Humidity is not too important, but temperatures must be above 65 (18.3). In colder regions the plants are best grown as annuals but can be overwintered if you are careful. A popular plant for shade gardens, rabbit-resistant astilbe sends up feathery plumes of pink, white, and red in early summer. This rabbit-resistant plant tolerates heat and drought well. This also includes spearmint, chocolate mint, peppermint, and more. Although the plants may overwinter in southern regions, theyre grown as annuals in the North. To solve your bunny problem, choose from these rabbit-resistant perennial plants. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained soil. If your lawn erupts with dandelions every year, go ahead and pick some to give to your rabbit (as long as your lawn uses safe fertilizers!). Rabbits can eat through any kind of shrubbery in no time, destroying your carefully grown plants. Strain out the pepper pieces and mix in 2 tbsp. 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. Selecting rabbit resistant plants isnt a sure-fire solution because the critters will eat nearly anything if theyre hungry and food is scarce. This type of wood is completely safe, and can often be a lot of fun for rabbits to dig their teeth into. Theyre easy to grow provided you place them in a location that gets filtered light or partial shade. The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant to give rabbits, but the other parts including stems and flowers are also safe and edible. Sometimes called the Lenten rose, hellebores are a dainty bloom, one of the first beautiful flowers to announce the arrival of spring. The wood from willow trees is commonly used in toys for rabbits. They are high in fat and can cause digestive problems if given in high amounts. Hostas. 7, no. They are. This gopher-resistant plant when planted serves as a barrier restricting further incursion or burrowing and feeding. Dandelions are actually nutritious for rabbits. Wild rabbits eat a lot of different things, including wildflowers, grasses, vegetable plants, and weeds. They can eat the stems, leaves, flowers, and even the sprouts. They are also called Torch Lilies, and are native to South Africa. A wonderful ground cover for sunny spots, lamb's ear is adorned with soft, fuzzy silvery leaves that rabbits tend to avoid. This means if you have an oleander plant, it's a target for oleander caterpillars. Vet Rec Open, vol. Final Thought: Dipladenia and Mandevilla are both plants that are deer resistant. Their diets include grasses, clover and some cruciferous plants, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Of course, this doesnt include mint flavored candies or gum, but the plants are all safe for rabbits to eat. In particular, rabbits love to feast on tomatoes, corn, carrots, cucumbers, and hot peppers. Periwinkle is an evergreen flowering groundcover, making it ideal for deterring rabbits year round. (If your summers are hot, grow French marigolds instead for a longer bloom period.) Pansies are so tasty that even some people (who have fewer taste buds than rabbits) sometimes add it to a salad. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Some rabbits will really love these flowers and gobble them up, while other rabbits will completely ignore them. More could wreak havoc on their . This low maintenance plant can easily be divided to create more individual plants for the garden. For Your Pet: Yucca plants are poisonous and should never feed them to your rabbit. 27. The leaves, in particular, contain a high amount of vitamin A, which makes them a very healthy part of a rabbits diet. How it Works; Lavender plants have a sweet-smelling fragrance that is pleasant to humans. Moshobane, Claude Moshobane et al. Also called english marigolds, these big, bright orange or yellow flowers dont have to be grown in a pot. Shake the bowl well and place it outside in direct sunlight for two days to repel rabbits to eat salvias also. But its still good to know that if your rabbit knocks over the pot and starts munching, there is no harm done (at least not to your rabbit). Weve assembled a list of more than a dozen rabbit-resistant plants that might help your garden weather a family of hungry rabbits!if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'gardenloversclub_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',803,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-gardenloversclub_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); If you still have problems with rabbits nibbling on your plants, try using repellents to keep the furry critters away from your hard-won garden! While there is some cause for concern about plants that are potentially poisonous to pet rabbits, its usually not quite as dangerous as we are led to believe. This clean-cut damage often happens at ground level, as rabbits tend to eat the yummy green shoots of tulips and other plants. Growing Conditions:Part to full shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil. However, they do prefer a consistent level of moisture, so do try to keep the soil damp but not wet. 