picture from vegetablegardener.com
Welcome to my Garden show, Gardening and you. I am Becky Litterer from Becky’s Greenhouse in Dougherty. This show is about more than just the different aspects of gardening, it’s about how we can help you with your gardening needs..Here is a list of plants rabbits will eat, and then plants they don't like. Hope this helps with that problem.
Rabbit-Proof Plants By Marie Iannotti
Rabbits dine out all year. They are herbivores and can make a quick meal of your garden. They will devour tender shoots in spring and gnaw through bark in the winter. You can tell when rabbits, not deer, have been chewing on your woody plants because rabbits make clean cuts. Deer do not have teeth on the top front of their mouths and must tear off the plants they munch on, leaving ragged stems.
Rabbits have large incisors, similar to squirrels and mice. But rabbits have two pairs of both upper and lower incisors, while rodents have only one set. (Rabbits are lagomorphs not rodents.)
It would be nice if there were plants that are truly rabbit-proof, but as with other animals, rabbits can surprise you. They do have their favorite foods and those they tend to avoid, but when food is scarce, they will eat just about anything. If you are interested in how to deter rabbits, there are ways to control and deter rabbits from overrunning your garden.
Plants That Rabbits Will Eat
The entire list of plants that rabbits will eat, or at least sample, is too long to list out everything, the following are rabbit favorites.
Tender, young leaves are the most susceptible, although they will sample many plants in the vegetable garden.
■ Bean
■ Beet
■ Broccoli
■ Carrot [particularly the tops]
■ Lettuce
■ Parsley
■ Pea [especially the leaves and tendrils]
■ Spinach
■ Swiss chard
■ Most tree fruits and berries
These plants often sustain the most damage, because they are tender and generally out in the open with no protection.
■ Asters
■ Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
■ Bachelor's button (Centaurea cyanus)
■ Bellflower (Campanula spp.)
■ Clematis
■ Cockscomb (Celosia argenta cristata)
■ Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
■ Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
■ Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) [flowers only]
■ Crocus (Crocus hybrids)
■ Gayfeather (Liatris spicata)
■ Gazania (Gazania rigens)
■ Great masterwort (Astrantia major)
■ Hosta
■ Lilies (Lilium hybrids)
■ Lupine (Lupinus)
■ Impatiens (flowers mainly)
■ Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum)
■ Marguerite daisy (Felicia amelloides
■ Mountain bluet (Centaurea montana)
■ Pansy
■ Phlox
■ Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)
■ Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) [seedlings only]
■ Sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius)
■ Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
■ Tulip
■ Violets
■ Wishbone flower (Torenia)
Related:Avoid These Plants if Rabbits Are a Problem
Shrubs and Trees
Rabbits prefer tender woody plants with thin bark, so new plants and shoots are at the most risk. If you have a shrub they keep gnawing on and you cannot protect it, tossing a branch or two on the ground might keep them content enough to leave the shrub alone. Rabbits will go for the easy meal. It is better to sacrifice a couple of branches than the whole plant.
■ Apples/crabapples (Malus spp.)
■ Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
■ Barberry (Berberis)
■ Burning bush (Euonymus spp.)
■ Chokeberry (Aronia spp.)
■ Deutzia (Deutzia sp)
■ Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
■ Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
■ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
■ Flowering quince (Chaenomeles)
■ Fothergilla (Fothergilla spp.)
■ Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
■ Honeylocust (Gleditsia spp.)
■ Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)
■ Ironwood (Carpinus spp.)
■ Juneberry/serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)
■ Linden (Tilia spp.)
■ Maple (Acer spp.)
■ Mountain ash (Sorbus spp.)
■ Oak (Quercus spp.)
■ Poplar (Populus spp.)
■ Rose (Rosa spp.)
■ Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
■ Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)
■ Spirea (Spiraea spp.)
■ Sumac (Rhus spp.)
■ Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
■ Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Rabbit-Resistant Plants
It should be no surprise that plants with strong fragrance or fuzzy leaves like lavender and black-eyed Susan are less popular with rabbits. Unfortunately, these plants will not deter them completely. Rabbits grazing in your flower beds will simply eat around the less enticing plants.
Rabbit-Resistant Vegetables
These tend to be either aromatic, thorny, or members of the nightshade family.
