Many gardeners face the frustration of rabbits turning their flower beds or containers into an unexpected buffet. Annual plants are popular for continuous color but often present tender, palatable foliage to hungry wildlife. Selecting annuals that rabbits consistently bypass offers a proactive solution to protect your landscape investment. The goal is to choose plants that naturally possess traits rabbits find unappealing or actively deterrent.
Plant Traits Rabbits Avoid
Rabbits rely heavily on their senses of smell and taste when foraging, leading them to avoid plants that have developed specific defense mechanisms. One common deterrent is a strong, aromatic scent, often caused by concentrated volatile oils in the leaves and stems. These oils, which may smell pleasant to humans, act as an overwhelming irritant to a rabbit’s sensitive nose, signaling that the plant is unpalatable.
A second defense involves bitter or toxic internal compounds, such as alkaloids, which are metabolic byproducts that cause digestive distress. Plants containing these chemicals are sampled once and then avoided by foragers. Physical texture also plays a significant role, as rabbits prefer soft, tender growth. They steer clear of annuals with stiff, tough, fuzzy, or prickly foliage. Finally, plants that exude a milky latex when broken are often shunned, as this substance can be sticky and contain irritating compounds.
Recommended Rabbit-Resistant Annuals
Many popular garden annuals possess one or more of these defensive traits, making them reliable choices for a rabbit-resistant garden. French and African Marigolds (Tagetes species) are frequently used as a boundary planting due to their powerful, pungent scent. Their foliage contains thiophenes, sulfur-containing compounds that emit an odor overwhelming to a rabbit’s sense of smell, acting as a chemical shield for nearby, more vulnerable plants.
Plants with unappealing textures are another category of deterrent annuals, which includes Floss Flower (Ageratum) and Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria). Ageratum foliage is often fuzzy, and its blooms have a fringed texture, which rabbits dislike chewing. Dusty Miller is recognizable by its thick, silvery-gray felted leaves, a texture that provides a significant physical barrier to feeding.
Several flowering annuals are avoided because of internal compounds that lead to a bitter taste. Snapdragons (Antirrhinum) are a cottage garden favorite that contain compounds considered unpalatable or mildly toxic to rabbits, which prevents browsing. Wax Begonias (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum) are usually left alone due to a mildly acrid taste in their leaves.
Vinca, also known as Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus or Vinca minor), is a reliable option, often avoided because its leaves contain toxic alkaloids and have a tough, leathery texture. Lantana is a vibrant, heat-tolerant annual that is passed over due to the pungent aroma of its leaves and the presence of toxins in the foliage and unripe berries.
Cleome (Spider Flower) combines multiple defenses, featuring strong-smelling foliage, along with stems that develop small, prickly hairs as the plant matures. Salvia (Annual varieties of Sage) and Geraniums (Pelargonium) are effective because they are highly aromatic, containing strong essential oils that deter rabbits through scent alone.
Why Resistance Isn’t Always Absolute
While certain annuals are categorized as resistant, this does not guarantee they are completely immune to damage. Resistance is often tested by external environmental pressures, which can override a rabbit’s natural aversion. During extreme drought or when preferred forage is scarce, a rabbit population may resort to eating almost any available vegetation.
Young seedlings are vulnerable because they have not yet fully developed the defensive compounds or tough textures of mature plants. A newly transplanted Marigold may be sampled before its thiophene concentration is high enough to deter a young rabbit. Local rabbit populations can develop specialized dietary preferences, meaning a plant avoided in one yard might be browsed in another.