The Pincushion Flower, Scabiosa, is a beloved perennial recognized for its delicate, long-blooming flowers and compact foliage. Gardeners often select this plant for its aesthetic appeal, but they worry about its vulnerability to local wildlife. Understanding the feeding habits of common garden pests, particularly rabbits, is important for maintaining a healthy landscape. This knowledge helps determine if Scabiosa is a safe choice or a potential target for foraging animals.
Do Rabbits Eat Pincushion Flowers?
Pincushion Flowers are often categorized as “rabbit resistant” in gardening guides, suggesting they are not a preferred food source due to their texture or taste. However, this resistance is not a guarantee of immunity, and the plant is included on some lists of perennials that rabbits may damage. Rabbits are highly opportunistic feeders whose diet fluctuates based on environmental pressures. If preferred grasses, clover, and tender garden vegetables are scarce, a rabbit will consume less palatable plants like Scabiosa.
Consumption often occurs during periods of drought or deep snow cover when usual food sources are unavailable. A plant’s resistance level changes dramatically when rabbits are hungry. While a rabbit might normally avoid the finely divided foliage of Scabiosa, an entire planting can be cleared overnight if it is the only green material available. Young plants are particularly susceptible before they establish the tougher texture of mature growth.
Identifying Rabbit Foraging in the Garden
Before implementing protective measures, confirm that a rabbit is the culprit behind plant damage. Rabbit feeding damage is characterized by a clean, precise cut on plant stems, often appearing as if done with pruning shears. This clean cut is due to the rabbit’s sharp incisor teeth, which snip the material neatly. The cuts frequently occur at a 45-degree angle, typically low to the ground, within two feet of the soil line. Small, pea-sized, spherical droppings scattered near the damage site also provide evidence of rabbits.
Damage from deer looks significantly different because deer lack upper incisors. Deer tear or pull at foliage, leaving behind a ragged or frayed edge on the remaining stem. Groundhogs and voles cause damage differently; voles typically gnaw bark near the soil line, and groundhogs make larger excavations.
Strategies for Garden Protection
Protecting vulnerable plants requires physical exclusion or the application of deterrents that make the plant unappealing. The most effective method for controlling rabbit damage is the use of physical barriers, specifically fencing. A permanent rabbit barrier should be at least two to three feet high to prevent rabbits from jumping over it.
The mesh size must be small, ideally one inch or less, to prevent young rabbits from squeezing through. To stop rabbits from digging underneath, the fence material should extend six to twelve inches below the soil line. Alternatively, the bottom six inches of the fence can be bent outward in an “L” shape and secured to the ground. For individual, newly planted Scabiosa, temporary circular cages made of small-gauge wire mesh offer immediate protection until the plant is established.
Repellents offer a secondary line of defense by making the plant taste or smell unpleasant. These products, which often contain ingredients like putrefied egg solids or capsaicin, can be effective but require commitment. Repellents must be reapplied frequently, particularly after rain or irrigation, and as new plant growth emerges. Rotating between different types of repellents prevents rabbits from becoming accustomed to a single deterrent.