How can one, little rabbit cause so many problems in a garden? Although rabbits for the most part are docile and easily spooked, if they get into a garden, they can cause tremendous damage. If you have planted some type of vegetable or flower that rabbits like, you can be assured everything in sight will be eaten. Unfortunately, rabbits gnaw on vegetation, just leaving portions of the plant standing. In other words, the rabbit gets its belly full while you are left with a horrible looking garden and dying plants.
One of the best lines of defense against rabbits is to install a fence. For this, make sure the bottom portion of the fence is buried beneath the soil several inches since rabbits are notorious for digging. In addition, the fence should measure a minimum of two feet tall. If you want to keep rabbits away from trees, the fence should be approximately two feet above the snowline and kept between six to ten inches away from the tree.
Another option for keeping rabbits out of your garden is to use repellants. While repellents are reasonably effective when it comes to deer, you need to remember they are not as effective on rabbits. Therefore, instead of investing in store-bought repellents, you might try making your own concoction. Anything with a bitter taste would work. For example, an ingredient known as Thiram would work well in deterring rabbits. Thiram is poisonous and has potential of damaging the plants.
One of the best deterrents is to create your garden using plants and trees that rabbits do not care for. To give you an example of some of these species, refer to the following list. While this list includes several popular species, it is not an all-inclusive list – just a sampling:
Bearded Iris
Dogwood
Barberry
Burning Bush
Elephant’s Ears
Golden Elder
Japanese Laurel
Lenten Rose
New York Aster
Peony
Periwinkle
Rosemary
With a little planning and care, you can enjoy a beautiful garden of vegetables and flowers, as well as gorgeous trees. Plant your vegetation wisely and at the first sign of your plants being chewed on take action.