Categories: Flower Gardens

Protect Flower Beds from Wild Rabbits

Wild cottontail rabbits are found throughout the United States, Canada, and South America. These animals will eat grass, leaves, vegetables, and flowers leading to the quick destruction of beautiful gardens. This is a very common problem among gardeners and can be easily resolved with some simple home remedies or commercially available products. The following suggestions can be used to help keep flower beds and vegetable gardens free of rabbits.

Repel Rabbits With Simple Home Remedies

There are many products available around the home that can help prevent damage caused by wild rabbits.

Bloodmeal and bonemeal can be sprinkled around the damaged plants or put in cheesecloth bags and hung around the garden. The smell signals the presence of predators and scares rabbits from the area. Both products can be found at gardening centers.

Powdered fox urine, cat urine from used kitty litter, dried sheep’s blood, poultry manure, dog and human hair can also create the smell of predators in a garden.

Corn cob halves soaked in vinegar for 24 hours can be placed in a flower bed. They should be replaced every two weeks. The smell of vinegar is a natural rabbit repellent.

A variety of recipes use both taste and smell to keep rabbits away. Common ingredients include eggs, garlic, Tabasco®, haba√±ero peppers, and marigold leaves. Sprinkle a mixture around the plants or flowers and reapply whenever it rains.

Spread rose bush clippings to create an uncomfortable ground to walk on and can deter rabbits from entering a flower bed.

Commercial Products That Keep Rabbits Away From Gardens

The following commercial products are marketed with the sole purpose of repelling wild rabbits:

DeFence™ by Havahart® uses the scent of putrescent eggs to repel wild rabbits and dries odorless to humans.

Havahart® Spray Away detects motion and shoots a three second blast of water. The sudden motion, spray of water, and sound combine to scare rabbits away.

A variety of other commercial repellents that are available at home centers and feed stores are designed based on the premise that rabbits won’t eat something that tastes or smells bad. Most products usually contain garlic and/or cloves.

As the weather warms and people begin to plant flowers around their yards, many may begin to notice that blossoms are disappearing overnight. Trapping rabbits and moving them isn’t always effective when dealing with a large wild population. Repellents offer an effective alternative to physical barriers and can help keep rabbits away from plants that need protection.