Have you ever wondered about what flowers rabbits wont eat? Or which plants rabbits hate? You might have given it food to think about and almost everyone who is petting bunnies knows that rabbits can go wild in the garden.
There are certain flowers such as butterfly bushes, hellebore, and many more that rabbits won’t eat even if you offer them on a silver platter. Mostly the flowers which have strong fragrance or bad taste, rabbits avoid it.
No matter how cute and innocent they look but they have a wild side. The notion that rabbits would refuse to consume a plant or flower that is harmful to them is absurd. In the wild, they pick up feeding habits from elderly warren participants. They are only given a small number of plants to consume in captivity, and they are usually reluctant to take new things, but let’s be clear, if it is green, they will consume it until it tastes bad.
Rabbits will tend to lean for their favored flowering plants throughout the planting season, savoring pansies and tulips in the spring, oakleaf hydrangea, and native lilies in the summer, and asters in the fall.
Although rabbits, like deer and have adaptable appetites in times of scarcity, they prefer to avoid plants with rough, bitter, spicy, hard, woody, spiny, or poisonous foliage or development.
Let’s understand what flowers rabbits won’t eat in detail without wasting any more time.
Now coming to the most important section where we will answer the question of what flowers rabbits won’t eat. Here we will provide detail about the flowers that rabbits are hesitant to eat. Rabbits tend to jump on green typing but still, they are reluctant to some flowers. Here we will mention all about rabbit-resistant flowers.
- 1. Allium – The very first flower that rabbits don’t like is Allium. Allium bulbs are ornamental perennials that flower in heart colors of blue, yellow, or light white, with sizes ranging from six-inch minis to six-foot giants. The flowers have a pungent scent which is exactly why they are called ornamental onions. Like most of us, rabbits also hate that smell and that’s why they avoid this plant.
- 2. Bee Balm – When it comes to what flower rabbits don’t eat, the Bee Balm surely has a place on the list. This annual herb develops three to four feet tall and blossoms profusely in pink, violet, red, or white during the summer and into early fall. Bee balm thrives in direct sunlight and enjoys moist, well-draining soil. But still how amazing all it sounds the bunnies hate it.
- 3. Begonia – These ancient beauties bring a splash of color to the flower bed wherever it’s required. Wax begonias could have green or freckled leaves and individual or even double blossoms in white, pink, or red. Begonias will flourish under whatever light conditions you can have, from direct sunlight to partial shade. And rabbits hate this flower.
No, catmint, a more subtle relative of catnip, develops softly fragranced gray-green leaves accompanied by pink, blue, or white flowers in ordinary soil. This laidback plant thrives in a wide range of conditions, from full sun to partial shade, and in nearly every form of very well soil. This annual grows to around a foot in height and is durable in Zones 3 to 9. Apart from their qualities, it is the flower rabbits won’t eat.
Origanum vulgare, also known as oregano, is a member of the Lamiaceae genus, which includes sage, basil, savory, mint, lavender, and thyme among other aromatic plants. Oregano leaves and flowers, as well as many other mint family members, are edible to rabbits. It is a healthy herb for bunnies. However, since it is aromatic and has a good flavor, like most other members of this species, some bunnies may not like it.
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Besides, oregano is one of the plants that rabbits and deer fear the most, implying that they would dislike most parts of the mint tribe. Instead, these species will seek out plants that produce strawberries, plums, blackberries, flowers, and raspberries. But rabbits have unpredictable behavior. So when they are hungry they can eat oregano. They can bite on its leaves.
No, it is one of the toxic plants that rabbits avoid. Plants with heavy fragrances, spines, or leathery leaves, for example, are generally avoided by rabbits. Native plants are also more prone to rabbits than non-native plants. Yarrow is one of these. Yarrow blooms in a variety of shades, namely white, purple, and pink, and has frilly, fern-like leaves. It prefers full sun and reaches a height of 24 inches. Yarrow not only repels deer and rabbits, but also draws butterflies.
Now enough about what flowers rabbits won’t eat. Let’s jump to the part where we will put a stop to whether a rabbit loves to eat flowers or not.
Well, rabbits can consume flowers. They genuinely like them – and by flowers, we imply the petals, but no, they can’t consume all flowers since some of them are toxic or can cause severe stomach issues. Wild rabbits can offset their nutritional requirements with flowers based on the area they are in and what is easily obtainable as food. Wild rabbits will usually select among nutritious and poisonous diets, but you never learn with domesticated rabbits. Some of them have lost the ability to distinguish between good and poor foods, partially due to a lack of variety in their diets.
Moreover, rabbits’ teeth are constantly growing, so they’ll have to bite on stuff to keep them at the proper length. That’s why pet rabbits can chew on objects they shouldn’t, such as wires, furniture, or the numerous flowers in gardens and homes.
The flowers that rabbits can eat are lily, daisy, sunflower, and much more. We will talk about it in detail in a later section.
Fortunately, certain very poisonous plants have an unpleasant taste, such as ragwort, which lacks some of its noxious flavors when drying in the hay. Regrettably, it eliminates none of its toxicity when mixed with hay, making it far more harmful because it is more likely to be consumed.
Further, it would be rare for a rabbit to become visibly sick after consuming a poisonous herb. Many have a cumulative impact on the organ over time. This is a major issue because once signs appear, it is too risky to intervene. Here in this section, we are listing the plants that can be poisonous or toxic.
- Houseplants – No matter what we think but all the houseplants are toxic to some extent. It’s difficult to name them all because there’s so much variation. Few are harmless, and it’s much safer to see them all as harmful and refuse to feed them to your rabbits. Put house plants up too high, out of sight of your rabbits, and if possible, out of rooms the rabbits don’t visit. If leaves are going to fall and your rabbits will be able to get to them that can be dangerous. So better chop them off and throw them away.
- Garden Plants – In our environment, there is a lot of space for harmful plants in the greenhouse. Anything that grows from a bulb, such as snowdrops, hyacinths, bluebells, crocuses, dahlias, tulips, as well as other bulb-grown plants, should be held out of rabbit grazing areas. Buttercups, primrose, delphiniums, foxgloves, columbine, poppy, hellebore, comfrey, periwinkle, nightshade, privet, and yew are all poisonous. If you have some of these rising, either get rid of them or make absolutely sure your rabbits can’t get to it.
- Foraging – While foraging, there are a few plants to stay away from. Ragwort, as well as foxgloves, ivy, buttercups, bluebells, and nightshade, have already been listed. It’s similarly toxic in all ways and should be stopped at all costs. Woody Nightshade is more beautiful, with tiny purple flowers and vibrant red berries, while Deadly Nightshade has red flowers and orange berries. Both are poisonous, but the second one is more toxic.
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In the Leporidae tribe, there are several different types of wild rabbits, and almost all of them love to eat garden plants, from vegetables and herbs to shrubs or even bark of trees. There are certain plants that are so appealing to rabbits that simply planting them would be an invitation to rabbits to make a home in your garden.
Rabbits can consume nearly every plant in a pinch, but in typical situations, there are a few plants that bunnies find so delicious that they are attracted to environments with them. Rabbits prefer a variety of annual bedding species, including Cosmos, Nasturtium, Pansy, and many others.
Further, rabbits consume the tender spring shoots of several shrubs. Severe feeding can result in the plants’ death.
Now even if you are petting one it is necessary to prevent bunnies from eating flowers. Jackrabbits, desert cottontails, and brush rabbits are all popular visitors to the backyard and garden, chewing on whatever they may find. Flowers, with their vibrant colors and good aromas, are particularly fair game. Despite their fabulousness, rabbits will easily kill a plant they find tasty, so protecting it requires swift action. Bunnies can be deterred from consuming flowers in a variety of ways, including installing new plants with rabbit-resistant versions or erecting a fence around the more prolific eaters.
Tips to keep Bunnies Away
- 1. Grow Rabbit Resistant Plants – Remove plants or flowers that rabbits enjoyed instead grow plants that are rabbit resistant. Rabbit-resistant annual plants, including ageratum, campanula, geraniums, scabiosa, or spider grass, can be used in place of rabbit-eating annual flowers. Where rabbits are a frequent threat, plant perennials like columbine, iris, garden mums, phlox, or yarrow can be used.
- 2. Install A Fence – Build a fence across the garden with 48-inch-tall 1-inch hex wire and 4-foot-tall poles. Bend the lower 6 to 9 inches of the fencing away from the field at a 90-degree angle. To keep rabbits from scratching under the fence, cover the horizontal segment 4 inches just below the soil’s layer. Check to see if the gates are close enough to prevent rabbits from getting in.
- 3. Remove All Hiding Spots – Seal holes under the shed and deck with equipment cloth or wood, as required, to remove hiding spots. To avoid rabbit shelters, remove brush piles and litter near parks, and move trailers that are low to the property.
- 4. Allow Cat and Dog to Walk in Garden – Let dog or cat have unlimited access to a yard with rabbit-eating plants; the appearance of these animals, even though they aren’t prey-aggressive, would have been enough to deter rabbits.
- 5. Make Use of Repellents – There are a variety of commercial rabbit repellents on the market. The mixtures, which are usually dependent on garlic or other power plants, are very good at repelling beings that find the fragrance extremely irritating. They’re available in granulated and spray forms, so they need to be reapplied regularly to stay successful, particularly after heavy rains. Another effective rabbit repellent is blood meal, but be mindful that household dogs and cats are often attracted to the smell and can dig up the field where blood meal has been added. Each time it rains, the blood meal will have to be reapplied.
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The Final Thought
There you have it! Here we have provided the complete answer on what flowers rabbits won’t eat. Since most of us love petting rabbits and even not petting we enjoy the frequent visit of this intruder in our garden. But what is not cool is if they destroy our garden or eat something that might cause danger to them. Keeping this in mind you will know what to keep away from your bunny’s sight and what to offer them.
We hope you find this piece of writing useful and keep your bunnies safe from all the toxic plants. Ana at the same time keeps your garden safe too.
