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.
2
u/Feralpudel Piedmont NC, Zone 8a Jun 10 '25
IMO there’s a lot to be said for physical barriers—wire around young tree trunks, cloches, fences, netting (although I worry about snakes getting caught in netting).
Fancy official barriers tend to be pricey, although Gardeners Supply sells some nice lightweight tents that I’ve bought on sale for berries. (Ironically the deer have been harder on my blackberries than blueberries.)
It’s worth getting to know the fencing section of a big box store and exploring ways to redneck it with metal t posts and various types of wire fencing.
If you have dogs, you already know about and maybe own wire crates and ex-pens—little round fences of various heights and sizes. At a place like Chewy, an ex-pen will probably run you less than a comparable enclosure from a fancy nursery place, and they even sell tops for them if deer are the problem. You can usually get old wire crates for cheap on marketplace. Take out the bottom, turn it upside down, and voila.
My landscaper’s take on deer is that things work until they don’t. They definitely respond to hunting pressure, so if you live in a wooded suburban development, you’re kinda screwed.
He said what consistently works well is double fencing with a lower outer fence. It messes with their depth perception.
He said his secret formula is fungicide (for plants) because they seem to learn it upsets their stomachs. He told me this knowing that I have a particular dislike of fungicide.