We've had some guests this summer who have stayed too long, eaten too much and caused hours of extra work. We didn't invite them. Not intentionally anyway.

Judy Terry Green Thumb

They must like our hospitality, however, because they seem to party day and night and have invited many friends and relatives to join them.

Rascally rabbits have taken over our yard, chopped their way through our garden, eaten our summer plants, and yes, like rabbits do, multiplied.

So how to discourage these daily visitors? Certainly having a dog should be helpful. And since we live in the country, our dog can be loose, but she is getting old and the only rabbit chasing she does is in her dreams.

This year we have planted pumpkins three different times. We think the rabbits ate the seeds, though I thought they really preferred green shoots. So we planted more seeds and cut out the bottoms of 5-gallon paint cans to place over them. The next day most of the cans were tipped over and the seeds missing.

We planted again and set a metal fence post on top of each bucket. It looks as though the only thing we are growing is buckets, but actually the pumpkins finally took off. Whether they will be ready for Halloween is anybody's guess.

The bunnies have left the peppers alone, but must have enjoyed the fennel. Perhaps the bright flowers on the impatiens under a tree enticed them, as one day they were there and the next they were eaten to the ground.

I am blaming the rabbits, though it could be raccoons, deer or birds. Wildlife in the landscape can be picturesque and cute, but it's not fun when they begin to take over.

The best defense against rabbits is a 2-3 foot tall fence, which extends up to a foot underground so they can't tunnel underneath it. However, less expensive and less tiresome are some products and tricks that help repel them.

Bloodmeal often is used around plants as rabbits don't like the odor, and there's an added bonus to it, too. It is high in nitrogen and is an excellent fertilizer.

Have a few old smelly tennis shoes? Place them strategically in your garden. It may help for a while, though odor is less a determent than taste.

If you have an old hose, thread it through the rows. Rabbits may think it is a snake and stay away. Also, cleaning up high grasses and brush piles is helpful, as rabbits use them as their nests.

There are several plants you can grow to border the garden that repel rabbits. Marigolds, black-eyed Susan, catmint, castor bean and globe thistle are a few. Sometimes planting a clover border around the garden will satisfy them enough so they will leave other plants alone.

Lettuce, beans, carrots, cabbage and peas are favorites. Try sprinkling black pepper around these plants. Pepper is organic and safe and also inexpensive.

In your blender, you can whip up a quart of water with a few hot peppers and cloves of garlic, strain it, and use it as a spray. It also repels grasshoppers and aphids.

Rabbits really like the bark of trees, especially apple. Wrap young trees about 18 inches up with commercial tree wrap, wire mesh or burlap. In the winter they may need higher protection, as rabbits will climb snow banks to get to their feast.

It is discouraging to say the least to find your favorite plants stripped to the ground. There is nothing that is really foolproof but perhaps some of these suggestions will help keep those unwanted pest away.

Judy Terry is a freelance garden writer. Her column appears weekly in the Press-Citizen. Questions or comments should be sent to her at: Iowa City Press-Citizen, P.O. Box 2480, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-2480; faxed to 834-1083; or e-mailed to life@press-citizen.com.