How to Keep Rabbits From Eating Flower Gardens

Protecting flower beds from hungry rabbits can be difficult.

Rabbits are a general nuisance to gardens. Rabbits are especially fond of spring flowers and enjoy munching on young tulips. In autumn, rabbits often chew on the bark of flowering shrubs and woody plants. Choose from a variety of rabbit control methods, and if one method doesn't work, try another. Keeping rabbits away from your prize posies may require a combination of methods.

Things You'll Need

• Commercial or homemade repellent
• 1-inch chicken wire, 2 feet high
• Clover or plantain
• Rabbit-repelling plants

Instructions

Repellents

1. Apply repellent to keep rabbits from your flower bed. Use a commercial repellent or use a homemade repellent such as pet or human urine or dried blood.

2. Use a safe repellent such as bone meal, human hair, black pepper or black pepper flakes if you have pets or young children.

3. Spread repellents in late afternoon or evening, as rabbits usually feed at night. Apply liquid repellents with a sprayer or a brush. Reapply repellents frequently, and always reapply after a rain. Experiment until your find a repellent that works for you.

Fences

1. Build a fence if commercial or homemade repellents don't work. Purchase a roll of 2-foot high chicken wire with 1-inch holes or green, plastic-coated wire fencing.

2. Extend the fence around the perimeter of your flower garden. Bend the bottom of the chicken wire at a 90-degree angle. Bury the bottom of the fence 4 to 6 inches in the soil with the edge facing away from your flower bed.

3. Combine fencing and repellents for added protection.

Habitat Adaptations

1. Remove convenient hiding places near your flower garden. Clear out piles of brush or brambles, low-hanging branches, debris and large stones.

2. Plant a patch of clover in an area away from your flower bed, as most rabbits will prefer clover over your flowers. Plantain, a herb also known as snakeweed or ribwort, is also a delicacy that may lure rabbits from your flower garden.

3. Plant flowers that may deter rabbits, such as annuals such as ageratum, forget-me-nots or impatiens. Perennials include yarrow, aster, coral bells, ferns or bee balm. Rabbits will often avoid groundcovers such as pachysandra or vinca, or shrubs and herbs such as butterfly bush, lavender, salvia, rosemary or rhododendron. Repellent flowers aren't always a viable solution, as rabbits will eat nearly anything if they're hungry.

References

• Rutgers University: Keeping Rabbits Away from Desirable Plants
• UC Davis: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes
• The Master Gardeners: Keeping Rabbits Out of Your Garden
• Herbs 2000: Plantain