The Poultry Keeper

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1901 Location: Cheshire

I popped this question here because its the closest we have to a gardening forum.

We have a problem!

We have elderly neighbours who have lived next door for over 60 years! The boundary between our gardens are 'open plan' to say the least. Basically there are a few wooden posts intermittently with a piece of wire nailed to the posts to denote the boundary for approx 120 feet of the garden. Behind the chairs in this photo you can get a taster of what I mean.

So we decided to plant a hedge to give us a little privacy (look very closely behind the chairs, they stop where the flower bed ends) but the gardener has since dug out a flower bed right up to the back of the garden now. The hedging that we planted was a slow growing laurel that would never exceed 4-5 foot high when fully grown (in about 8 years time!) They are currently between 1- 1 1/2 feet high

Slowly over a number of weeks the plants have either disappeared, or been cut! When I say cut the edges of the two bits have very clean crisp edges, some times diagonally - like a gardener would do, other times straight. the tops of the plant are often left on the ground, and the leaves are never nibbled.

The gardener thinks this is very strange. So do we!
At first we wondered if it was next doors gardener being careless with the strimmer, but the grass has not been cut for weeks and it is still happening.
... however the gardener tells me that it might be rabbits as they turn their heads to the side and bite through stems. Do rabbits do perfect incisions in plants? I would have thought it would look a bit chewed - does anyone have a pet rabbit that we can test this on? Laughing

I think you can guess that we have suspicions about our neighbours. We have patches approx 4-5 feet long with no laurel left growing in them now. On the other side of the garden, behind the hen house and run, we have laurels there and this has not happened to a single one of them!!! Think

- rabbits would have access to this area as well. But some things dont seem right about this theory, the neighbours are quite nice to us usually.

Any other ideas guys?

The ironic thing is, if it is them, we have planed with the gardener to move all the laurels to the other side of the garden, and we are ordering 2-3 foot leylandi for our boundary. If however it is something else that is ruining the plant stems I worry about the leylandi as they are going to be quite an investment and I dont want them ruined Confused

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2382 Location: South Cumbria

Yes rabbits do do this we had the same with planted trees,we have planted about 200 here, no rhyme or reason which they choose but a lot have regrown, laurel easily regrows when pruned we had a hedge at our last house ! personally I would go for something other than Leylandii like native hawthorn, blackthorn, beech, hazel much nicer hedge but that is only my opinion

Duckie · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 199

definately not leylandii - they grow out as well as up and you end up with 10ft less garden!

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1901 Location: Cheshire

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2382 Location: South Cumbria

exactly!!! we live a mile from our neighbours and took us a while to work out the culprit, the top is just alongside perfect as if cut by a knife !

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1901 Location: Cheshire

how didi you stop they from doing this?

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2382 Location: South Cumbria

we couldn't ! we live at an outdoor education centre, with large grounds, far too much expense to try to stop them getting in but the trees have now grown and they seem to have left them alone though we have not had many for the last 4 years but suddenly there seems to be a population explosion ! our Border Terriers try their best but I think only 1 of 2 actually catches them lol we bought lots of small whips to get the most for our money also we live on a limestone pavement so not easy to find large planting holes so now the trees are getting to a reasonable size they seem to have left them alone, we a surrounded by grazing land so it is not as if they go hungry either ! Good luck with yours it was the hazel they seemed to prefer here !

Magpie · Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 541 Location: Norfolk

Certainly could be rabbits, we get that happening on the nursery with plants that are poisonous (like laurel would be, although we don't grow that), the little blighters just seem to like snipping it off Twisted Evil

On the other hand - do you have hares around? We have had awful problems in the past with them doing something similar. I don't know why but they never eat what they cut - very sharp, clean cuts too. Just like secateurs Evil or Very Mad

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I'd look to plant a mix of ornamentals, try and find some that will come back from the base if they get snipped like our native dog rose, Rosa canina. There are some useful suggestions here.

Tim

CP · Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 1:30 am Post subject:

Sorry about your gardening problem Sparklepeeps. Sad

I have nothing to add regarding the culprits but please don't plant leylandii! Go for any of the other suggestions. Wink

Leylandii are awful & should be banned!! Twisted Evil

Duckie · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 199

if it is rabbits then probably the best way to protect them is with tree sleeves - they're not very expensive, or you can make them yourself from mesh - if they can't get their little bunny teeth to the stem they can't cut it.

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1901 Location: Cheshire

Auntie Noo · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 496 Location: Guildford

What about Beech or Copper Beech ? There is a hedging supplier here

When I moved into my house 8 years ago they had planted 4 Leylandii the year before. I managed to chop down 2, but 2 I left as they were at the back of the garden and already a bit big for me to deal with, plus having just moved in, I had other priorities!. They were 6 - 7 ft then, they are now probably 25 - 30ft and a flippin nuisance. They grow so quickly and even if you chop the tops off it doesn't stop them. I have stripped the bottom of the trees bare of all the branches so at least I don't lose too much garden, but I would never ever have them again.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 6975 Location: isle of lewis

Leylandii should be banned ,we have it here ,when the house was on the market for a few years ,they grew and grew ,everytime we have a storm branches used to break and we were always worring about them coming down on the house,as a single tree in the middle of a huge stately house lawn they are huge Wink

,why not go with a mix of the above suggestions ,people are always complaining about farmers grubbing out hedges ,and being different types of plants they would help absorb co Wink

,plant a mix hedge ,you'd be feeding the wild birds ,and encouraging insect eatting birds into the garden as well ,a Leylandii has no insects ect that rely on it ,an oak has about 100 ,all of which ,surplys other animals up the food chain ,and some have some lovely flowers ,think butterflys , Cool

,and don't forget elderflower in the hedge ,as the flowers can be used for champange and you can make jams and puddings ,and if you don't want to then the hens wouldn't mind helping you eat them Wink

,and they are good for you Wink

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 1745 Location: norfolk

Going back to your original post S'peeps, I just read an old gardening book this morning and found that they used to soak string in creosote and run it round whatever wanted protecting on low posts - about 1 foot high and this was recommended to keep both rabbits and hares away. Haven't tried it and I couldn't say if the new eu standard creosote would still do it either. Also garlic sprinkled round and buried was mentioned.

hollowlegs · Joined: 04 Nov 2007 Posts: 47 Location: Hampshire

Hi there Sparklepeeps, If you have'nt planted your new hedging yet, please consider a mix of -
Beech or Hornbeam (which keeps it's brown leaves over winter), Smile

Pyracantha (organic barbed wire) Evil or Very Mad

for it's white flowers for bees followed in autumn by orange or yellow berries, the birds love them!, Very Happy

& Rosa Rugosa for gorgeous flowers followed by red hips in Autumn & very prickly. Surprised

All are rabbit proof, easy to cut back, excellent for boundary security & most of all, very bird & insect friendly, supplying food & cover for a large variety of wildlife. All great plants we would never be without!! Very Happy