They Keep Going, and Going, and Going

Our pesky neighborhood rabbits are out in full force again, and have already begun to eat my foliage. Actually, the only things growing in the yard so far are tulips, but the bunnies have found, and enjoyed, them. (I also planted a dozen or so new hyacinth bulbs last fall, but only two of them are visible. What’s up with that?) I actually used to like rabbits. I thought they were cute and cuddly. Our area is so overrun with them, however, that they are truly a nuisance now. A few years ago I bought, and planted, five flats of begonias. It took me an entire day to prepare the beds (read: shuffle the dirt around until it appeared level) and plant the flowers. The next morning, every single blossom - over 250 - had been eaten. When I bought new flowers to replace them, the nursery worker told me to put cayenne pepper on the petals to deter the hungry bunnies. They ate that bunch of flowers, too, cayenne pepper and all. My sister rationalized that they probably savored the extra seasoning. The following year, everyone recommended that I plant marigolds “because rabbits despise marigolds.” Well, not our floppy-eared friends. Loved them. Someone suggested sprinkling baby powder on and around our flowerbeds. That only managed to make the yard look like a cotton field until the bunnies gobbled up the flowers anyway. And don’t even get me started on my hostas. I have five beautiful hostas that, when not chewed up by the evil critters, each grow to about three feet high and four feet wide. Last year, the rabbits completely obliterated three of them. I tried placing a beer trench around some new azaleas last summer. Party time in bunny land. This spring, Jacob and I have planted 100 impatiens seeds in a tiny greenhouse indoors to transfer outside when the weather gets warm. I have no idea how I am going to protect these seedlings from the rabbits. Some people get angry when I voice my dislike of these animals. But they have commandeered my yard, and, in my case, I was here first! They have cost me hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars, and countless hours of my time. I am desperately seeking any advice that might make my anti-rabbit campaign successful. Short of rabbit poison, that is, because I don't want those PETA enthusiasts on my back.