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. This easy-to-grow perennial adds great texture to many other front-of-the-border plants. Whether you keep them potted inside or grow them in a garden, you may not want your rabbit to get ahold of these flowers because of how beautiful they are. Lupines are spiky, tall plants that have an interesting texture. Plant these lovely flowers to discourage deer in your garden: This unrelated type of nettle has high amounts of a chemical called solanine. Deutzia ( Deutzia sp) Dogwood ( Cornus spp.) Where this is the case, the erection of rabbit-proof fences and gates can be considered. Few are safe, and it's far better to consider them all dangerous and not to allow your rabbits to eat any of them. Nasturtiums are tasty flowers for rabbits to snack on. The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Choose from standard or dwarf cultivars in dozens of colors. Hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9; Chrysanthemums are perennial flowers that add late-season color to the garden, preferring full sun and moist, but well-drained soil. Nasturtiums usually grow in a bush, but they can also grow vine-like along a fence or wire. But as opportunistic eaters, rabbits will eat almost anything. The plants flower from early summer to fall if the faded blooms are kept trimmed back. Sprinkle with five cloves of garlic and dip them in water. You do want to limit the amount of clover that you give your rabbit though. Rabbits in your garden are a nuisance, and they can destroy your hard work in a matter of days. These bulbs bloom in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, and pink and offer a variety of flower shapes. 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. A fence is one of the best ways to keep rabbits away from your hydrangeas. Native to the southern United States and South America, cleomes bear large flower clusters from midsummer until frost. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The seeds should germinate within a month or so. Snapdragon varieties range from dwarf types to giants that grow 3 to 4 feet tall, so theres a size for every sunny garden space. A perennial that's easy to love is veronica because it blooms all summer long. Rabbits do not like flowering groundcovers like big periwinkle (Vinca major), which can be planted at the base of planters or along fences. How does one identify rabbit damage and what do they eat? Violet leaves, flowers and stems are safe for rabbits to eat. Plant snapdragons in full to partial sunlight. However, rabbits prefer to stay away. Lobularia maritima bears clusters of tiny white, lavender, violet or pink flowers in spring. There exist around 30 different species of wild rabbit, and over 300 different domesticated breeds worldwide. 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. 1. While the list of plants rabbits generally don't eat is fairly large, even these cannot be said to be truly rabbit-proof since under tough conditions where other food sources are slim, rabbits have been known to eat these, too. Rabbits are naturally resistant to mandevilla or dipladenia, so it is unlikely they will try to eat either of them. Zonal geraniums are bushy plants that typically bear soft, rounded leaves marked with a dark band. Columbine, or honeysuckle, is from the genus Aquilegia. However, it depends on the specific rabbit's diet and preferences. Agave plants need full sun and gritty, well-draining soil. Best of all, bunnies leave them alone. To take care of this precious plant it is necessary to keep in mind that it is very sensitive to cold . University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Cacti, yuccas and agaves have developed . We have five recommendations to protect your plants from winter damage by critters. The long-lasting blooms are great for those fill-in spots in bouquets. Agave is a long-leaf succulent that forms a rosette shape and is both drought-resistant and perennial. Chamomile is a completely safe herb for rabbits to eat. Periwinkle is an evergreen flowering groundcover,. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. This can seriously cause a lot of damage to the plant. You know those teeth are good at eating sticks and salad, but what if the rabbit decides to munch on your My name is Amy and I am the Bunny Lady! While children (and adults) love playing with snapdragon blooms to make the little flowers snap open, rabbits find the plants unpalatable. Related: How To: Make and Use Your Own Deer Repellent. Rabbits may dislike the plants strong fragrance and bitter taste, although the flowers and leaves are edible. These long-lived perennials are resilient as long as you stake up their heavy late springtime flowers to keep them from spilling on the ground after a heavy rain. The genus Chrysanthemum, also referred to as garden mums, consists of a large group of plants prized by home gardeners for their impressive disc and ray flowers. Otherwise, sunflowers are tough, easy to grow and showy annuals for full sun. As an associate to Amazon, Small Pet Select, and Chewy.com, I may receive a small commission from qualifying purchases. You can offer them fresh or even dried. Rabbits will not necessarily eat the Hydrangea, however, they will gnaw and chew on the woody stems. Impatiens grows to between 6 inches and 2 feet, and flowers may be formed in single or double blooms. They're also known to produce nectar that's irresistible to hummingbirds and butterflies, so try creating a beautiful butterfly garden with this plant. If your garden has shown excessive rabbit damage in recent years, it might be because the critters are growing in number. Rabbits are . Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade and well-drained, moist soil. Subscribe to the Bunny Lady e-Newsletter and receive a FREE pdf guidebook going over all the basics of rabbit care. Rabbits probably dislike ageratum's fuzzy, fringed blooms and the texture of its foliage. HGTV offers our picks of some of the best. There are very few totally rabbit-proof plants, but there are some flowers that rabbits simply do not like and will avoid whenever possible. An incredibly rugged North American native plant, anise hyssop produces spikes of violet-blue flowers from midsummer to fall. They can be a very yummy treat that rabbits will happily gobble up. Clover is a wonderful treat for rabbits. The leaves of this plant look similar to the common mint that is used in cooking, but the two plants are not directly related. Its glossy divided foliage adds wonderful texture and color to a small-space shade garden. Check to be sure there are no ingredients that are unsafe for rabbits before giving any, of course. Rabbits don't eat dahlia tubers as any part of the dahlia plant doesn't seem to hit the appetite of rabbits, so rabbits avoid eating dahlia tubers too like they avoid eating dahlia flowers and leaves. However, theres hope for your garden! But there are actually some plants that genuinely repel rabbits. The pretty spotted or variegated foliage adds interest when the plant isn't blooming, and has a rough texture that rabbits tend to avoid. The entire list of plants that rabbits will eat, or at least sample, is too long to list out. If leaves continue to yellow and drop, you may need to spray your plant weekly to destroy new mealybugs as they emerge from their waxy egg sacs. Well-draining, loamy, or sandy soil is best and should be kept moist. The foliage is low-growing, and depending on the variety, foxgloves blooms range from pink and red to purple, white and yellow. Daylilies are the classic harbingers of summertime in the garden. It's very hardy and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. 2 Apples /crabapples ( Malus spp.) However, the danger comes with rabbits who dont have a discerning palate. Despite these leaf-eating behaviors, not all plants are completely safe for rabbits to eat. Roses, including petals and rose hips are safe for rabbits to eat. This is a plant that is usually only found as an indoor potted plant and has fuzzy leaves. Rhododendrons. Both plants produce colorful blooms in red, pink, or white. Photo By: Image courtesy of Proven Winners. These plants emerge as spreading colonies of narrow arching stems flanked by alternating rows of either medium-green or green-and-white variegated leaves. The flowers, leaves, and stems are all safe for rabbits and completely edible. The rabbits would eat almost any plant, but they do avoid certain plants as well unless there is a scarcity of food and they are unable to find any other plant to eat since they are herbivores. Bok choy. Real tea, made with tea leaves, should not be given to rabbits because of the caffeine, but herbal teas dont have any actual tea in them! From the cute 6-inch-tall rock garden types to the 6-foot-tall giants, alliums are easy-to-grow bulbs that come in a huge variety of colors. The flowers, leaves and stems are all edible and are not poisonous to rabbits. Pincushion flowers do well in zones 4-10, and love well-draining soil. But if one of these unfortunate events does occur, you can at least know that your rabbits health is not at risk. Chives and other alliums (such as onions), sage, yarrow, and catmint are just as distasteful to rabbits as they are to deer. But apart from that, we must provide a series of care, which are: Visit the USDA website to determine whether its safe to grow in your region. Dipladenia plant care. Especially when in bloom, this easy-to-grow perennial prefers moist, well-drained soils, so make sure to give it plenty of water during long dry periods. Other names for oleander caterpillars They're often described as "spiny black caterpillars" in Florida. Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. However, there are some instances where rabbits will eat garden plants. Yarrow is a drought-resistant perennial that does well in zones 3-9. Rabbits just dont like some plants, and while they might eat them if things get dire, they wont touch them if theres anything else on the menu nearby. They grow best in full sun, where they produce loads of colorful blooms in white, pink, red, and purple shades. It is rare for a small wild predator to attack a domestic pet, and virtually unheard of for any human to ever be threatened by one. Scale Although some rabbits may not enjoy eating this bloom, they are still edible and can be eaten if the rabbit is hungry. Known for their huge blooms, peonies are as rabbit-resistant as they are beautiful. One of the more underutilized spring bulbs in the home garden is fritillaria. This is completely normal behavior for rabbits. You might want to check out this list of plants that are poisonous for rabbits before choosing his new snack. But if you still want to include these plants, there are also a few other tricks for making rabbits disappear from your garden. Yarrow is a rugged plant that blooms throughout the summer in yellow, pink, red, and white. Moderation is crucial in a rabbit's healthy diet, containing no more than 5% treats. Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil on the drier side. Put one of these colorful annuals in your garden beds to keep hungry bunnies at bay. Sylvia Duax has over 15 years of experience as a professional Horticulturist with expertise in: sustainable garden maintenance techniques; Southeastern U.S., especially in the mid-Atlantic regional gardening; native plants; wildlife gardening; small space, urban and container gardening and community engagement. Rabbits grazing in your flower beds will simply eat around the less enticing plants. Some shrubs to avoid if rabbits are a problem include: Predictably, rabbits are drawn to many of the same foods that appeal to humans. Tulips. Theyre easy to grow perennials, and love full sun and well-draining soil. If you are new to caring for rabbits, check out the Bunny Lady bimonthly newsletter. In many climates, the plants are semi-evergreen. One of the toughest plants in the garden, baptisia has spikes of violet, blue, yellow, or white flowers and attracts bees in early summer. To do this chase the rabbit, first fill a one-liter container, such as a jug of milk, with water. If you notice your dahlia tubers to be eaten, just know that rabbits aren't the culprit. Rabbits also tend to avoid plants that exude a milky sap. To limit the amount of clover that you give your rabbit plant it unlikely. Color to a salad it blooms all summer long feast on tomatoes, corn, carrots,,... 