How to Keep Rabbits Away from Your Garden

While rabbits are often associated with munching on carrots, a whole group of them can cause far more damage to your garden. It's no wonder that nearly every gardener looks for advice on how to protect their plants from these hungry creatures.

Luckily, there are several proven methods to prevent your beloved plants from becoming a rabbit buffet. Try these expert-approved techniques to ensure rabbits stay out of your garden for good.

What Are the Damaging Effects of Rabbits in Your Garden?

Rabbits can cause surprising levels of destruction in your garden. They may chew through tree bark, break off lower branches of trees and shrubs, and damage fruit trees, berry bushes, and nut trees. They also munch on leaves, sprouts, flowers, and vegetables like peas, beans, carrots, and beets. If you're growing spring bulbs, beware—tulips and crocuses are a rabbit favorite.

Rabbits need to gnaw to keep their teeth in check, which can lead them to chew on fences, plastic, and even parts of your house.

Tips for Creating a Rabbit-Resistant Garden

To keep your garden safe from rabbits, avoid planting all of their favorite foods. The plants you choose can play a key role in preventing rabbit damage and ensuring your garden thrives.

Surrounding your beloved plants with natural deterrents could help keep rabbits away. These companion plants, often with strong scents, can help create an effective barrier. Consider planting cilantro, parsley, creeping thyme, lemon balm, lavender, or mint, all of which can discourage rabbits. Other plants like marigolds, onions, and alliums are also known to repel them.

Rabbits love to munch on lettuce and tulips, but if you plant species they dislike, you may keep them at bay. Strong-scented plants like cilantro, parsley, creeping thyme, lemon balm, lavender, and mint work wonders in protecting your plants. Marigolds, onions, and alliums are also not appealing to rabbits.

The trick is to plant your deterrent plants in large clusters. Theresa Rooney, a master gardener and author of *The Guide to Humane Critter Control: Natural, Nontoxic Pest Solutions to Protect Your Yard and Garden*, advises planting them close together to maximize their effect. Spacing them too far apart lets rabbits slip through and access your crops, but when they’re grouped, they create a powerful fragrance barrier.

If you want to avoid feeding rabbits, make sure to skip plants they love. While tulips and crocuses may tempt you, opting for rabbit-resistant varieties like daffodils, hyacinth, and snowdrops can help. And don't forget, the deterrent plants mentioned earlier not only keep rabbits away but also add beauty to your garden.

For flowers and bulbs that won't be devoured by rabbits, choose those they tend to avoid. While tulips and crocuses might be your favorites, try planting daffodils, hyacinth, and snowdrops, which are less appealing to these critters. The deterrent plants we’ve discussed, which are not on the rabbit menu, will also thrive and bring beauty to your garden.

Rabbits have a liking for many other flowers as well, such as hostas, impatiens, and roses—so make sure you take extra precautions to protect them.

Choose native plants

While native plants might attract pollinators and wildlife, Rooney explains that they aren't as appealing to rabbits because they've evolved alongside them. "These plants are less tempting as they have a long-standing relationship with the environment," says Rooney.

That doesn't mean you must avoid new varieties or rabbit favorites. Rooney suggests, "If you find a rose variety you adore, feel free to plant it—but make sure it's well-protected."

How to Prevent Rabbits from Entering Your Garden

By keeping rabbits out of your garden, you can freely enjoy your plants without the worry of them being eaten. According to Rooney, the key to preventing rabbits is to think like one. "If something is easily accessible, they’ll nibble on it. Rabbits are out there all day, every day, and you’re not," Rooney explains.

Set up chicken wire and fencing

Chicken wire and fencing are valuable tools in your battle against rabbits. Rooney says, "Serious gardeners rely on chicken wire. It’s so much easier to keep them out." She advises putting fences around bulbs when planting in the fall, as well as around the bases of trees and shrubs. The fence should be at least two feet tall to prevent the rabbits from jumping over.

Consider raised beds

Raised garden beds can serve as a great barrier to keep rabbits away from your plants. Choose taller beds, as shorter ones might not only be easy for rabbits to jump into, but they could also create a perfect hiding place for a nest.

Establish a clover lawn

Clover lawns are great for many reasons—they require minimal maintenance, improve the soil, and support pollinators. Plus, rabbits love clover, so planting a clover lawn might attract them away from your delicate flowers and encourage them to nibble on it instead.

Explore additional rabbit deterrents

Temporary deterrents can include strong odors, like blood meal or fox urine, or visual scare tactics such as owl statues, shiny mylar strips, tin pie pans, or spinning pinwheels. Motion detectors that trigger sprinklers or flashing lights when animals approach can also be effective.

Change your strategy

Placing an owl figurine can be useful—but eventually, even the most clueless rabbit will notice that the owl hasn’t moved in days. "It works for a bit, but eventually they’ll figure it out," says Rooney. "To keep them from getting too comfortable, move the owl around, take it away for a week, or switch to something else. Keeping them uncertain is key—complacency works against you."

Take a layered approach

The more obstacles you set up for the rabbits, the better your chances of protecting your plants. Consider placing a chicken wire cloche over your tulips, planting daffodils nearby, and creating a clover lawn far from your bulb garden to draw them away. "They can only expend so much energy," Rooney explains. "If it’s too tough to reach the food, they’ll head somewhere else that’s easier."