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Rabbit Damage in Winter—They Are Just Trying to Survive

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As I walked out of a side door to our office the other day, I could not help but notice the hydrangea bushes that are located close to the entrance. I was shocked to see the amount of rabbit damage caused by rabbits eating the bark to say alive during this winter that never seems to want to end. I could easily tell that the culprits were rabbits due to the numerous bunny tracks in the snow. Rabbits will feed on just about anything they can find during the winter and the bark of ornamental shrubs are usually within easy access for them. They will even eat the bark on low-growing evergreens like yews and junipers. Several years ago, we had a cluster of 6 or 7 pfitzer junipers by our office that were killed by the winter feeding of rabbits. Speaking of being killed by rabbits, I am afraid that the hydrangeas are so badly damaged by the ravenous rabbits that they will have difficulty recovering. The plants will probably leaf out due to the stored carbohydrates within the stem tissues, but will quickly die. Unfortunately, it's likely that no amount of shrub care will bring them back to the healthy plants they once were. It is possible that the plants will send up new sucker growth from the crown of the plant, but it will take years before they develop into the same sized plants. If we have another snowy winter, the rabbits will probably feast on the remaining branches as well. Unfortunately this damage is virtually unavoidable as the rabbits are just trying to survive.