Rabbits in a garden cause frustration because these herbivores quickly consume flowers, vegetables, and new plant growth. Their consistent browsing can destroy months of careful gardening, making effective, non-lethal management necessary for protecting valuable plantings. The most successful approach to mitigating rabbit damage involves combining physical exclusion with sensory deterrence and strategic environmental adjustments. This multi-layered strategy ensures the garden is physically inaccessible and less appealing as a food source or shelter.
Creating Physical Barriers
Physical barriers offer the most reliable long-term solution for protecting a garden from rabbit damage. A rabbit-proof fence requires attention to height, mesh size, and subterranean defense to prevent both jumping and digging. The fence must stand at least 24 to 36 inches high, as adult rabbits can jump up to three feet when motivated.
The mesh material must be small enough to exclude juvenile rabbits, which can squeeze through tight spaces. Hardware cloth or wire mesh with openings no larger than one inch is recommended to keep out newly weaned young.
The most common point of failure is the bottom edge, which rabbits readily dig under. To counter this, the wire mesh must be buried at least six inches deep into the soil. A more secure method involves creating an L-shaped footer by bending the bottom six inches of the fence outward at a 90-degree angle before burying it. This outward flange discourages rabbits by blocking their path into the garden.
Utilizing Taste and Scent Repellents
Repellents deter rabbits from feeding on treated plants by creating an unpleasant sensory experience through taste or smell. Commercial contact repellents often utilize putrescent egg solids, which emit a sulfurous odor that signals danger or decay to the animals. These repellents are generally considered more effective than those relying on irritation-causing components.
Other commercial formulations may include garlic oil, dried blood meal, or predator urine to create a scent-based warning. For do-it-yourself applications, pungent household items like garlic sprays can be used, though they are often less durable than commercial products. Repellents must be applied directly to the plant foliage and require frequent reapplication.
The effectiveness of repellents diminishes quickly following rain or overhead watering, necessitating a new application to maintain the sensory barrier. To prevent rabbits from becoming habituated to a single stimulus, it is helpful to rotate between different repellent types that rely on varying tastes and smells.
Modifying the Garden Environment
Strategic adjustments to the garden’s layout and planting choices reduce its appeal as a foraging and nesting site. Rabbits instinctively seek safe cover near their food source, so eliminating dense ground cover, brush piles, tall weeds, and blocking access under decks removes secure hiding locations.
A further layer of defense involves planting species that rabbits find unpalatable due to their texture or strong scent. Rabbits tend to avoid plants with fuzzy, rough, or woody foliage, or those containing bitter or toxic compounds. Examples of rabbit-resistant plants include:
- Members of the Allium family, such as ornamental onions.
- Daffodils.
- Strongly scented herbs like Russian sage and lavender.
Gardeners can employ a sacrificial planting strategy by cultivating highly palatable crops, such as clover, away from the main garden to divert rabbit attention. Maintaining general garden cleanliness by promptly removing fallen fruit and discarded vegetables eliminates easily accessible supplemental food sources.