We all understand that Easter Bunnies don’t like chocolate and are especially keen to give it away at this time of year. I am happy with this arrangement. I am not happy with the flip-side of this arrangement. (In the case of this particular lop-eared bunny I will call it the flop-side.)

The Flop Side of Easter Bunnies

The flop-side of this Easter bunny’s game plan is that in return for secretly leaving chocolate she thinks that it’s acceptable to help herself. She'll grab anything that takes her fancy in the garden, wreaking havoc and causing considerable damage. In this particular case the problem is easily solved by returning her to her secure accommodation. For her wilder and far naughtier cousins the problem must be solved with plant protection. 

Growing in pots makes it less tempting and trickier for rabbits to nibble at any new plantings and soft growth. Those of you growing in rows it may be a different story. Those early shoots that will pop up soon are at particular risk of becoming a bunny salad. So unless you have a rabbit proof fence surrounding your veg plot then some Bell Cloches or an Easy Tunnel pegged over the plants should keep the naughty nibblers at bay and keep the plants cosy and moist too. 

At this time of the year there are far more tempting treats than tree bark for bunnies to gnaw on. However, when other vegetation is sparse beware! If trees are ringbarked (nibbled all the way round) it can kill them. If rabbits nibble the tree all the way round it can kill them. You can protect young trees easily with a tree guard, just make sure that it is over 50cm in height to allow for a giant rabbit invasion, small rabbits on stilts and normal sized rabbits on their hind legs. I have ambitions to grow small trees in pots which should mean that they are growing high enough off the ground to be out of rabbit reach. Anyway that's quite enough of me rabbiting on, I'm off to hunt for chocolate !