Rabbit-Resistant Flowers and Plants

Rabbit damage is a real problem, yet many people lack either the time or inclination to drive the pests away with repellents, keep them at arm's length with a chicken-wire fence, or relocate them after a successful capture using a Havahart live trap. If it's true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you may want to consider overhauling your backyard landscape and planting a variety of rabbit-resistant plants.

The bonus is that most of them are also deer-resistant plants, offering you double the protection from common pests. The drawback is that some of these flowers are poisonous plants so it's important to exercise caution in growing them around children and/or pets.

Generally speaking, these are the qualities in flowers and foliage that deter rabbits:

• Leaves that are jagged, prickly, or spiky, like yucca
• Flowers that are toxic, like Lenten rose or foxglove
• Leaves and flowers with strong smells, particularly mint, lavender, and yarrow
• Leaves that are fuzzy or leathery
• Plants with stems that are sappy

Rabbits, like humans, have different tastes in food. The flowers listed below are avoided by most rabbits, but your mileage may vary.

Shrubs and Sub-Shrubs 

• Viburnum
• Butterfly bush (the sub-shrub, Buddleia; an invasive plant in some regions)
• Lantana (an invasive plant in warm, humid climates)
• Adam's needle (a type of Yucca)
• Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia, sub-shrub)
• Cotoneaster
• Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)
• Boxwood (Buxus)
• Blue Star juniper (Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star')
• Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis)
• Holly (Ilex)
• Japanese rose (Kerria japonica)
• Lavender plant (Lavandula) (sub-shrub)

Perennials

• Salvia
• Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)
• Avens (Geum)
• Rodgers flower (Rodgersia)
• Columbine (Aquilegia)
• Delphinium
• Yarrow (Achillea)
• New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Coreopsis
• Daylily (Hemerocallis)
• Poppy (Papaver)
• Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
• Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
• Perennial bachelor's button (Centaurea montana)
• Bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis; newer genus name, Lamprocapnos)
• Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
• Monkshood (Aconitum)
• Bee balm (Monarda didyma)
• Torch lily (Kniphofia uvaria)
• 'Silver Mound' artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana)

Bulb Plants

• Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica)
• Alliums (including A. atropurpureum)
• Reticulated iris (Iris reticulata)
• Daffodil (Narcissus)
• Siberian squill (Scilla siberica)

Annuals

• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
• Flossflower (Ageratum)
• Wax begonias (Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum)
• Geranium (Pelargonium)
• Pot marigold (Calendula)

Trees

• Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, etc.)
• Hawthorn (Crataegus)
• Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
• Maidenhair (Ginkgo biloba)
• Ash (Fraxinus)
• Magnolia (Magnoliaceae)

Vines and/or Ground Covers

• Ajuga (Ajuga reptans)
• Wisteria (Wisteria)
• Creeping myrtle (Vinca minor)
• Yellow alyssum (Aurinia saxatilis)
• Lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis; invasive in some regions)
• Creeping junipers (Juniperus horizontalis; Blue Rug, etc.)
• Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
• Catmint (Nepeta)
• Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
• Spotted dead nettle (Lamium maculatum)

Foliage Plants

While the above-mentioned Vinca minor does put out a blue flower in spring, many people grow it more for its shiny green leaves. For those who do not mind growing a plant that puts on more impressive foliage than flowering display, the following plants may be of interest:

• 'Silver Mound' artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana)
• Blue fescue ornamental grass (Festuca glauca)
• Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina)