The Bunny Buffet: How to Garden Without Losing Your Mind

Let’s face it: rabbits are adorable. Those twitchy noses, the cotton ball tails, the ears that say “I’m listening, but I’m still going to eat your echinacea.” If you’ve ever tiptoed outside in spring to admire your perennial garden only to find it neatly trimmed by a mystery landscaper with fur—congrats! You’re gardening with rabbits.

Instead of plotting bunny revenge or surrounding your beds with barbed wire, what if we reframed the whole situation? What if your yard could be a shared space—beautiful, resilient, and rabbit-friendly (within reason)?

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) peeking over Tiarella cordifolia in search of its next herbaceous victim

Hoppy Facts to Get You Started

• Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they do most of their snacking at dawn and dusk. So if your coneflowers look fine at night but shredded by morning, now you know who clocked in.

• One rabbit can eat up to a pound of vegetation per day. That’s a lot of salad—and explains why your asters are now just stems.

• They don’t dig burrows (those are moles or groundhogs); rabbits make shallow nests called “forms,” often in tall grass or mulched beds—yes, sometimes in the middle of your phlox.

• Baby rabbits are called kits, and they’re usually left alone during the day. Don’t panic if you find a nest; Mama visits at night. If you find a nest, leave them be, and protect from any pets.

  
  

Now that we understand our fuzzy garden companions a bit better, let’s talk strategy.

How to Garden (Successfully!) with Rabbits

Plant What They Hate (or Least Tolerate)

Rabbits have surprisingly picky palates. Plants with strong scents and woody textures tend to be further down on the preference list. Incorporate these less-palatable perennials in abundance throughout your garden:

• Bee Balm (Monarda ssp)

• Lavender (not native, but beneficial)

• Russian Sage (also not native, salvias are native south of us)

• Milkweed (protect while young)

• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum ssp)

• Geranium maculatum

• Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta…protect while small)

• Alliums (not necessarily native but helpful)

Pro tip: scatter these around tastier plants to confuse and annoy your garden grazers.

Diversify Like a Wildlife Strategist

Think of your garden as a buffet. If you only plant lettuce and pansies, you’re essentially inviting a rabbit rave. Include a mix of textures, scents, and species—this makes your garden more resilient and less of a bunny magnet. This strategy also helps with the other summer garden pest…ticks! The more diverse your garden, the better for everyone. 

Use Physical Barriers (Gently)

• Protect young or vulnerable plants with chicken wire cloches or mesh tunnels until they establish.

• Keep barriers low—rabbits don’t climb—but be sure the mesh is tight (1” or less).

• Don’t fence your entire yard like Fort Knox. Just give new plantings a fighting chance.

Leave a Little Habitat

Yes, we want to protect your garden—but we don’t want to evict wildlife either. Consider:

• A corner with tall native grasses

• Brush piles or thickets as designated hangouts

• Keeping some clover or dandelions—they’re bunny favorites and may distract them from your lupine.

Accept a Little Loss (and Laugh About It)

This is the hardest and most important part. Your garden isn’t a showroom—it’s a living ecosystem. Sometimes that means sharing. One of the greatest joys of gardening is watching life flourish… even when it’s nibbling. Don't plant just one of this and one of that, add a mass of each. Bunnies may (will) still eat around the edges, but hopefully you will plant enough that the damage won't be as noticable.

Final Thoughts: The Joy of Co-Gardening

Learning to garden with rabbits is a masterclass in patience, flexibility, and a healthy sense of humor. You’ll get creative, become a better observer, and (if you’re lucky) gain a front-row seat to the bunny ballet at twilight.

Plus, once you stop fighting nature, you might find she’s actually a pretty good co-designer.