Native Plants
![](../_images/smarty_plants.gif)
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
![](../_images/mr_smarty_plants_logo_web_200w.jpg)
rate this answer
![](../_images/star_20.gif)
Thursday - July 03, 2014
From: Plano, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Lists, Pests
Title: Rabbit-proof Plants for Texas
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
Do you have a list of flowers that rabbits will eat or will not eat so I know what to plant or avoid? I have a year-round rabbit population in my neighborhood and wish to co-exist with them without them eating anything other than the grass.ANSWER:
Best wishes with your wildlife garden plans. Hopefully living/coexisting with nature will be an effective strategy instead of trying to fence your garden and keep the rabbits out.
Looking online, Maria Iannotti has a good list of plants that rabbits like to eat and some they usually avoid in her article Rabbit Proof Plants on the web.
First, a few interesting points that she writes about rabbits. Rabbits forage for food year round. Apparently you can tell the difference between deer and rabbit browsing because rabbits produce a clean cut. Deer must tear off their food leaving a ragged stem. But when food is scarce, just like deer, rabbits will eat just about anything. So there is no absolute list of rabbit-proof plants.
Rabbits love many vegetable plants, fruits and berries.
Rabbits prefer the succulent new growth of trees and shrubs.
Plants with a strong scent or fuzzy leaves are not preferred.
Jeff Schalau at the Arizona Cooperative Extension has grouped deer and rabbits together for his list of Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants.
In Texas, Howard Garrett, The Dirt Doctor has a Rabbit Resistant Plants article on his website. He also writes about a natural organic granular repellant.
Lastly, Barbara Medford has answered a previous Mr. Smarty Plants question also from Plano, Texas about sun tolerant plants that are rabbit resistant. She says, “To start with, there are no truly deer or rabbit proof plants. And sometimes rabbits, like people, will be choosy and make different choices in one yard than another right down the street. If they are hungry enough, they will eat any of these plants, and even when they're not terribly hungry, will nibble the fresh new growth on plants they would ordinarily avoid. Most browsing animals prefer not to eat plants that are aromatic or prickly but, again, in times of drought or bad weather, they'll eat what they can get.”
More Pests Questions
White fuzz on Christmas tree from Lewisburg PA
January 04, 2011 - Our Canaan fir Christmas tree is now coated with white fuzz after being up for 4 weeks. The fuzz looks like spider webs, but it is also in clumps around the needles. When you rub your finger on it, ...
view the full question and answer
Falling Balls from an Oak in Kingsland TX
May 25, 2015 - I have a large Live Oak in the back yard, with St. Augustine grass under it. It is April 3, 2015. The leaves have fallen and now little tiny round balls are falling. I am hearing a popping noise und...
view the full question and answer
Problems with non-native parsley from Brooklyn NY
June 17, 2012 - Had beautiful flat leaf parsley plants recently turn yellow & die. Found black armadillo like bugs bored throughout the roots. Now they're spreading. How do I kill them without contaminating the pla...
view the full question and answer
Killing oak sprouts from El Paso TX
August 16, 2011 - I want to know how to kill oak root sprouts and seedlings. Very dense and out-of-control in huge area of front lawn. I had tree cut down and I still cannot get rid of them. They're only getting wors...
view the full question and answer
Mosquito problem from Mesa AZ
April 07, 2014 - We have a mosquito problem in our backyard, I think they're grass Mosquitos. I wanted to get lemongrass for a deterrent but both nurseries were out so I opted for rosemary. They're ALL OVER the rose...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |