Rabbits can cause significant damage to plants, shrubs, and trees. The Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the most common culprit in North American gardens, identifiable by the clean, angled cuts it leaves on stems and its distinct pellet-like droppings. They readily consume tender shoots and leaves, especially in the spring and summer. Protecting your landscape requires humane, practical strategies that focus on exclusion, deterrence, and plant selection.
Erecting Physical Barriers
Exclusion through fencing remains the most effective method for reliably protecting plants from rabbits. A successful barrier must address the rabbit’s ability to jump and its inclination to burrow under obstructions. For perimeter fencing around a garden bed, the mesh should extend a minimum of 24 inches above the ground, with 30 to 36 inches being a more secure height to prevent a determined rabbit from jumping over.
The mesh must be sized to exclude young rabbits. Use galvanized hardware cloth with a mesh size of 1 inch or smaller, as standard chicken wire often has mesh too large for juveniles. The bottom of the fence must be secured by burying it at least 6 inches deep, though 12 inches is highly recommended against persistent diggers.
Alternatively, the bottom 6 inches of the fence can be bent outward at a 90-degree angle, forming an L-shape that lies flat on the ground away from the planting area. This apron should then be secured to the soil with stakes or covered with soil and sod to prevent the rabbit from accessing the fence base. For individual protection, use cylinders made of 1/4-inch hardware cloth, ensuring they are buried a few inches into the soil and stand tall enough to protect the plant’s new growth. This localized approach works well for permanent landscape features.
Using Sensory and Taste Deterrents
Repellents work by making plants unappealing through unpleasant taste or smell, and they offer a secondary line of defense against rabbit damage. Commercial products often utilize active ingredients like capsaicin, the compound that makes chili peppers hot, which creates an aversive taste. Other effective components include sulfur compounds or putrescent egg solids, which generate odors that rabbits associate with predators or decay.
Homemade or natural deterrents rely on strong smells. Dried blood meal, for instance, acts as a repellent by signaling the presence of a predator, but it must be reapplied frequently to remain effective. A simple spray made from hot pepper and water can be applied directly to non-edible foliage, capitalizing on the capsaicin’s distasteful nature.
Sensory deterrents require frequent reapplication, especially after rainfall or overhead watering, as their active ingredients are easily washed away. Rabbits can also become accustomed to a consistent smell or taste. To counteract this, rotate between two or three different types of repellents to maintain effectiveness.
Strategic Planting for Rabbit Control
Minimizing damage involves understanding rabbit feeding preferences and adjusting your plant choices accordingly. Rabbits are highly attracted to the tender, young growth of certain vegetables and flowers, including beans, peas, lettuce, tulips, and hostas. Planting these highly palatable species away from areas where rabbits commonly enter the yard can reduce initial damage.
Rabbits generally avoid plants that have strong aromas, prickly textures, or toxic properties. Plants with fragrant oils, such as lavender, rosemary, and catmint, are typically passed over. Daffodils are also less appealing than tulips, as the former contain compounds rabbits tend to avoid.
A strategy known as companion planting can be used by placing less-favored, highly aromatic plants near vulnerable crops to mask the appealing scent. The term “rabbit-resistant” does not mean “rabbit-proof.” If food sources become scarce, a hungry rabbit will sample almost any plant, making physical barriers the most reliable protection for susceptible plants.