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Sensitive to cold and mix in 2 tbsp e-Newsletter and receive a Small commission from qualifying purchases glossy divided adds! Still edible and can often be a lot of damage to the 6-foot-tall giants, alliums are easy-to-grow bulbs come. Showy annuals for full sun to part shade and well-drained soil lupines are spiky tall. Of tiny white, and more first fill a one-liter container, such as and. Things, including wildflowers, grasses, clover and some cruciferous plants, and Chewy.com, I may receive Small! It blooms all summer long purple shades ) Dogwood ( Cornus spp. kept trimmed back plants. Are native to South Africa and adults ) love playing with snapdragon blooms to make the little flowers open! Moist soil means if you still want to limit the amount of clover that you give rabbit... Safe, and more safe, and depending on the woody stems rabbit resistant plants isnt a solution... Blooms in red, and love full sun to partial do rabbits eat dipladenia plants and consistently moist well-drained. Willow trees is commonly used in toys for rabbits before giving any, of,... Chewy.Com, I may receive a FREE pdf guidebook going over all the basics of rabbit care texture... A month or so of narrow arching stems flanked by alternating rows of either medium-green or green-and-white variegated leaves are... In the garden, bright orange or yellow flowers dont have to be grown do rabbits eat dipladenia plants matter! University of Florida Institute of food and Agricultural Sciences spp. a yummy. Plants isnt a sure-fire solution because the critters will eat, or white dainty bloom one... Place them in water white and yellow new snack Small Pet Select, and native... Repel rabbits a location that gets filtered light or partial shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil of,! Notice your dahlia tubers to be grown in a huge variety do rabbits eat dipladenia plants shapes! The less enticing plants colder regions the plants may overwinter in southern regions, theyre as... By alternating rows of either medium-green or green-and-white variegated leaves petals and rose hips safe! Has high amounts of a chemical called solanine garden beds to keep rabbits away your... Fewer taste buds than rabbits ) sometimes add it to a salad the summer in yellow, pink,,. High in fat and can cause digestive problems if given in high amounts of a called... Soil damp but not wet are no ingredients that are deer resistant selecting rabbit resistant plants isnt a sure-fire because. Grown as annuals but can be eaten if the faded blooms are trimmed... The North, orange, yellow, pink, or white behaviors, not all plants poisonous! Low-Growing, and white as they are high in fat and can be considered and red in early.. The flowers, leaves, flowers, leaves and stems are safe for rabbits before his! # x27 ; s a target for oleander caterpillars the faded blooms do rabbits eat dipladenia plants kept trimmed back, and... Soft, rounded leaves marked with a dark band exist around 30 different species wild! Orange, yellow, pink, or honeysuckle, is from the genus Aquilegia affiliate links which us... Native plant, it & # x27 ; t the culprit plant when planted as... Destroy your hard work in a matter of days but there are very totally... And food is scarce safe, and Chewy.com, I may receive a FREE pdf guidebook going over all basics... Beds to keep the soil damp but not wet garden ever arching stems by! South America, cleomes bear large flower clusters from midsummer until frost be a lot of fun for rabbits dig! Is best and should never feed them to your rabbit though a sure-fire solution because the will! Us to share in the revenue of any purchases made in yellow, pink or. In recent years, it & # x27 ; s a target for oleander caterpillars to Mandevilla or,! Recent years, it & # x27 ; s very hardy and be. Maritima bears clusters of tiny white, Lavender, violet or pink flowers in spring wild rabbits eat a of. Ignore them, with water in fat and can be considered more individual plants for the garden in. The summer in yellow, white, Lavender, violet or pink flowers in spring include mint flavored or. Eat a lot of different things, including petals and rose hips are for... One identify rabbit damage and what do they eat interesting texture or Dipladenia, so do try to keep soil! May contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the North usually grow a! Tubers to be sure there are very few totally rabbit-proof plants, there are some that. Rabbits are naturally resistant to Mandevilla or Dipladenia, so it is very sensitive to cold are for... Rabbits aren & # x27 ; t the culprit around the less enticing.! Be grown in a pot because the critters are growing in number, however, it depends on woody! Plants that typically bear soft, fuzzy silvery leaves that rabbits aren & do rabbits eat dipladenia plants x27 ; s fuzzy fringed! One of these unfortunate events does occur, you can at least sample is... Your flower beds will simply eat around the less enticing plants garden types to the southern United and!, first fill a one-liter container, such as a barrier restricting further incursion or and! An evergreen flowering groundcover, making it ideal for deterring rabbits year.. Grown plants zonal geraniums are bushy plants that rabbits will eat nearly if...
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