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Which Garden Plants Will Rabbits Not Eat? The Reliable List

Aromatic herbs, alliums, ferns and tough-leaved shrubs get left alone. Why no plant is truly rabbit-proof, and what a hungry February rabbit will take.

By Salma 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Lavender in flower, backlit, with a lavender field behind
Photo: Mouse23, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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The pattern is scent, texture and toxicity. Rabbits feed by smell and bite, so strongly aromatic, furry, spiny, leathery and poisonous plants get skipped. Nothing is rabbit-proof in February.

Plants rabbits generally leave

groupexamples
Aromatic herbsrosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, oregano, mint, catmint
Alliumsornamental alliums, chives, garlic, onions
Narcissus familydaffodils, narcissus, jonquils
Other bulbsfritillaria, hyacinth, snowdrop, scilla, colchicum
Toxic perennialsfoxglove, euphorbia, monkshood, hellebore, lily-of-the-valley
Furry or spiny leaveslamb’s ear, globe thistle, sea holly, acanthus
Fernsmost, reliably
Ornamental grassesmost, once established
Leathery shrubsbox, holly, juniper, rhododendron, pieris, mahonia
Strong-scented perennialsnepeta, salvia, agastache, artemisia, santolina

Plants rabbits reliably take

Vegetableslettuce, beans, peas, young brassicas, carrot tops, beetroot leaves, chard
Fruitstrawberries, and the bark of young fruit trees
Bulbstulips, crocus, lilies
Perennialshostas, phlox, campanula, coneflower, pansies, violas
Woodybark of young trees and shrubs in winter — the damaging one
Anythingsoft new growth, on almost any species

Winter bark stripping is the damage that actually kills

Rabbits strip bark from the base of young trees and shrubs when other food runs out, and a strip all the way round ring-barks the plant and kills everything above it. A 24-inch mesh cylinder held clear of the trunk prevents it, and costs almost nothing compared with replacing a four-year-old tree.

Why resistance lists are not guarantees

  • Hunger overrides preference. Late winter is when resistant plants get eaten
  • Young rabbits sample things adults have learned to avoid
  • New plantings are softer than established ones, and more attractive for it
  • Regional variation is real — rabbit populations have local food habits
  • Drought pushes them onto anything with moisture in it

Treat every list, this one included, as “less likely to be eaten” rather than safe.

The combination that actually works

1. Resistant planting as the default for ornamental beds and borders. It costs nothing extra at planting time and quietly reduces the problem.

2. Fencing for the things rabbits actually want. The spec:

elementspec
Height above ground24 in
Mesh size1 in or smaller — young rabbits pass through 2 in
Below ground6 in buried, or bent outward as an L
Gatesflush to the ground, no gap

Fence the vegetable beds and the three or four ornamentals that keep getting eaten, not the boundary. A raised bed with a 24-inch mesh collar costs a fraction of a perimeter fence and works better.

3. Mesh cylinders on young trunks through winter.

4. Clear the cover. Rabbits will not stay in open ground with no escape within a short dash, so brush piles, long grass along fences and gaps under decks matter more than any repellent.

What not to rely on

  • Ultrasonic devices — no reliable evidence
  • Human hair, soap, mothballs — anecdote, and mothballs are a pesticide being used illegally
  • Repellent sprays alone — capsaicin and putrescent-egg products work for one to two weeks between rains and only on sprayed growth. A reasonable bridge while a fence goes in
  • Companion planting as a barrier — a rabbit walks past lavender to reach lettuce

Common questions

What plants do rabbits avoid?

Strongly aromatic herbs — rosemary, lavender, sage, thyme, mint and oregano — along with alliums including ornamental ones, daffodils and most other narcissus, ferns, foxgloves, euphorbia, and tough leathery-leaved shrubs. The pattern is scent, texture and toxicity: rabbits feed by smell and bite, so anything strongly fragrant, furry, spiny, leathery or poisonous tends to be left.

Is any plant truly rabbit-proof?

No. Every list is a resistance list rather than a guarantee. A rabbit in late winter with nothing else available will strip plants it ignores in June, and young rabbits sample things adults do not. Newly planted specimens of resistant species are also more vulnerable than established ones, because soft new growth is palatable in a way mature foliage is not.

What do rabbits most like to eat in a garden?

Soft new growth and anything in the pea, bean and brassica families. Lettuce, beans, peas, young brassicas, carrot tops, beetroot leaves, strawberries, tulips, crocuses, hostas, pansies and young fruit tree bark are the most reliably damaged. In winter they strip bark from the base of young trees and shrubs, which can ring-bark and kill them outright.

Do rabbit repellent plants actually work?

Interplanting aromatic herbs reduces browsing in the immediate area and does not create a barrier. The scent is a deterrent at the plant itself, not a fence — a rabbit will walk past a lavender bush to reach lettuce a metre away. Resistant planting is best used as the default for ornamental beds, with fencing reserved for the things rabbits actually want.

What stops rabbits better than plant choice?

A fence, and a specific one: 2 feet of 1-inch mesh above ground with a further 6 inches buried or bent outward into an L along the soil. Rabbits push and dig rather than jump, so the buried skirt matters more than the height, and gates need to sit flush to the ground. Fencing the vegetable beds rather than the boundary is both cheaper and more effective.

Do rabbits eat bulbs?

Some. Tulips and crocuses are taken readily, both as emerging shoots and sometimes the bulbs themselves. Daffodils, narcissus, alliums, fritillaria, hyacinth and snowdrops are largely left alone because they are toxic or strongly scented. Swapping tulips for daffodils in exposed beds is the cheapest permanent fix available.

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