How to Protect Your Garden from Rabbit Damage

If you've noticed more rabbits in your garden lately, you're not alone. Over the past couple of years, I have heard from countless homeowners dealing with unprecedented rabbit activity. These adaptable creatures have thrived across Chicago's North Shore, turning our carefully tended gardens into their personal salad bars.

In this article, I’ll share practical, proven solutions—strategies I’ve tested in my own garden and refined through years of helping clients protect their landscapes.

Understanding Your Garden Visitors

Effective rabbit control starts with understanding their behavior. Once you know their patterns, you can outsmart them.

When Rabbits Feed

Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk. This timing helps them avoid predators while maximizing feeding opportunities. You might never see them, but your plants tell the story each morning.

Why They Chew Constantly

A rabbit's teeth never stop growing—up to five inches per year. They must gnaw continuously to keep them filed down, which explains why they target not just vegetables and perennials, but also woody plants and shrubs.

Rabbits Food Preferences

• Young, tender shoots (especially lettuce and beet greens)

• Flowering perennials like echinacea (coneflower) and heuchera (coral bells)

• Succulent foliage such as Hostas

• Smooth-barked shrubs and young trees in winter

They typically avoid plants with strong scents, fuzzy textures, or bitter tastes—knowledge we'll use to our advantage.

Territorial Habits

Once rabbits find a reliable food source, they establish territories nearby. Female rabbits often create burrows within 100 feet of prime feeding areas, potentially establishing multi-generational colonies. This persistence makes early intervention crucial.

Recognizing Rabbit Damage

Before implementing solutions, confirm that rabbits are your culprits. Look for these distinctive signs:

Clean-cut damage: Rabbits bite at a 45-degree angle, leaving cuts that look almost surgical. Compare this to deer damage, which creates ragged, torn edges.

Scattered droppings: Small, round pellets near damaged plants are unmistakable evidence. Fresh droppings appear dark and moist; older ones turn light brown and dry.

Bark stripping: In winter, rabbits gnaw bark from young trees and shrubs, often girdling them completely. Look for tooth marks up to two feet high—the height of snow cover plus rabbit reach.

Fur evidence: Tufts of soft fur caught on branches or fences indicate regular rabbit highways through your garden.

Pattern of damage: Rabbits eat from the outside edges of plants inward, often leaving just stems. They'll clean out entire rows overnight.

Building Your Defense Strategy

Now for the solutions that work. I've tested these methods extensively and recommend a multi-layered approach for best results.

Physical Barriers: Your Best Investment

Fencing remains the most reliable rabbit deterrent. Here's what works:

Garden perimeter fencing:

• Use 1-inch mesh wire (chicken wire or hardware cloth)

• Install at least 24 inches high, preferably 30 inches

• Bury 6 inches underground, bent outward in an L-shape

• Check for gaps where rabbits might squeeze through

Individual plant protection:

• Create cylinders from hardware cloth for young trees

• Use wire cloches over vegetable starts or newly planted perennials

• Install temporary barriers during peak growing season

Cost-saving tip: Start by protecting your highest-value plants, then expand your defenses as budget allows.

Strategic Plant Selection

While hungry rabbits will eat almost anything, they consistently avoid certain plants. Use these as natural barriers:

Aromatic herbs: Lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme contain oils rabbits dislike. Plant these around garden perimeters or interweave them with vulnerable plants.

Textured deterrents: Lamb's ear, dusty miller, and Russian sage have fuzzy leaves rabbits won't touch. They also add beautiful silver tones to your garden.

Natural repellents: The onion family—including ornamental alliums—creates an invisible scent barrier. Plant chives around rose bushes or vegetable beds for dual-purpose protection.

Toxic beauties: Foxglove, daffodils, and bleeding heart are naturally rabbit-resistant. Always research toxicity if you have pets or children.

Habitat Modification

Make your yard less appealing by eliminating rabbit comfort zones:

• Remove brush piles and dense ground covers near gardens

• Trim shrubs to eliminate hiding spots at ground level

• Block access under decks, sheds, and porches

• Maintain open sight lines that make rabbits feel exposed

  
  

Sensory Deterrents

Complement physical barriers with scent and taste repellents:

Commercial products: Look for repellents containing putrescent egg solids or predator urine. Apply every 2-3 weeks and after rain.

Homemade solutions: Mix cayenne pepper with water and dish soap for an effective spray. Reapply frequently during active growing seasons.

Rotation strategy: Alternate between different deterrents to prevent habituation. What works in spring might need adjustment by summer.

Creating a Long-Term Solution

The most successful rabbit management combines immediate protection with sustainable practices. Start by establishing barriers around your most valuable plants, and gradually implement habitat modifications and resistant plantings.

Remember, complete elimination isn't realistic or necessarily desirable. Rabbits play important ecological roles. Our goal is balanced coexistence—protecting our investment while respecting wildlife.

Your Action Plan

1. This week: Identify current damage and confirm rabbit activity

2. This month: Install protection for high-priority plants

3. This season: Implement habitat modifications

4. Long-term: Incorporate resistant plants into your landscape design

With patience and the right strategies, you can enjoy both a thriving garden and occasional wildlife sightings. Are you ready to reclaim your garden?