The Do’s and Dont's of Decorating
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Cute as they can be hopping across the lawn, rabbits can be a nuisance, devastating a cherished flower or vegetable garden in just a couple of days. A number of solutions to rabbit depredations are available: planting in raised beds, screening the vegetable or flower bed, using a rabbit repellent that contains capiscum (hot chili peppers), or bordering the bed with flowering plants that repel rabbits.
Also known as honeysuckle, meeting-houses and wild columbine, this rabbit-deterring plant has lacy foliage and delicate flowers. Alpine columbine is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 4 to 7 (hardiness means the plant will overwinter) and blooms in May and June. Spurless columbine is native to the mountains of China. It is hardy to 0 degrees Fahrenheit and blooms in June and July. As you plan what flowers to use to deter rabbits, consider when different plants bloom in order to make the protective border functional all summer long.
Dahlias are tubers that in most parts of the country must be dug out in the fall and replanted each year; they are hardy only in zones 7 to 11. You can choose from among thousands of hybrids. The sunburst, many-petaled flowers range in size from a couple of inches up to a foot in diameter. Dahlias are summer-blooming.
Foxglove is a biennial from Europe that has naturalized in the U.S. and is hardy in zones 4 to 9. It produces spikes 2 to 4 feet tall. In the second year, the spikes bear numerous bell-shaped flowers ranging in color from deep purple to lilac. Foxglove blooms all summer long, from June to September. Foxglove is poisonous to livestock, pets and kids, so don't use this plant in areas accessible to them.
Echinacea is also referred to as coneflower, with a shape much like a daisy. It is very hardy and versatile in zones 3 to 8. This flower blooms all summer long into the beginning of fall. Its flowers are usually purple.
Verbena, or vervain, is an easy-going plant that is grown as an annual is most parts of the country; it is hardy in zones 5 to 10. The plant grows in clumps 6 to 10 inches tall, with mauve, purple, white, pink, apricot or red, flattened clusters of flowers. Vervain can grow from 6 inches to 4 feet tall with red, rose, peach, pink, purple, lavender or blue flowers.
What Flowers to Plant Around a Garden to Deter Animals?
Natural Weed Control Tips
How to Use Hot Pepper to Get Rid of Rabbits in a Garden
How to Plant Flowers that Rabbits Hate
Do Oregano Plants Deter Rabbits in Gardens?
How to Deter Rabbits From Eating Plants & Flowers
How to Stop Rabbits From Eating Your Plants
Flowers for a Rabbit Repellent
