Uh-oh, 2023 Is The Year of The Rabbit.
2023 has arrived and it’s the year of the Rabbit. As gardeners, this might be more a cause of angst than cause for celebration. Bunnies can be oh so cute, and oh so destructive too.
If you have a lot of rabbit pressure in your neighborhood, one way to avoid the munching is to plant flowers that bunnies are more likely to pass by. There are a lot of beauties to choose from too!
Here’s a list of 27 varieties that you’ll love … and rabbits don’t.
Nepeta
Catmint has a scent to the leaves that bunnies pass by. You can go big with Walker’s Low, or more compact with Purrsian Blue (pictured). Full sun.
Ornamental Onion adds fun balls of color in early spring or late summer. Both types are turn-offs for browsing bunnies because of their oniony flavor. Full to part sun.
Red Hot Poker is a sun-loving, brightly colored option. I don’t know why bunnies don’t like it, but I sure do!
English Lavender’s amazing scent is a deterrent for hungry rabbits. It likes drier locations and 6 or more hours of sunshine.
Yarrow is another plant that has a slight scent to the foliage that makes bunnies turn up their noses. Good thing, because it’s one the easiest plants to grow. Full sun.
Monkshood is toxic if eaten and rabbits know this. It creates an attractive clump of foliage during spring and summer, then blooms in late fall. Drier locations in full sun.
Japanese Anemone is a great way to add fall color to a bed. Rabbits leave it alone all season so you can enjoy the color come September.
Thank goodness Delphinium is off the menu for rabbits! You can grow both the tall candle larkspur (pictured) and the shorter, clumping Siberian larkspur without fear of munching.
It’s probably the fuzzy texture of the leaves on Lady’s Mantle that makes it unpalatable to rabbits. Try it as a beautiful border option in sun or part sun.
Cranesbill is one of the best plants you can add for native bees … and to turn off bunnies. Enjoy a long-bloomer like Rozanne (pictured) all summer long.
Thank you, Peter Cottontail for not eating the Hellebores. Early spring would not be the same without their nodding blooms. Part sun to shade.