I posted this picture and accompanying story for those who are looking for plants that are not eaten and destroyed by our little furry guests. Definitely a PIA...

Rabbits frequently demolish many of the Virginia Bluebells in my garden just prior to them flowering (unless frequent applications of a repellent spray are made). It's definitely not one I would ever put on a rabbit-"proof" list, although they'll always be one of my favorite spring ephemerals!

Many catalogs/websites and now my local nurseries have "Deer Proof" labels. I'm wondering if deer proof and rabbit proof are synonymous? My area has a high deer population but few rabbits (foxes have made them scarce) so I can't test this.

My local rabbit population loves to eat small roses to the ground. I have to put little cages around them.

I hope I didn't mislead anyone. I have yet to try these plants in RI - the location of which the rabbits love to eat my roses! I have to put little cages around small roses. But as I said, I had these plants FOR YEARS in Boylston and we had a LOT of rabbits. I sure hope that notion holds true in RI.

Here is a picture from last year. I have a lovely ground cover that one mama found to be an attractive to spot to launch her family. I had no idea until I noticed the ground cover moving one day -- I pulled back the ground cover and VOILA!! Baby rabbits...I now have a wire fencing arrangement around the whole area. So far, so good.

By ” bluebells” do you mean mertensia virginias? common names can be misleading.

i must have hundreds and hundreds blooming and first year plants; if you come up Lexington way ill load your car up. Same with european ginger. i can spare a flat.

the EG should be available an any good local nursery

it would be a shame to pay for mail order

i would keep an eye open for local plant sales sponsored by garden clubs.

At this time of year there should be a few every weekend locally.

" I'm wondering if deer proof and rabbit proof are synonymous? "

Not at all!! And the first thing to get out of your mind is the word deer or rabbit proof. No plant is deer or rabbit proof although many are or can be resistant for a variety of reasons to casual munching. Deer and rabbits have different appetites and are attracted to different plants to begin wit. They may share some similar dislikes but it would be a mistake to assume all deer resistant plants will resist rabbit predation as well.

So funny, Rouge21!

I’ve been putting in perrenial geraniums, mostly Max Frei, which seem to be doing well. And my heuchera, lady’s mantle, and astilbe all do fine. For some reason, my butterfly weed in one location keeps getting eaten, but I’ve found another location that seems to work.

But I keep hoping the red fox that keeps passing through will decide to set up housekeeping. :)

I am of the opinion that there is nothing that is deer or rabbit proof. There's always some weirdo in the 'herd/population' that finds something that everyone else hates, to be to their liking. I reckon it to someone who has lost all sense of taste and will eat anything.

I had a rabbit for about 3 years that would pick and plant and simply eat it till it was only a crown at ground level. A dwarf aloe, a hellerbore (just one....not the whole population), a viburnum, and probably other things I don't remember...were on the dinner list. Such a weird bunny.

And one year the rabbits will love one plant and then not the next year. It was lilies last year and this year not one has been eaten. Although hostas and asters are a favorite every year. This week, I see that they chewed off just the flower stems on a columbine. Didn't eat them, just chopped them off. Left them lying on the ground. Didn't touch the foliage. They are so odd.

Foxes denning in the yard really helps with the rabbit damage to plants, though the hawks are also helpful. Now if only we could get a few wolves to help manage the deer.

I've been interested in this topic this year, trying to find plants they might not eat. I saw a couple of lists and Monarda was on one of them. Well, didn't I spy a rabbit jumping out of one of my raised beds and when I went to see what it might have been eating....the Monarda of course! *sigh*

@prairiemoon2 z6b MA Our Monardna self-seeded so much that I don’t begrudge the rabbits any. I need to pull out new growth each year to keep it from taking over. It’s Jacob Cline Monardna if that matters.

Good luck with the rabbits, I’m having a bad rabbit year here. They have been nibbling my small hosta and eating leaves off my purple heuchera, some plants are half eaten. When I think back the few things they havent ruined here are perenial geranium and daylilies. My Millenium allium and ladies mantle have been left alone. I believe that makes two of us gardeners with luck with the same few plants.

Sherry

As if the rabbits weren’t enough, now i have sqirrels digging in all my pots. They have completely destroyed one. Repellent doesn’t seem to work. We have both red and gray little devils. Any suggestions? And slugs and snails too!

Bobbex-R works great at keeping the critters away. Need to start early and repeat every few weeks.

I'm still dealing with a lot of rabbit damage. This week I'll post a photo of my large 20 yr old Arborvitae, that i thought was suffering from dryness, until I got up close and saw damage on the lower limbs from rabbits! I'm going to have to cut off quite a few branches and I may have to replace it. So every new plant i add, I'm looking for something rabbits don't eat.

I have rabbits frolicking in my yard every day but haven’t seen them eating plants. On the other hand, the deer came right up to my deck and ate the hosta buds to the ground. Prairiemoon….I went to Avant Gardens yesterday and picked up plants I have no room for. PS I used to be Barrheadlass, houzz changed it!

Barrheadlass! I remember your screen name. Why did houzz change your screen name?

Yes, I have friends who have deer problems that are no better than rabbits.

Avant Gardens....I bet you're happy with the plants you bought and will easily find a place for them...lol.