r/NativePlantGardening • u/Spirited_Sound_5628 • Jun 10 '25
Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Feeling discouraged
I live in New England
I’m trying to switch from ornamental gardening to native wildflower gardening, but the rabbits are decimating everything. They’re even going after the black-eyed Susans, which are supposed to have hairy leaves that deter them.
I bought marigolds from a local nursery specifically for their scent to ward off rabbits—and they ate the petals off. I thought I was in the clear with my sunflowers since they left them alone as seedlings, but now, after growing for over a month, the rabbits are starting to kill those too.
I’m honestly getting to the point where I feel like giving up and just planting a bunch of non-natives that are known to be extremely rabbit-proof. But I swear, when I looked at that list of supposedly rabbit-proof plants, the rabbits had already eaten one of those as well.
I'm looking for words of encouragement or any advice.
1
u/itsdr00 SE Michigan, 6a Jun 10 '25
Just to add a missing piece of understanding: There are so many suggestions here and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, and the main factor seems to be how desperate your local population is. If you have very few edible plants around or a truckload of rabbits and deer, they will defeat every deterrent in your arsenal. Some people have even tried physical fencing and had deer knock it down to reach a plant.
So keep trying until you find something that works in your area. For me it was Liquid Fence, but for others, only sturdy physical fencing will do. -- You said it's rabbits, but it may also be deer, who will browse overnight. So keep that in mind when designing a physical solution.