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Anyone planted shrubs/herbs inside a run?

sierra*323

sierra*323

Mama Doe
Hi all,

I'm moving house next summer and am thinking ahead to the new bunny housing.

Has anyone come across a shrub or bush that is rabbit safe but not so tasty it gets stripped down to nothing?

My lot aren't too keen on the rosemary I grew for them but I'm not convinced they wouldn't destroy it anyway if I put it in their permanent run.

I ask because the new garden currently has no green - just slabs and gravel, and is quite small so is going to be largely covered in rabbit housing.

Any thoughts appreciated!

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Mmm, not in a permanent place, no! Mine are the same with rosemary, but we have ginormous bushes (4' tall) so it's hard for them to destroy, but they do give the lavender a good go! And that's massive too.
 
Mine don't use a run, but I did intend if they ever moved outside to plan a few different things in their run. Something like conifer bushes (they already have access to these when they free roam in the garden)

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Thanks for your replies, I thought of lavender as they're surprisingly also not keen on that, but wondered if attracting bees to their run was asking for trouble!

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We have tried so many plants in the area of the garden where the rabbits have access - nothing survives. We even tried willow because it's supposed to grow 10ft per year but in the end they dug it up and threw it across the garden for fun. We do have a gangly looking hebe Bush which somehow got established, they tend to ignore it now but didn't always. Every year when we thin out tall grassy plants from other areas of the garden we transplant the clumps into the rabbit garden, if you put enough in it takes them all summer to kill them but they don't technically survive as you need to do it all again the next year.
 
Hmm sounds like a fun challenge! Maybe I'll try alternating pots rather than planting in the ground, so the plants can have a rest...

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I think you would have a job finding stuff you can grow with free access that doesn't get destroyed but there are options - for example you could have a dwarf apple/rose (or similar) with the trunk protected which would give shade/greenery and you could trim yourself and give the leaves/branches from. That would grow nicely in the middle of a big aviary. Might be worth looking at cordons for narrow options.

You could also grow in the ground or in pots with upturned hanging baskets over - that would let the rabbits trim and you'd get topiary shapes but protect the main trunk/roots so stop them killing the plant.

Another option is to grow on the outside - so things that will either grow through or up the sides. Again you could put climbers inside if the bottom section is protected - something like a grape could work well as they can have a 2' trunk and then a wide spread of nice bright green edible leaves.
 
Ooh thanks Tamsin, lots to think about! Can you think of any evergreen climbers that are safe for them to nibble?
I have some trough planters with rosemary and thyme in already and am now picturing something similar to a runaround high mesh tunnel over the top...

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You can get a thornless bramble/black Berry bush which is a climber. My mum has one. The buns aren't massively keen on thornless so will only nibble a little bit.

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I can't think of anything evergreen, most evergreens aren't also edible. Lot's of non evergreens - blackberry is a good thought - they don't cling but they have long branches so you could easily train them (tie the branches to the mesh). Grapes, roses would work or annuals like nasturtium and edibles peas. Pears and apples can be fan trained (grown flat against something).

You could grow non edible evergreens on trunks (called standards), you'll see a lot of pompoms but again no reason you can't grow something flat with a trunk (called pleached). You'd just need to protect the trunk. Pleached trees are grown on frames so against a aviary should work really well. Here's what I mean: https://www.paramountplants.co.uk/blog/index.php/half-standard-pleached-trees/ they are all done for you but you could start with a normal young tree/brush and grow it that way.
 
Raspberries and a blackcurrant bush should survive once established and are bunny-safe. They could also be grown in large (eg 70 litre) pots so they can be rotated to recover. Otherwise, how about radish, cabbages, etc grown in pots out of the run and put in for them to demolish at regular intervals. Cabbages can be grown pretty much all year round. Tree pots are quite tough and have handles so they can be moved more easily, and come in a range of sizes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Ou...015&sr=8-4&keywords=tree+pots+for+large+trees
 
Never heard of a pleached tree before, that's interesting!
I know that the buns love roses and I've grown them before, maybe I'll look at climbing ones next year.
I love raspberries too so that would be a bonus!
I would absolutely love an aviary with a fruit tree in the middle, but I think my budget is going to restrict me to 2 or 3 ft high. I'll just have to be creative! Thanks for all the ideas.


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The only thing I ever planted that my rabbits had access to which they didn't completely destroy was fennel. Mainly because it grw so fast and they couldnt reach the top. In the summer im planning planting trailing herbs in hanging baskets hanging from the top of their run so they can reach the trailing leaves but not get right into the plant. I think I read that tip on here
 
Hi again, inspired by all your suggestions I have borrowed the photo below from pinterest - is anyone able to identify the climbing/trailing plant for me?
Thanks!

e37d7f734c0a04abef412f298c61ae80.jpg


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It's a bit small to tell. It's got a woody stem so some kind of perennial. I can't tell if it's climbing or been trained.
 
Looks more trained to me.... I can't tell what it is either as pictures small :(

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