Astilbe is a shade-loving perennial known for its delicate, plume-like flowers that add texture and color to darker garden spaces. Gardeners frequently choose this plant for landscapes where wildlife, particularly rabbits, can cause significant damage. Understanding the feeding habits of common garden pests is important for maintaining a healthy landscape.
Astilbe’s Resistance to Rabbit Grazing
Astilbe is widely considered highly resistant to grazing and is rarely a target for rabbits seeking a meal. This resistance is a result of specific physical and chemical characteristics that make the plant unappealing to these selective herbivores. Rabbits are highly discerning about their food sources and generally avoid plants that lack palatability.
The plant’s natural defenses include its fibrous, tough texture, which is less desirable than the tender leaves of other plants. Astilbe also contains certain compounds that result in a bitter taste, acting as a natural deterrent. While the plant is often listed as “rabbit-resistant,” this does not mean it is entirely “rabbit-proof,” as extreme starvation conditions may occasionally lead a desperate rabbit to sample the foliage.
Rabbits operate on a principle of least resistance, preferring soft, mild-tasting vegetation, such as clover or young vegetable shoots. The inherent bitterness and texture of Astilbe make it a low-priority food source, ensuring it remains largely untouched even when other plants are being actively browsed. Gardeners can therefore confidently integrate this perennial into their landscapes as a reliable, low-maintenance option that resists predation.
Identifying True Rabbit Damage
If you notice damage to plants near Astilbe, it is highly likely that another pest is responsible, or the rabbit is targeting a more desirable plant nearby. True rabbit damage is easily identifiable by specific characteristics left by their sharp incisor teeth. Rabbits create clean, angled cuts, often resembling a neat snip from pruning shears, especially on young stems or seedlings near the ground.
These cuts usually occur within a foot or two of the soil surface, which is the rabbit’s typical feeding height. This contrasts sharply with deer damage, which appears ragged and torn because deer lack upper incisors and must rip the vegetation away. Deer browsing also typically occurs higher up on plants, sometimes up to six feet off the ground.
Damage to roots or underground tubers suggests the presence of voles or other burrowing rodents, not rabbits. Furthermore, rabbits prefer tender hosts like hostas, tulips, and young vegetable garden plants such as lettuce and beans. If your Astilbe is intact but neighboring plants like these are gone, the culprit is almost certainly the rabbit, which has simply chosen its preferred meal.