The presence of rabbits in a home garden is a common frustration, often leading to the sudden disappearance of young plants. These herbivores, primarily the Eastern Cottontail in North America, adapt well to suburban and urban environments, often taking refuge in dense shrubbery near gardens. Gardens offer concentrated sources of highly palatable food, making them a prime feeding spot for these generalist grazers. Understanding which plants they favor and which they avoid is the first step in managing this interaction.
Highly Preferred Plants
Rabbits are particularly attracted to young, tender plants high in moisture and nutrients. Newly emerging seedlings and leafy greens are the most vulnerable targets, as their soft texture makes them easily digestible. This often results in entire rows of crops being mowed down shortly after planting.
Within the vegetable garden, leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard are extremely appealing. They also frequently consume the tender tops of root crops, such as beet and carrot greens. Legumes, including young pea and bean plants, are common favorites, often clipped off near the ground.
Ornamental plants are also sought out, including annuals such as pansies, petunias, and impatiens, and perennials like hostas, lilies, and coneflower. When winter forage is scarce, rabbits feed on woody plants, consuming the bark, buds, and branch tips of young shrubs and trees. This behavior can result in young trees being girdled, potentially killing the plant.
Recognizing Rabbit Damage
Identifying rabbit damage involves looking for specific physical evidence that distinguishes it from other common garden pests like deer or groundhogs. Rabbits possess sharp incisor teeth that create a characteristic clean, angled cut on plant stems and leaves. This contrasts with the ragged, torn appearance left by deer, which lack upper incisors and must rip the vegetation.
The height of the damage is another strong indicator, as rabbits typically feed low to the ground, usually on vegetation within two feet of the soil. Most damage occurs close to the base of the plant, though they can stand on their hind legs for a short reach. Finding small, round, pellet-like droppings scattered near the damaged plants is a definitive sign of rabbit presence.
The clean, angled cut on tender shoots mimics the cut made by pruning shears. Damage to woody plants in winter appears as clean-cut nips on twigs and smooth gnaw marks on the bark, typically at or just above the snow line. Observing these distinct signs helps confirm that the culprit is a rabbit.
Plants Rabbits Rarely Touch
While no plant is completely “rabbit-proof,” especially during periods of drought or high population density, many possess characteristics that make them unpalatable. These naturally resistant plants rely on strong odors, pungent flavors, tough textures, or the presence of irritating sap or toxins to deter grazers. Incorporating these varieties helps reduce feeding pressure on the rest of the garden.
Plants with strong aromatic qualities, such as herbs and alliums, are avoided due to their intense scent and taste. Examples include mint, rosemary, lavender, and the entire onion family, including chives and ornamental alliums. The pungent compounds in these plants are distasteful to rabbits, causing them to seek other food sources.
Many plants with a tough, coarse, or fuzzy texture are also less appealing. Mature squash and cucumber plants develop leaves and stems with tiny, abrasive hairs that rabbits find irritating. Similarly, plants with milky sap or toxic compounds, such as foxglove and rhubarb leaves, are usually left alone. Hardy perennials like iris and catmint are ignored because their foliage is too thick or strongly scented for an easy meal.