How to Protect Cherry Bushes from Rabbits

Rabbits (Lepus spp.) are known for their destructive tendencies, as, after encountering chewed wires, baseboards and other household items, any pet rabbit owner can vouch. In the wild, those tendencies are directed toward trees and other plants, making backyard gardens veritable playgrounds for badly behaved bunnies. Signs of a strong rabbit presence in a garden include only ground-level damage, with plants showing clean cuts, clipped twigs and buds and young tree bark removed. A variety of berry plants attract that kind of attention from wild rabbits. They include cherry bushes (Prunus spp.), which encompass various species that are hardy in different U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones. Carolina laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana), for example, is hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10, chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) in zones 1 to 6 and Western sand cherry (Prunus besseyi) in zones 3 to 6.

4-foot tall, steel T-stakes with hooks
Wooden mallet
Fence-post driver
Shovel
Chicken wire fencing in roll, 3 1/2 feet tall with 1 inch or smaller holes
Wire cutters
Cable ties

Instructions

- 1
  Tap four to six 4-foot tall, steel T-stakes with hooks into the ground around the cherry bushes, surrounding the entire group of bushes with the stakes. Insert the stakes no farther than 2 to 3 inches deep by using a wooden mallet.
- 2
  Drive the stakes farther into soil by using a fence-post driver. Slide the driver onto one stake, and pump the driver's handles downward to force the post into the soil. The stake must be more than 6 inches deep in the soil. Repeat the procedure for each other stake.
- 3
  Dig a 6-inch deep trench around the cherry bushes, following the stakes' perimeter. The trench will prevent rabbits from tunneling beneath the protective fencing you will install.
- 4
  Place the bottom edge of 3 1/2-feet-tall chicken wire fencing into the trench while unrolling the fencing around the stakes. Slide the fencing onto the stakes' hooks where possible. The chicken wire fencing must have 1 inch or smaller holes because young rabbits can fit through remarkably tight spaces.
- 5
  Cut the excess fencing where it meets the end of the fencing you installed first, using wire cutters for the task. Close the fence, connecting its two ends, with cable ties.
- 6
  Fill the remainder of the trench with the soil you removed to create the trench. Bury the bottom of the fencing under the soil.
- 7
  Clear area rabbit habitats, such as debris, brush and stone piles, to deter rabbits from staying in the yard.

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