What Plants Keep Rabbits Out of a Garden?

While there tend to be several plants that almost always repel deer, there is no single plant that works to repel rabbits all the time. Many variables control what a rabbit will and will not eat including population and what other foods are available to them nearby. However, you can minimize your rabbit problem and sometimes eliminate it altogether by just growing plants that rabbits usually won't eat.

Wax Begonia

Rabbits tend to avoid wax begonias in gardens. These flowers grow 6 to 12 inches tall and do very well in containers. They bloom well into the growing season and thrive in sun or partial shade. Wax begonias work well in borders and beds. Well-drained soil that is fertile, rich, and loose is the best soil for this plant. They are also very resistant to insects and disease. Wax begonias can be brought indoors when the weather gets too cold.

Marigold

Marigolds are one of the most common anti-rabbit plants. The key is to pick a marigold with the strongest scent you can find. Plant two rows of marigolds next to each other in order for this plant to be most effective. Marigolds are very tough plants and come in colors ranging from rust, to gold, to yellow. Grown near vegetable gardens, this plant also repels insects. Soil for marigolds should be rich, well-drained, and kept moist. Generally marigolds require very little attention once they're established and can adapt to slightly drier soil conditions. Pinch off dead blooms to keep them blooming longer through the season.

Bee Balm

Bee balm is a plant that rabbits will avoid if they can help it. This hardy perennial grows strongest and best inside zones four through nine and can grow 24 to 48 inches high. Bee balm blooms from July to August and prefers full sun but can handle partial shade. Bee balm is also known as bergamot. Bee balm attracts butterflies for those who want butterflies but not rabbits in their garden. For best growing conditions, soil should be rich and moist with a pH of 6.5. If you grow this plant in partial shade, watch out for snails.

Hyacinth

Hyacinth is another plant you'll rarely see a rabbit eat and a great part of a rabbit-unfriendly garden. Hyacinths flower in the springtime and produce very fragrant blooms. These flowers grow from 6 to 12 inches tall and come in a multitude of colors including: blue, purple, lavender, red, pink, white, orange, and yellow. Since flowers sometimes become smaller after the first year, some prefer to plant new bulbs yearly and treat them as annuals. Wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs if you have sensitive skin since they can make your hands itch. Hyacinths prefer full hot sun for best results.

Eastern Tent Caterpillars

The caterpillars feed on leaves of these host trees, and may cause significant defoliation when present in large numbers. Caterpillars wander when they are ready to pupate, crawling on houses and decks.
First, be sure you have eastern tent caterpillars, and not another similar pest. Eastern tent caterpillars build their tents in the crotches of tree branches and appear in early spring.
Eastern tent caterpillars rarely infest ornamental trees in large enough numbers to kill your landscape plants. Because they appear in early spring and complete their life cycle by summer, the host trees have time to produce more leaves after being defoliated. If you have a few caterpillar tents in an apple or cherry tree, don't panic. Control of the pests may not be necessary at all. If the infestation is significant or you just can't stand the sight of caterpillar tents in your trees, there are some things you can do.
Remove the caterpillars by hand. The caterpillars will rest inside their tent after they feed. When you see a large group of caterpillars in the tent, use a stick or gloved hands to pull the tent from the branches, caterpillars and all. For a large tent, you can wind the silk around a stick as you pull it from the tree. You can crush the caterpillars or drop them in a pan of soapy water. In the fall, once leaves have fallen, look for egg masses on twigs of the host trees. Prune out any you find, or scrape them from the branch and destroy them.
Young larvae may be treated with Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki, or Bt. Bt is a naturally occurring bacteria that interferes with the caterpillar's ability to digest food. It must be applied to the foliage of the infested trees. The caterpillars ingest Bt as they eat, and will stop eating immediately and die within a few days. You do not need to spray the tents or the caterpillars.

Minnesota Weather and Mulch

We have been getting lots of questions about what type of mulch to use in your garden beds, rock or a shredded wood.  Both are good to use in their own applications, but the plant type plays a more important part in picking the type of mulch.  For example if you have a sunny garden bed and use are planting perennials you would want to use a wood mulch, and here is why.  The rock on a sunny day gets hot under the sun as you well know, but when perennials are added you can stress out and at times even kill these plants by the intense heat.  The sun hits the plants from above and the rock bakes them from under, way to much stress.  A shredded wood be the perfect mulch for water retention and to not hold so much heat.
A rock mulch works better with shrubs and trees because of the age of the shrub or tree is a few years.  They can handle more of heat from the sun mixed in with the heat of the rocks.