 

    Welshonion, we have a greyhound who has already caught two rabbits but once they are "locked on" they will just keep on going! The two he caught were just at the side of a hedge and he just grabbed them.

    We have an existing hedge an I plan to trim a little from the bottom and place the fence as close to the hedge as possible. Hopefully the hedge will then grow though the wire squares and will not be too visible.

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114

    Sounds like you already have a weapon with the greyhound.  Excellent!

  • I've got two "weapons" (whippets) which do catch the odd rabbit or two, but the dogs aren't outside in the garden 24 hours a day - whereas the rabbits are ...................

  • We plan to plant a Hornbeam hedge against a 6 foot high panel pence with slotted concrete posts. Fence is ours and separates us from neighbours.
    How far from the fence should I plant so that I would have access for maintenance of the fence. I thought a metre would be about right.



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