Yikes! It’s the year of the rabbit – Chicago Sun-Times
Yikes! It’s the year of the rabbit
By Susan randstrom Feb 2, 2011 12:32PM
- Share
Article Extras
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Golden Rabbit begins Thursday. It is supposed to be a lucky year, one that will be the messenger of cool and calm and allow us to catch our breath. However, rabbits can mean a different thing to gardeners — mayhem and destruction. Hosta leaves nibbled to the ground, naked branches halfway up a shrub and full rows of leafy vegetables disappear overnight. I’ll say this upfront. there are truly few rabbit-resistant plants, and rabbits will eat just about anything if they are really hungry. However, they generally tend to stay away from fuzzy, prickly or rough textured leaves from plants such as lamb’s ears, bear’s breeches and globe thistle. If you choose wisely from the list below, the rabbits might hop to your neighbor’s yard for their spring garden buffet.
make it a year to create a peaceful garden and restore harmony — where humans and bunnies can coexist.
Rabbit-resistant plants
† Bearded Iris: the sweetly scented flowers and spear-shaped leaves of the iris are a great combination while also being rabbit-resistant. the blooms come in a rainbow of colors and combinations.
† Allium: Large purple globes are made up of a multitude of tiny blue, purple or even white flowers. They are bulbs that are in the onion family whose scent and taste might be a turn-off to rabbits, deer and squirrels. may to June bloomers are good as cut flowers, too.
† Lavender: Freshly scented flowers and foliage are valued by humans but not so much by rabbits. the blooms range from dark purples to light violet and even to white. Plants thrive in sun and need excellent drainage.
† Peony: these are long-lived perennials with springtime-blooming flowers that range from singles to frilly double petals in many luscious shades — pinks, coral, white, reds, deep burgundy and many others. the shrubby foliage makes a solid green background for other perennials in the garden. the tough plants thrive in full sun and a well-drained soil. fill a vase with color and fragrance.
† Yarrow: a tough and drought-resistant perennial that blooms throughout the summer in shades of pink, coral, yellow, red and white.
† Salvia: the most recognizable blue and purple perennial salvias look best planted en masse. They are drought-resistant and grow from 1 to 5 feet tall in a sunny location with good drainage.
† Astilbe: these shade loving plants have plume-like flowers in pink, red, lavender and white. They do best in a moist soil with dappled sun to shade.
† Catmint: Gray-green foliage with a minty scent complements its small, blue-purple flowers. After its initial spring bloom, shear off 3-4 inches from the top and it will rebloom throughout the summer.
more
† Lady’s Mantle ( Alchemilla mollis)
† Bee Balm (Monarda)
† Elephant’s Ears (Bergenia)
† Globe Thistle (Echinops)
† Day Lily (Hemerocallis)
† Lamium (Dead Nettle)
† Foxglove (Digitalis)
Anderson Tapes, The instantly download, Online movie download Anderson Tapes, The DivX Tagline: