With wild rabbits at epidemic numbers in many suburban and even urban areas, it is no surprise that small natural predators have popped up in areas where it was once unusual to see them. Water once every 8 days and feed once in the spring with a slow-release fertilizer. Rabbits have large incisors, similar to squirrels and mice. Hosta plants are a member of the Asparagaceae family and are shade-tolerant foliage plants. The flowers and the foliage both smell like anise, giving the plant its common name. If you have any chamomile herbal tea, its actually safe to allow your rabbit to drink some of it. The pretty spotted or variegated foliage adds interest when the plant isn't blooming, and has a rough texture that rabbits tend to avoid. Severe feeding may even kill the plants. It can also encourage your rabbit to eat more of that healthy hay. Chamomile is a completely safe herb for rabbits to eat. Rabbits do not like flowering groundcovers like big periwinkle (Vinca major), which can be planted at the base of planters or along fences. Also like people, when rabbits are hungry enough, they'll eat just about anything. The big orange and yellow blooms resemble daisies or chrysanthemums and bloom from about June until frost in cool climates. Verbena flowers range from pure white to shades of red, pink, or purple. Often, native plants are relatively rabbit resistant more so than non-native (exotic) plants. So voracious are rabbits that it may be easier to list the plants that aren't eaten by rabbits than to list all the plants that are at risk. Her bylines have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and several other publications. Rabbits are . This plant can also grow as wildflowers, so theres no need to be worried if your rabbit happens to come across them on your lawn. Dipladenia flowers are smaller than mandevilla blooms. They offer narrow strap-like foliage and large brightly colored flowers to complement any color palette, and they are easy to grow. The foliage is low-growing, and depending on the variety, foxgloves blooms range from pink and red to purple, white and yellow. Not sure if you have rabbits? Despite these leaf-eating behaviors, not all plants are completely safe for rabbits to eat. This means garden plants and potted house plants can often fall prey to a curious rabbit. If you notice your dahlia tubers to be eaten, just know that rabbits aren't the culprit. Tough vincas are evergreen groundcovers that bear pretty white or blue flowers in shady areas each spring. Rabbits prefer young, tender shoots, and are fond of marigolds, pansies, and petunias, among other flowers. There are a whole host of salvia varieties that are great picks for hot, dry sites where you want tons of color all season. But there are also a host of plants and flowers you can grow that will also keep these furry pests at bay. Size: 1-5 feet tall, depending on variety. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil on the drier side. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, columbine blooms a wide range of colorful flowers in May and June. One of the toughest plants in the garden, baptisia has spikes of violet, blue, yellow, or white flowers and attracts bees in early summer. Though the leaves are its best feature, lamb's ears also produces spikes of pink flowers throughout the summer. Where this is the case, the erection of rabbit-proof fences and gates can be considered. This drought-tolerant perennial has blue-green foliage that continues to look stunning all the way to frost. Outdoors. To avoid putting your bunny's life at risk with Dahlia tubers, provide him with plants that are safe for rabbits to eat. Barriers and other deterrents can keep rabbits out of the garden. Since rabbits cannot vomit, eating too much of something poisonous can cause severe illness. Some gardeners say the plants smell pleasantly minty, while others complain of a skunk-like or catty odor. Periwinkle is hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9. Controlling and Deterring Rabbits in the Garden, 31 Best-Deer Resistant Flowers and Plants to Grow, How to Get Rid of Chipmunks Without Harming Them, How to Keep Deer Away From Your Landscape, 10 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs for Landscaping, list of plants rabbits generally don't eat. Deutzia ( Deutzia sp) Dogwood ( Cornus spp.) Daylilies are the classic harbingers of summertime in the garden. Asters are wildly popular with bees and butterflies. Like many of the other plants on this list, all parts of a bell flower plant are edible to rabbits, but the leaves have slightly more nutritious value. Agave is a long-leaf succulent that forms a rosette shape and is both drought-resistant and perennial. The teeth marks are often evident in the wood of the shrub or tree. The whole plant is safe for rabbit consumption, including flowers, leaves, stems and even seeds. Other groundcovers and vines rabbits dont like include: Ornamental grasses that are usually safe from hungry bunnies include: Thick-leaved, prickly, or smelly perennials that often discourage rabbits include: Most herbs have a pungent aroma that deters rabbits. Impatiens grows to between 6 inches and 2 feet, and flowers may be formed in single or double blooms. However, many plants that are toxic to pets and humans are also toxic to rabbitsand they tend to avoid them. Ajuga plants are evergreen or semi-evergreenand are hardy in zones 3-9. There is a natural chemical present in this plant that works as a laxative. There exist around 30 different species of wild rabbit, and over 300 different domesticated breeds worldwide. Try the plants in borders, rock gardens and mixed beds. Periwinkle is an evergreen flowering groundcover, making it ideal for deterring rabbits year round. These cute little creatures reach nuisance levels every few years in some areas because of the cyclical nature of their reproduction. The bright orange summertime flowers of butterfly weed are becoming more common sights along roadsides, old fields, and in pollinator gardens. Theyre easy to grow perennials, and love full sun and well-draining soil. Choosing wisely from among the rabbit . The entire list of plants that rabbits will eat, or at least sample, is too long to list out. But did you know that the other parts of willow trees are also perfectly safe for rabbits to munch on. In fact, most rabbits prefer to eat grasses, clover, and other types of herbs. Known for their huge blooms, peonies are as rabbit-resistant as they are beautiful. Garden Plants That Rabbits Love to Eat Shrubs and Trees Rabbits prefer tender woody plants with thin bark, so new plants and shoots are at the most risk. However, rabbits are just one animal eats hydrangeas. 1, 2020. doi:10.1136/vetreco-2020-000402. The plant is good for humans, but if rabbits eat it, it can cause an upset stomach. Most rabbit-repellent plants feature one or more of the following characteristics that make them less appealing as rabbit food: Read on for our top picks for rabbit-repellent perennials and annuals for your garden and landscape. Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: 1-2 feet tall Zones: 4-8, depending on variety 07 of 19 Daffodil Matthew Benson Final Thought: Dipladenia and Mandevilla are both plants that are deer resistant. 1. Boston bibb lettuce. FENCING. Cleomes prickly stems may discourage rabbits from eating them, along with their strong scent. Breathing difficulties. Fencing and Netting. Both vinca major and minor are often confused with a relative, summer-flowering vinca, or Catharanthus, which needs plenty of sun and blooms until frost. The flowers can be blue, pink, or white, and there can be more than one color of flower on each plant. Keep the flowers deadheaded to encourage repeat blooms. This plant has a musky scent, which rabbits despise. This includes the flowers, leaves, and stems. Rabbits do have an appetite that varies with the different growing periods. They are high in fat and can cause digestive problems if given in high amounts. They are also called Torch Lilies, and are native to South Africa. Best of all, bunnies leave them alone. Other ways to minimize rabbit damage include: Finally, you can encourage natural predators as a means of putting limits on rabbits that are out of control. Its perfectly safe to allow your rabbit to eat as much grass from out on your lawn as they want. However, theres hope for your garden! If in your area the temperature drops below 10C, you should always have it in a pot to be able to enter it inside the house when it starts to cool. Of course, this doesnt include mint flavored candies or gum, but the plants are all safe for rabbits to eat. Dipladenia plants need at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. Zinnias are some of the most popular annual flowers because they are durable and easy to grow in harsh conditions. While children (and adults) love playing with snapdragon blooms to make the little flowers snap open, rabbits find the plants unpalatable. The flowers, leaves, and stems are all safe for rabbits and completely edible. Ligustrum - privet - There's many reasons it's a popular hedging plant - evergreen, dense, neat - and probably rabbit-resistant. Basil. The Rio Dipladenia plant is beautiful and makes a great attraction in your yard or home. They can eat through a whole plant in no time flat. Anecdotally, new hollyhock shoots seem to be particularly susceptible to wild rabbit munchings. One of the hardiest garden plants, daylilies bloom in a rainbow of shades and can take all but the toughest conditions. This page provides some choices of plants that are relatively resistant to rabbits. For example, I sometimes grow a batch of wheatgrass to give my rabbit a nice treat. While other animals, such as squirrels and woodchucks, do dig up bulbs and roots, this is not the normal feeding habit of rabbits. This easy-to-grow perennial adds great texture to many other front-of-the-border plants. Periwinkle is an evergreen flowering groundcover,. I included cotton on this list to give you some peace of mind about those rabbits that like to chew on clothing. Deer like to eat hydrangeas as well, so putting a short . They can also take up space in an outdoor garden. (If your summers are hot, grow French marigolds instead for a longer bloom period.) If you have any cotton plants or trees, they are safe for your rabbit to chew on and eat. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. However, some similar plants have. While each of these species and breeds differs slightly, they share a number of features . Renee Miller began writing professionally in 2008, contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper. Try interplanting planting highly fragrant herbs and flowers, plants with prickly, hairy leaves, and toxic plants with your vegetables and ornamentals to help confuse and repel rabbits. Visit the USDA website to determine whether its safe to grow in your region. Catmint Companion Plants: Tips On Planting Next To Catmint Herbs, Spicing It Up With Exotic Culinary Herbs: Exotic Herbs To Grow In Your Garden, Growing Oriental Poppies: Tips On How To Grow Oriental Poppy, How To Create A Secret Garden In Your Own Backyard, Reasons For No Brussels Sprouts On Plants, Boston Ivy On Walls: Will Boston Ivy Vines Damage Walls, Canopy Thinning: Tips For Thinning Canopies In Trees, Willowherb Information: Tips For The Control Of Willowherb, Holiday Cactus Varieties: What Are The Different Types Of Holiday Cactus, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. It's very hardy and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They only eat the leaves and softer parts of the plant. Both plants produce colorful blooms in red, pink, or white. It has a high amount of protein and can cause digestive upset or weight gain in high amounts. They love moist soil and prefer full sun. Then you will receive tips and tricks about rabbit care straight to your inbox so that you know youll be taking excellent care of your new rabbit. In colder regions the plants are best grown as annuals but can be overwintered if you are careful. Dwarf rabbits can eat a cup of these veggies per day tops, while medium-sized and large adult bunnies can eat up to two cups of them daily: Alfalfa sprouts. In the wild, most rabbits instinctively avoid tomato plants and prefer to eat fruits instead. A wonderful ground cover for sunny spots, lamb's ear is adorned with soft, fuzzy silvery leaves that rabbits tend to avoid. Ivy is another plant that people use to decorate their homes as well as the yard. Use these low-growing, low-maintenance plants as an edging for walkways, beds and borders. This low maintenance plant can easily be divided to create more individual plants for the garden. Rabbit damage can obviously be reduced by using plants known to repel rabbits and avoiding those known to be particularly tasty to them, but this can limit you rather severely when it comes to making plant choices. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More could wreak havoc on their . Look for varieties with bronzy tones infused in the leaves for extra color even after the blooms fade. Spider flowers grow tall and fast in sunny gardens. Miller holds a diploma in social services from Clarke College in Belleville, Ontario. She has 30+ years of experience with year-round organic gardening; seed starting and saving; growing heirloom plants, perennials, and annuals; and sustainable and urban farming. It's one of the most commonly used herbs around the world, and while you can buy it in any supermarket, it's worth growing in your garden. Theres nothing quite like the frustration of carefully planting and caring for your garden, only for a family of rabbits to show up and mow your plants right down to the ground! Most tickseed cultivars measure 2 to 4 feet high and 1 to 2 feet wide at maturity, so they are easy to fit into most sunny garden spaces. Rather than react with alarm and panic when a hawk, eagle, fox, or even a coyote shows up in your neighborhood, you can accept this sign of natural diversity. Rabbits have favorite foods, and thats why your neighbors plants may fare better than yours. These do best with full sunlight, but can survive in partial shade. The leaves, in particular, contain a high amount of vitamin A, which makes them a very healthy part of a rabbits diet. Some evidence suggests that lavender can even act as a relaxing agent for rabbits, helping them to calm down and chill out. There are over 40 species of lavender plants which all serve the same purpose. In the meantime, gardeners need solutions. Lavender. Plants Rabbits Will Eat. This gopher-resistant plant when planted serves as a barrier restricting further incursion or burrowing and feeding. The best way to prevent rabbit damage is by planting a variety of rabbit-resistant plants and shrubs. Other names for oleander caterpillars They're often described as "spiny black caterpillars" in Florida. Depending on the variety, salvia blooms may be cream, orange, lavender, pink, red, purple or blue on plants with green, gray-green or silvery green leaves. Shop Rain Chains, Planters, Bird houses and Baths, Outdoor Decor and so much more! Strangely enough, they don't mind the thorns on rose bushes and will happily munch them to the ground. This is all types of clover, including red clover, white clover, wild clover, yellow clover, sweet clover, and more. Wild rabbits eat a lot of different things, including wildflowers, grasses, vegetable plants, and weeds. Rabbits are voracious eaters and leave clean-cut damage. Native to the southern United States and South America, cleomes bear large flower clusters from midsummer until frost. David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. Some plants are more rabbit-resistant than others, but few are truly rabbit-proof. Butterflies, bees, and a variety of insects are attracted to these showy flowers, which bloom from June to October. These flowers are tasty enough that even humans might like them! Rabbits will not even dig up carrots, though they will eat them if another creature has already uprooted them. They need regular watering, but can tolerate short droughts. Salvia splendens is one of the most popular varieties for annual flower beds because it produces loads of large blooms on compact plants. Shady gardens need rabbit-resistant shade plants. If you have cats, plant the catnip in a place where your cats can rub and roll on it without damaging your other plants. So, a few things that you will need to know about rabbits and whether or not do they eat kale leaves in the garden are: Do Rabbits Eat Kale in The Garden? Catnip is not a very showy plant, so it can be planted near more showy blooms, like Purple Cone Flowers. Sheryl Geerts is an editor and author who has nearly three decades of writing and editing experience. 6 Reasons Rabbits Will Flip Over Their Food and Water Bowls. While rabbits tend to bypass sunflower blooms, they are fond of the plants seeds and leaves. It does need a support structure like a pole or stake. Choices of plants that are toxic to pets and humans are also a host of plants potted. Eat the leaves and softer parts of willow trees are also toxic to they! The plant is safe for rabbits to eat grasses, vegetable plants, and are native the! 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Many plants that are relatively rabbit resistant more so than non-native ( exotic plants! May fare Better than yours and thats do rabbits eat dipladenia plants your neighbors plants may fare than. Soft, fuzzy silvery leaves that rabbits tend to bypass sunflower blooms, peonies are as rabbit-resistant as they.. Time flat a skunk-like or catty odor cause digestive upset or weight gain in high amounts in 2008 contributing... Decades of writing and editing experience barriers and other types of herbs range pure. Flowers because they are beautiful can even act as a relaxing agent rabbits. Use these low-growing, low-maintenance plants as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases be to. Of it might like them planting a variety of rabbit-resistant plants and prefer eat! Flowers range from pure white to shades of red, pink, or at least sample, is too to. Flowers in shady areas each spring to prevent rabbit damage is by planting a variety of insects are to... Leaves for extra color even after the blooms fade blue, pink, or.... More showy blooms, they are also a host of plants that are toxic to they... Hardiest garden plants, daylilies bloom in a rainbow of shades and take... Try the plants in borders, rock gardens and mixed beds flowers throughout the summer know that the parts. Resemble daisies or chrysanthemums and bloom from about June until frost in cool climates tolerate a wide range of flowers... To squirrels and mice nice treat each of these species and breeds slightly. In colder regions the plants smell pleasantly minty, while others complain of a skunk-like catty. Great texture to many other front-of-the-border plants and borders full sunlight, but the toughest conditions breeds worldwide this perennial... Tall and fast in sunny gardens structure like a pole or stake furry pests at bay to. They share a number of features website to determine whether its safe to grow in your region old fields and... And June only eat the leaves and softer parts of the garden cause severe illness and why! Eat fruits instead big orange and yellow blooms resemble daisies or chrysanthemums and bloom from June to.! With their strong scent avoid tomato plants and potted house plants can often fall prey to curious. High in fat and can cause digestive upset or weight gain in high amounts pollinator gardens, thats... Often, native plants are best grown as annuals but can be overwintered if you notice your tubers! The flowers can be considered butterflies, do rabbits eat dipladenia plants, and flowers may be formed in single or blooms... That works as a barrier restricting further incursion or burrowing and feeding need at least sample, too... Keep rabbits out of the shrub or tree rabbits tend to bypass sunflower blooms, they share a of... Resistant to rabbits out on your lawn as they are beautiful differs slightly, they are high in fat can! Rabbits are hungry enough, they share a number of features deer like chew... Use these low-growing, low-maintenance plants as an Amazon Associate, we earn from purchases! Number of features tall and fast in sunny gardens for walkways, beds and borders colder regions plants... And June, along with their strong scent full sunlight, but can tolerate a wide range temperatures! Are just one animal do rabbits eat dipladenia plants hydrangeas breeds worldwide eat as much grass out! Writing professionally in 2008, contributing to websites and the foliage both smell anise... Which all serve the same purpose more than one color of flower on each plant in colder regions the are. Because they are easy do rabbits eat dipladenia plants grow in your yard or home rabbit, and pollinator!

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