‘Help! Rabbits Are Eating My Garden’ (Here’s What To Do)

Have you had the unpleasant experience of visiting your garden in the morning only to find that your tender young shoots have been cut off overnight, as if with a pair of shears?

If so, you may have had a nighttime visit from a rabbit or two. Rabbits are cute to look at, but they can be a real nuisance to gardeners. Known to be voracious eaters, they can wipe out an entire area of new growth overnight.

Because they have both upper and lower incisors, rabbits tend to make a clean cut on a stalk when they eat. Other telltale signs of rabbits in your garden are pea-sized droppings in and around the garden, and chewed tree bark close to ground level. Tufts of fur on branches and areas that reveal digging activity or even bedding down also can be signs of rabbits.

Rabbits are timid animals and do not like to stray far from cover. One way to discourage them from getting into your garden is to eliminate hiding places such as areas with tall grass and piles of stone or brush.

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Another idea is to plant alfalfa or clover outside your garden area. Rabbits are particularly fond of these two plants and may remain there for their meal– especially if it feels safer — instead of bothering your other plants.

One more plan of action to deter rabbits is to add some plants to your garden that rabbits dislike. Rabbits tend to go for tender shoots and tender woody plants that have a thin bark, so your young plants are at the highest risk of being eaten. However, if you place some less attractive plants among the ones that the long-eared guys like, they may stay away from your garden.

Generally, rabbits dislike plants that have a strong fragrance or have fuzzy leaves. A determined rabbit may simply graze around the plants he does not like, but here are seven garden plants that repel rabbits.

1. Veronica – With its pretty flowering spikes of blue, pink or white, veronica adds some height (one to two feet) and texture to your garden. Veronica prefers full or part sun and well-drained soil. And the bunnies don’t like it.

2. Lavender – You may love the fragrance of lavender, but rabbits do not. This tough beauty can withstand both heat and drought. You can plant it as single plants or form a hedge with many plants to deter pesky bunnies. Lavender prefers full sun and well-drained, slightly alkaline soil.

3. Siberian Iris – This elegant iris variety has gorgeous purple, rose, blue or white blooms and big grassy foliage. It adds beauty to your garden while potentially deterring rabbits. The Siberian iris grows from one to three feet tall and prefers full or part sun and well-drained soil.

4. Salvia – With a wide variety of bold colors to choose from, salvia is a colorful addition to your garden. Try it as a border plant to keep rabbits from entering your vegetable garden. Salvia likes full sun and well-drained soil, and it can grow from one to even five feet tall, depending on the variety you choose.

5. Peony – They take a while to establish themselves from new roots, but when they do, peonies are a joy to behold. With large late springtime flowers and a beautiful variety of colors, peonies are an attractive addition to your garden. What’s even better is that rabbits do not like their tough foliage. Peonies like full sun and well-drained soil and can grow up to seven feet, depending on the variety of plant.

6. Verbena – Lovely verbena can grow from a mere six inches to three feet in height, and it produces delicate pink, red, white or blue flowers, depending on the variety you select. Rabbits do not like the way verbena smells and usually will steer clear of the plant. Verbena prefers full sun and well-drained soil.

7. Daylily — Easy to grow and maintain, daylilies come in a rainbow variety of shades. They like full sun and well-drained soil and can grow up to six feet tall. Rabbits do not like their thick stalks.

Keep in mind that if your long-eared nighttime visitors are hungry enough, they will eat almost anything green in your garden. However, your plants are particularly attractive to rabbits when they are young and tender. Once your plants are established, they are less tempting, and, as a result, other plants may more easily discourage rabbits.

Related:

Deer Hate These 7 Plants (So Plant Them Around Your Garden)

How do you keep rabbits out of your garden? Share your ideas in the section below:

Sources:

http://ifplantscouldtalk.rutgers.edu/planttalk/article.asp?ID=13

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-keep-rabbits-dining-trees-and-shrubs-1

http://www.pcmg-texas.org/animals/88-keeping-rabbits-out

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