Keeping Rabbits Away from the Garden

It's real cute reading about Peter Rabbit running around Farmer McGreggor's garden. It's not so cute when one of his descendents runs around yours...

Penstemon virens
Item # 75795 		Penstemon virens
Blue Mist Beardtongue

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
Agave havardiana
Item # J2710 		Agave havardiana
Havard's Century Plant

Each $18.99
Artemisia x 'Powis Castle'
Item # 22620 		Artemisia 'Powis Castle'
Silver Sage

each $5.49
3 to 6 plants $5.29
7 or more $4.99
  • Topic: Pests
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: rabbits, pests, Pests, gardens, rabbitresistant
  • Date: August 2004

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Yeah, it’s real cute reading about Peter Rabbit running around Farmer McGreggor’s garden. It’s not so cute when one of his descendents runs around yours.

I live in the mountains and for years never even saw one rabbit. Now I’m seeing at least one a day. I have a feeling the wet winter produced a bumper crop of little Peters. So far I haven’t seen any rabbit damage among my plants, but the potential for it has set me thinking. Maybe I better start planning. I need to pull a few plants that just aren’t making it and it only makes sense to put in plants that rabbits don’t like.

The following plants are reported to deter rabbits. But it all depends. If there is a drought, it seems these cute little bunnies will eat whatever they can, and in the process turn from cute to beastly.

Rabbit Resistant Plants

  • Achillea (Yarrow)
  • Agave (Century Plant)
  • Agastache (Hyssop or Hummingbird Mint)
  • Agastache cana (Texas Hummingbird Mint)
  • Aquilegia (Columbine)
  • Artemisia (Powis Castle or Silver Sage)
  • Cacti
  • Caryopteris (Blue Mist Spirea)
  • Calylophus hartwegii (Sundrops)
  • Chrysothamnus (Chamisa)
  • Cytisus purgens (Spanish Broom)
  • Digitalis (Foxglove)
  • Eriogonum umbellatum (Buckwheat)
  • Erodium (Stork’s Bill)
  • Falugia (Apache Plume)
  • Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)
  • Geraniums (Hardy Perennial Geraniums)
  • Lavandula (Lavender)
  • Mahonia fendleri (Mahonia)
  • Narcissus (Daffodils)
  • Nepeta (Catmint)
  • Origanum (Oregano)
  • Oxytropis (Locoweed)
  • Penstemons
  • Peony
  • Perovskia (Russian Sage)
  • Rosmarinus (Rosemary)
  • Salvia (Sage)
  • Santolina
  • Scorphularia macrantha (Redbirds in a Tree)
  • Sedum (Stone Crop)
  • Silene laciniata (Mexican Catchfly)
  • Stachys coccinea (Hedgenettle)
  • Stanleya pinnata (Prince’s Plume)
  • Tagetes (Perennial Marigold)
  • Tanacetum vulgaris “Crispum” (Tansy)
  • Thymus (Thyme)
  • Kniphofia uvaria (Red-Hot Poker)
  • Yucca
  • Zinnia grandiflora
  • Zizophora clinopodioides (Blue Mint Bush)