The great escape

They've been running rings around him for years, but Toby's bunny chums have now moved on to pastures new

- TOBY BUCKLAND

AFTER five years of filling holes and fixing fences, our rabbit problem has disappeared. You don’t need to be Mr McGregor to know that rabbits and gardens go together like bathtubs and toasters. Should a fluffle of bunnies find your plot, they’ll reduce the flower beds to stubs.

Wire fencing that’s at least 4ft (1.2m) tall and bent over at the base is the surest way to keep them out. But because rabbits are armed with digging spades for paws, teeth like chainsaws and an ability to ‘Fosbury flop-ear’ over obstacles, few gardens are safe.

This is especially true where rabbits have dined before. I know from experience that bunnies have long memories, and once they get a taste for a plant or a place, they never tire of gnawing and digging to get another nibble.