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 them 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. But the following are rabbit favorites:
Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits
Tender, young leaves are the most susceptible, although they will sample many plants in the vegetable garden:
Beans Beets Broccoli Carrots (particularly the tops) Lettuce Parsley Chili Pepper Spinach Swiss chard Most fruit trees and berry bushes
Annuals and Perennials
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.) Balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) Clematis Cockscomb (Celosia argentea cristata) Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) [flowers only] Crocus (Crocus hybrids) Gayfeather (Liatris spicata) Gazania (Gazania rigens) Gazania (Gazania rigens) 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)
Shrubs and Trees
Rabbits prefer tender woody plants with thin bark, so new plants and shoots are at the most risk.
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.) 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 a 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. However, many plants that are toxic to pets and humans are also toxic to rabbits—and they tend to avoid them. 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.
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 Cucumbers Corn
Rabbit-Resistant Annuals and Perennials
Agastache Ageratum Allium Anemone (Anemone x hybrida) Angelonia Artemisia Astilbe Autumn Fern Azalea Barrenwort (Epimedium) Basil Beard tongue (Penstemon) Bee balm (Monarda) Begonia Betony (Stachys) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon) Black Snakeroot (Cimicifuga) Blanket flower (Gaillardia) Bleeding heart (Dicentra) Blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii) Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) Canna Candytuft (Iberis) Carex Catmint (Nepeta) Columbine (Aquilegia) Crocosmia Daffodils (Narcissus hybrids) Daylily (Hemerocallis) Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum) Delphinium False indigo (Baptisia australis) Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) Foxglove (Digitalis) Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella) Geranium or Cranesbill Geum Ginger (Asarum spp.) Globe Thistle Hellebore Ice plant (Lampranthus) Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla) Lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) Lantana Larkspur Lavender (Lavendula) Liriope Lungwort (Pulmonaria) Maiden grass (Miscanthus) Marigold Tagetes Milkweed Moss pink (Phlox subulata) Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia) Mums (Chrysanthemum) (Not guaranteed) Oregano Penstemon Pot Marigold Rosemary Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) Salvia (Sage spp.) Sea holly (Eryngium) Sea thrift (Armeria) Sedum Siberian Iris Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica) Speedwell (Veronica spp.) Spider flower (Cleome) St. John’s wort (Hypericum) Sweet Alyssum Thyme Tickseed or Coreopsis Verbena Vinca (perennial) Wormwood Yucca Zinnia
Trees and Shrubs Rarely Eaten by Rabbits
Black walnut (Juglans nigra) Blue mist spirea (Caryopteris x clandonensis) Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp.) Juniper (Juniperus) Spruce (Picea) Fir (Abies)
