Throughout the year I am frequently asked questions about keeping a variety of critters from nibbling on roses. Most of the year, these questions are about the six-or-more-legged variety. But in early spring, I get a lot of questions on how to deter the four-or-less-legged kind. That is, I get a lot of mail about deer, rabbits, cats, squirrels, and even birds.
Although our North American spring is still several months away, our readers in the Southern Hemisphere are just now entering their growing season. And sure enough, this week I received my first question for the new growing season: How do I keep parrots from chewing on the new rose foliage.
For our readers "down south" who are starting their season and to our readers in North America who may be planning changes to their gardens this fall, I thought I'd share a variety of techniques that may assist you in preparing for the spring onslaught.
Control for sometimes-pesky mammals and birds are all similar and can be divided into three basic categories: horticultural controls, physical controls, and "least toxic" chemical controls.
Horticultural Controls:
Employing this type of control means creating conditions less favorable to plant devastation. By planting your roses throughout the landscape instead of planting them as a monoculture in one location, you reduce the attractiveness of the garden as a "grazing area" or, as I refer to it, "the cabbage patch syndrome." Many of the animals have been severely malnourished while trying to survive the winter. When spring arrives, many herbivore species turn to the first available foliage. Unfortunately, that is often our roses. Likewise, by planting some of your roses close to the house, some species, like deer, may be deterred from approaching too close to structures.
Horticultural control also means planting rose varieties that can withstand the munching of our backyard visitors. Although some catalogs list so-called "deer resistant" varieties, no rose is truly repugnant to the taste buds of deer, rabbits or any other herbivore. What the authors really mean is that these varieties can be munched upon periodically and are so vigorous they survive to continue growing and blooming.
Physical Controls:
This is a broad category and can be further divided into barriers and exclusion devices, wraps, deterrents, and traps.
- Barriers and exclusion devices: Most common among these are netting and fencing. For birds, netting may be an excellent option. For deer and rabbits, fences are the best choice. Deer fences must be very high and doubled. That is, they should be 8 - 10 ft. (2.5 - 3.5 m) tall and should be constructed so there are actually two fences separated by a space between them. Some fencing available includes a small electrical charge that, if touched, will produce a deterrent to the deer. Rabbit fencing does not
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