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Rabbit proof plants

moragb1moragb1 Posts: 291
Hi everyone.
 I am planting up two small borders on a War Memorial and the rabbits are eating all the plants so far. It is in a rural area. 
I have decided to now go down the perennial route and I planted some gorgeous blue carex and some geraniums. The carex are almost gone as is one of the hardy geraniums. I am at a loss what to plant. Nothing too high or yellows.
The soil is not deep either as lots of lovely daffodil bulbs already in, so need to plant small and hope to spread. 
Two thin Borders are about 2 foot wide and maybe about 30 feet long with paving in middle. Any ideas as it is now costly and difficult to maintain. 
Just to add to the problem. I have trouble watering as no water supply so I have been having to travel with cans of water. Can anyone help make this easier and look lovely as it has lots of visitors, Thanks x
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Posts

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,652
    edited July 2018
    They eat anything, in my experience, but they prefer things that aren't hairy or very strongly scented. Silver leaf and hairy is also a reliable indicator of plants that will cope without water. So you could try things like stachys or lavender and/or rosemary. I find erigeron keeps ahead of the rabbits. They don't seem to go for the astrantias, though I don't know why not. You could try strongly scented herbs like marjoram. The macrorrhizum type geraniums with the very strongly scented foliage may be a little more resilient than other types.

    Then you want someone to cut the grass nearby nice and short so it's sweet and tasty and hopefully they'll prefer the grass. Tricky this year, with the grass not growing - that may be why you're having more bunny trouble. 
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391
    There is an excellent list of 'rabbit resistant' plants on the Burncoose site:
    So many that it may take a lifetime to test them all!
    However, as raisingirl notes, there a very few they won't eat at all.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    Apologies Moragb 1.....I didnt have my specs on and I thought it said Rabbit Proof Pants!!
    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • moragb1moragb1 Posts: 291
    thanks for the replies. Newboy2 that made me roar with laughter and check my spelling!!!! ha ha
    Here is a photo. I have added more since I took this but it is temporary but need a plan for next year 
  • moragb1moragb1 Posts: 291
    Raisingirl. Will definitely add some stachys and erigeron as I love them both. Also like your idea of marjoram as would love to attract the bees. Thanks
    BobTheGardener fab list which will take me ages to study. Started at A and love agapanthus on list and aquilegias as I can grow them easily from seed and save money. Will look into all these carefully.
    Anyone good at design planting schemes? Want it to look cared for and abundant - EVENTUALLY ha ha. It means such a lot to people x
  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    From the interweb.

    Rabbit Resistant Plants. It should be no surprise that plants with strong fragrance or fuzzy leaves, like lavender and black-eyed Susan, are less popular with rabbits. Unfortunately, these plants won't deter them completely. Rabbits grazing in your flower beds will simply eat around the plants listed here.13 Jun 2018

    Get some lavender sticks from an existing plant about 6 inches long and after you have dead headed the tops , strip the shoots off the bottom 3rd and stick them all in a pot just with some growing compost. In a few months you will have some lavs to plant out.

    I did this 18 months ago and now have 20 plants just finishing flowering. They still have bee and butterflies on them and form a hedge down one side of my allotment.
    .


    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,053
  • moragb1moragb1 Posts: 291
    thanks x
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,134
    In my experience they'll have a go at most things, especially perennials emerging in spring, so you need to protect them until plants are big and sturdy enough.
    They don't touch daffs and snowdrops though, so it's nice to have some of those for early colour and scent. Many daffs and narcissus have a beautiful fragrance. They'll grow nicely with perennials, and their old growth gets covered by the emerging foliage.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • moragb1moragb1 Posts: 291
    Thanks Fairygirl. There are already lots of spring bulbs and daffodils so lucky in that respect. xx
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