■ Artichokes
■ Asparagus
■ Onions
■ Peppers [may eat young plants]
■ Potatoes
■ Squash
■ Tomatoes
Rabbit-Resistant Annuals and Perennials
Remember, they may nibble to see if they like it and will eat anything, if they are really hungry.
■ Agastache
■ Ageratum
■ Allium
■ Blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii)
■ Anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
■ Angelonia
■ Artemisia
■ Astilbe
■ Azalea
■ Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)
■ Basil
■ Beard tongue (Penstemon)
■ Bee balm (Monarda)
■ Begonia
■ Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
■ Blanket flower (Gaillardia)
■ Bleeding heart (Dicentra)
■ Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
■ Butterfly bush (Buddleia)
■ Canna
■ Carex
■ Blue mist shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
■ Candytuft (Iberis)
■ Catmint (Nepeta)
■ Columbine (Aquilegia)
■ Crocosmia
■ Daffodils (Narcissus hybrids)
■ Daylily (Hemerocallis)
■ Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum)
■ False indigo (Baptisia australis)
■ Geranium or Cranesbill
■ Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
■ Geum
■ Ginger (Asarum spp.)
■ Ice plant (Lampranthus)
■ Iris
■ Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)
■ Lantana
■ Larkspur
■ Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
■ Maiden grass (Miscanthus)
■ Lavender (Lavendula)
■ Marigold Tagetes
■ Moss pink (Phlox subulata)
■ Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia)
■ Mums (Chrysanthemum) (Not guaranteed)
■ Oregano
■ Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)
■ Poppy (Papaver)
■ Petunia
■ Rosemary
■ Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
■ Salvia (Sage spp.)
■ Sea holly (Eryngium)
■ Sea thrift (Armeria)
■ Sedum
■ Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
■ Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
■ Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
■ Speedwell (Veronica spp.)
■ Spider flower (Cleome)
■ St. John's wort (Hypericum)
■ Thyme
■ Tickseed or Coreopsis
■ Verbena
■ Vinca
■ Zinnia
Trees and Shrubs Not Often Eaten by Rabbits
■ Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
■ Juniper (Juniperus)
■ Spruce (Picea)
■ Fir (Abies)
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/rabbit-proof-plants-
till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net
Rabbit-Proof Plants By Marie Iannotti
Rabbits dine out all year. They are herbivores and can make a quick meal of your garden. They will devour tender shoots in spring and gnaw through bark in the winter. You can tell when rabbits, not deer, have been chewing on your woody plants because rabbits make clean cuts. Deer do not have teeth on the top front of their mouths and must tear off the plants they munch on, leaving ragged stems.
Rabbits have large incisors, similar to squirrels and mice. But rabbits have two pairs of both upper and lower incisors, while rodents have only one set. (Rabbits are lagomorphs not rodents.)
It would be nice if there were plants that are truly rabbit-proof, but as with other animals, rabbits can surprise you. They do have their favorite foods and those they tend to avoid, but when food is scarce, they will eat just about anything. If you are interested in how to deter rabbits, there are ways to control and deter rabbits from overrunning your garden.
Plants That Rabbits Will Eat
The entire list of plants that rabbits will eat, or at least sample, is too long to list out everything, the following are rabbit favorites.
Tender, young leaves are the most susceptible, although they will sample many plants in the vegetable garden.
■ Bean
■ Beet
■ Broccoli
■ Carrot [particularly the tops]
■ Lettuce
■ Parsley
■ Pea [especially the leaves and tendrils]
■ Spinach
■ Swiss chard
■ Most tree fruits and berries
These plants often sustain the most damage, because they are tender and generally out in the open with no protection.
■ Asters
■ Baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata)
■ Bachelor's button (Centaurea cyanus)
■ Bellflower (Campanula spp.)
