Some years, rabbits eat the flowers off the spring crocus, some years they don’t. And Deer eat a few flowers off the hydrangeas, but bypass the lilac bushes.
Or both of them eat the crocus under the trees but not next to the patio. Or vice versa.
But one thing is certain: rabbits and deer will always eat a few tulips.
It can make you feel like you need a guard tower and security lights to keep your plants safe. It’s impossible to predict which vegetables, perennials, or annuals will be grazed or outright consumed by deer and rabbits each season. From personal experience, most of the damage from squirrels, rabbits, and other mammals seems to be done in early spring when food sources are somewhat limited (compared to summer).
But a hungry animal in any season will eat just about any plant, even those that are poisonous. As the saying goes, your best defense is a strong offense. Install plants that deer and rabbits don’t like and you’ll spend fewer nights weeping into your pillow.
How to keep rabbits and deer from eating your plants
- Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and most animals are discouraged by aromatic plants like strong herbs (basil, lavender, rosemary); plants with spines like Prickly Pear; plants with tough leaves (lamb’s ear); or plants with milky sap, like Milkweed. Use these deterrent plants near your more tempting plants, and animals may leave them alone.
- New plants are more likely to be nibbled on than well-established, large plants. Protect new transplants and early season growth as long as possible with perimeter fencing, milk jugs, or deer, squirrel, and rabbit repellent.
- The best way to keep rabbits and deer from eating your plants is to fence them off – at least 2 feet high to discourage rabbits and at least 6 feet high for deer. It’s unsightly, but a physical barrier works better than anything else.
- I’ve had great success with bottled repellents like Liquid Fence, which are made with putrescent egg solids – animals appear to take one whiff and wander off. The downside is that you have to spray after every rainfall, which can become expensive during a rainy season. To enjoy finely scented blooms like Roses, spray repellents around the shrub or flower and not on it.
- As far as your vegetable garden is concerned, nothing but onions and garlic are off-limits to deer and rabbits. Liquid repellents and fences are the best bet to keep roving wildlife from sampling the smorgasbord.
Below is a list of plants that rabbits and deer are less likely to consume if there are plenty of other sources of food nearby. But as mentioned previously, hungry, desperate animals will eat just about anything.
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Sources: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Oregon State University Extension Service.
We live in a new Florida gated community. Planting flowers around the shrubbery area for the last 3 years has seemed like an effort in futility against rabbits eating the flower petals. They apparently like the taste and tenderness of the petals. I had tried everything from expensive sprays, to hot cyan type mixture in water with a sprayer, to garden lights with motion sensors, with no success. Then, since we had a large rosemary herb patch, I snipped off about 30 to 40 4″ to 6″ sections and just pushed them into the flower plants center. Voila! Success. The scent is so strong on the rosemary herb, that the rabbits have stayed away permanent, now for the last three weeks, and the rosemary does not lose its scent, even after it dries.
Gambil Quail ate every flower from 12 plants of alyssum within 48 hours of planting them in a large circular bird bath that I turned into a floral garden. A few bare stems and leaves remain. I didn’t expect that to happen. What would deter bird destruction?
Best way to avoid that in the future is to not plant flowers in a birdbath. It was too easy for the birds to see, and isolated from other plants. In the garden use bird netting to keep birds off of plants.
What kind of grass can I plant that rabbits will not eat? Is there a spray or granules that will keep rabbits out of my yard? Liquid Fence is useless!The company refunded my money when I provided picture of before and after using Liquid Fence. Thank you.
There is little that rabbits won’t eat, unfortunately. Liquid FEnce works well for me, but it must be frequently applied, especially after rain.
Oh these pesky rabbits ate all my asters!!!
someone has just eaten my lavender!!!! rabbit or deer?? anyway doesn’t make much difference… also they are eating flowering sage…
Lavender is a little tall for rabbits, so probably deer. As I say in the article, at times deer will sample or eat literally any plant – they’re the most notorious grazers.
Rabbits just ate a new Rosemary down to the ground!
Rabbits are a gardener’s worst enemy. My recommendation is to spray Liquid Fence around and on your garden plants – they absolutely hate the smell and it “trains” them not to eat in that spot.