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How to Prevent Rabbits from Eating Impatiens
How to Prevent Rabbits from Eating Impatiens. Impatiens, visually popular garden flowers, sometimes become food for rabbits, which can ruin a season's worth of hard work in just a few minutes. Impatiens are known as rabbit-resistant plants, but rabbits nevertheless sometimes eat the delicate flowers' petals and leaves. Providing protection from...
Impatiens, visually popular garden flowers, sometimes become food for rabbits, which can ruin a season's worth of hard work in just a few minutes. Impatiens are known as rabbit-resistant plants, but rabbits nevertheless sometimes eat the delicate flowers' petals and leaves. Providing protection from rabbits for your impatiens can be challenging, but the sight of beautiful, healthy and whole impatiens in your flower garden is worth the effort.
Things You'll Need
Hot pepper spray
Dried blood
Motion detectors
Flowers
Wire
Apply a hot pepper spray to the plants. Available at many gardening stores, hot pepper spray causes a burning sensation in the rabbit's mouth. This may discourage a rabbit from repeat visits. Most of the sprays are simply applied to the leaves and flowers of the plant, but read the label's directions.
Sprinkle dried blood around the impatiens. The blood's scent is typically off-putting to rabbits and will keep them from going near the plant. The nutrients in the blood are also often beneficial to the plant and will melt into the soil.
Place motion-detectors that create sound in the garden. Motion-detectors that produce a loud make noise when tripped are often enough to keep rabbits away.
Plant flowers known to repel rabbits around your impatiens. A variety of annuals, perennials, shrubs and ground covers are known to sometimes keep rabbits away. Forget-me-nots, asters, vinca and rosemary, among others, are often effective in preventing rabbits from getting near and destroying impatiens.
Install a fence around the impatiens. Chicken wire or other wire with openings of 1 inch or smaller are often effective when placed around the flowers. Push the fence 3 to 6 inches down into the ground and wrap the fence completely around the impatiens. Alternatively, bend the bottom of the fence outward at a 90-degree angle and bury the fold several inches below the surface to prevent rabbits from digging underneath.
Tips & Warnings
Remove from around your garden any thick brush or other vegetation in which rabbits may hide.
Hot pepper spray, dried blood, motion-detectors and wire are often available at hardware stores or garden centers.