■ Clematis
■ Cockscomb (Celosia argenta cristata)
■ Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
■ Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
■ Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) [flowers only]
■ Crocus (Crocus hybrids)
■ Gayfeather (Liatris spicata)
■ Gazania (Gazania rigens)
■ Great masterwort (Astrantia major)
■ Hosta
■ Lilies (Lilium hybrids)
■ Lupine (Lupinus)
■ Impatiens (flowers mainly)
■ Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum)
■ Marguerite daisy (Felicia amelloides
■ Mountain bluet (Centaurea montana)
■ Pansy
■ Phlox
■ Rose moss (Portulaca grandiflora)
■ Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) [seedlings only]
■ Sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius)
■ Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
■ Tulip
■ Violets
■ Wishbone flower (Torenia)
Related:Avoid These Plants if Rabbits Are a Problem
Shrubs and Trees
Rabbits prefer tender woody plants with thin bark, so new plants and shoots are at the most risk. If you have a shrub they keep gnawing on and you cannot protect it, tossing a branch or two on the ground might keep them content enough to leave the shrub alone. Rabbits will go for the easy meal. It is better to sacrifice a couple of branches than the whole plant.
■ Apples/crabapples (Malus spp.)
■ Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
■ Barberry (Berberis)
■ Burning bush (Euonymus spp.)
■ Chokeberry (Aronia spp.)
■ Deutzia (Deutzia sp)
■ Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
■ Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
■ Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
■ Flowering quince (Chaenomeles)
■ Fothergilla (Fothergilla spp.)
■ Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
■ Honeylocust (Gleditsia spp.)
■ Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)
■ Ironwood (Carpinus spp.)
■ Juneberry/serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)
■ Linden (Tilia spp.)
■ Maple (Acer spp.)
■ Mountain ash (Sorbus spp.)
■ Oak (Quercus spp.)
■ Poplar (Populus spp.)
■ Rose (Rosa spp.)
■ Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
■ Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)
■ Spirea (Spiraea spp.)
■ Sumac (Rhus spp.)
■ Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
■ Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Rabbit-Resistant Plants
It should be no surprise that plants with strong fragrance or fuzzy leaves like lavender and black-eyed Susan are less popular with rabbits. Unfortunately, these plants will not deter them completely. Rabbits grazing in your flower beds will simply eat around the less enticing plants.
Rabbit-Resistant Vegetables
These tend to be either aromatic, thorny, or members of the nightshade family.
■ Artichokes
■ Asparagus
■ Onions
■ Peppers [may eat young plants]
■ Potatoes
■ Squash
■ Tomatoes
Rabbit-Resistant Annuals and Perennials
Remember, they may nibble to see if they like it and will eat anything, if they are really hungry.
■ Agastache
■ Ageratum
■ Allium
■ Blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii)
■ Anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
■ Angelonia
■ Artemisia
■ Astilbe
■ Azalea
■ Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)
■ Basil
■ Beard tongue (Penstemon)
■ Bee balm (Monarda)
■ Begonia
■ Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
■ Blanket flower (Gaillardia)
■ Bleeding heart (Dicentra)
■ Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
■ Butterfly bush (Buddleia)
■ Canna
■ Carex
■ Blue mist shrub (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
■ Candytuft (Iberis)
■ Catmint (Nepeta)
■ Columbine (Aquilegia)
■ Crocosmia
■ Daffodils (Narcissus hybrids)
■ Daylily (Hemerocallis)
■ Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum)
■ False indigo (Baptisia australis)
■ Geranium or Cranesbill
■ Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)
■ Geum
■ Ginger (Asarum spp.)
■ Ice plant (Lampranthus)
■ Iris
■ Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)
■ Lantana
■ Larkspur
■ Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
■ Maiden grass (Miscanthus)
■ Lavender (Lavendula)
■ Marigold Tagetes
■ Moss pink (Phlox subulata)
■ Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia)
■ Mums (Chrysanthemum) (Not guaranteed)
■ Oregano
■ Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)
■ Poppy (Papaver)
■ Petunia
■ Rosemary
■ Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
■ Salvia (Sage spp.)
■ Sea holly (Eryngium)
■ Sea thrift (Armeria)
■ Sedum
■ Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)
■ Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
■ Spanish bluebell (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
■ Speedwell (Veronica spp.)
■ Spider flower (Cleome)
■ St. John's wort (Hypericum)
■ Thyme
■ Tickseed or Coreopsis
■ Verbena
■ Vinca
■ Zinnia
Trees and Shrubs Not Often Eaten by Rabbits
■ Black walnut (Juglans nigra)
■ Juniper (Juniperus)
■ Spruce (Picea)
■ Fir (Abies)
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/rabbit-proof-plants-
till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net
