Rabbits -

• Rabbits are stubborn! The best defensive against their damage is a fence. It needs to be fine-gauge enough to keep them out physically, but metallic so they don’t chew through it. We have fencing in the Lily Walk area of the Perennial Gardens to protect Asiatic and other lilies. We also use fencing in the Home Demonstration vegetable gardens and in the Cloistered Herb Garden.

• In the Kitchen Herb Garden and other Home Demo areas, we use red pepper flakes, just like you see at a pizza place. All mammals are sensitive to capsaicin - the heat you sense from peppers. Sprinkle at the base of the plants every week or two, and it may be enough to keep them away.

• Blood meal is a fertilizer that is made from dried animal (mostly pork) blood. It is an old-fashioned but effective fertilizer and repellent when used correctly. We also broadcast it in areas with rabbit damage, as the blood smell makes them think a predator is in the area. Use sparingly, though, or you could end up with burned up plants from overuse.

• For deer, we use a repellent made from rotten eggs as the sulfur smell makes them gag. For slugs, we use food-grade diatomaceous earth, as the pulverized powder feels like glass on their soft bodies. We also use coffee grounds to deter slugs since they recognize caffeine as a poison.

• We use a Bonide product sold in garden centers and online called Repels-All. We buy the concentrate liquid and follow label rates. The smell of rotten egg, garlic and cloves is enough to make the deer stay away. We spray it every several days when the tulips grow taller to protect the new growth. It's pretty rainproof, though. Once the tulips bolt (send up their flower bud), the leaves lose their sugary taste and become too bitter for the deer to attack. It is then that we take the fence down

• Important to note that the Arboretum uses IPM when it comes to managing plant health. This article is from the University of Minnesota Extension and discusses IPM as it relates to preventing pests in your yard and garden.