Protecting your ornamental flower beds from rabbits can be a frustrating, continuous challenge for any gardener. These common herbivores view tender garden plants as an accessible food source, often causing significant damage overnight. Safeguarding your flowers requires understanding rabbit behavior and implementing an integrated approach that combines physical barriers, taste and scent aversions, and strategic plant choices. Using humane and practical methods, you can effectively deter these foraging animals and preserve the beauty of your landscaped areas.
Identifying Rabbit Damage and Habits
Rabbits are most active during the crepuscular hours, primarily feeding at dawn and dusk, though they may also feed throughout the night. Their damage is distinct from other common garden pests and typically appears low to the ground, within a few inches of the soil line. Rabbits possess sharp incisors that leave behind a clean, angled cut on stems and leaves, similar to a precise snip from pruning shears.
This clean cut is the primary way to differentiate rabbit feeding from deer browsing, which leaves behind a ragged or torn edge because deer lack upper incisors. Rabbits favor young, tender shoots and soft stems, often resulting in entire rows of seedlings or low-growing flowers disappearing quickly. Finding small, round, pellet-like droppings scattered near the damaged area is a further indication that rabbits are the culprits.
Implementing Physical Barriers
Physical exclusion is the most reliable and permanent method for protecting flower beds from persistent rabbits. A properly installed wire mesh fence creates an impassable barrier that does not rely on the animal’s variable appetite or tolerance for unpleasant tastes. The fence material should be galvanized hardware cloth or chicken wire with a mesh opening of one inch or less to prevent small rabbits from squeezing through.
The structure must extend at least two to three feet high above the soil line to prevent rabbits from jumping over, especially with heavy snow cover. The underground component is important, as rabbits are proficient burrowers. Burying the mesh six inches deep and bending the bottom section outward in an “L” shape provides a horizontal barrier that prevents them from digging under the fence. For individual, highly valued plants, temporary cloches or wire cages can offer localized protection without the need for a full perimeter fence.
Utilizing Taste and Scent Repellents
Chemical and natural repellents work by creating a sensory aversion, discouraging rabbits through a foul taste or an unpleasant smell. Commercial repellents often contain active ingredients like putrescent egg solids, which act as a taste deterrent, or strong-smelling components such as garlic, capsaicin, or essential oils. These formulas are applied directly onto the foliage of plants most susceptible to damage.
The effectiveness of these deterrents depends on consistent reapplication, particularly after rain or overhead watering, which washes the active ingredients away. Repellents also need frequent application to any new plant growth, as the fresh foliage will be unprotected. To prevent rabbits from becoming accustomed to a single unpleasant scent or taste, rotate between different types of repellents throughout the growing season.
Plant Selection and Habitat Modification
Long-term prevention can be achieved by making the garden less appealing to rabbits through specific plant choices and environmental management. Rabbits tend to avoid plants that have strong odors, a bitter taste, or a rough, prickly, or toxic texture. Incorporating flowers like marigolds, lavender, ornamental alliums, and Russian sage into the landscape can act as a natural deterrent, as they possess these repellent qualities.
Planting these less palatable species along the perimeter of a flower bed creates a protective border for more vulnerable plants. Eliminating potential hiding and nesting spots around the garden reduces the sense of security for rabbits. Removing dense low-hanging brush, tall weeds, and piles of wood or debris near flower beds makes the area less hospitable and encourages them to seek shelter elsewhere.