The Popular Flower That's Likely Attracting Rabbits To Your Yard

If you've noticed more rabbits running through your yard or munching on your fruits and vegetables, your impatiens flowers (Impatiens walleriana) may be attracting bunnies to your garden. Though impatiens, also referred to as touch-me-nots, are sometimes mentioned as being resistant to pests like rabbits, these animals don't follow rules and will snack on your flowers if they are hungry and the plants seem interesting. Rabbits tend to like going after the stems of the plant the most, though they may eat the flowers or other parts of the plant as well.

Impatiens are an annual plant that blossom with beautiful pink, white, and orange colored florals. They are extremely common flowers throughout the United States, though they are native to parts of Africa. If you've recently planted impatiens, you might need to start learning how to keep rabbits from destroying your garden. You may be able to deter rabbits from your plants by putting up fences or sprinkling blood meal near your affected plants. Otherwise, you might plant some impatiens away from your vegetable garden to encourage the rabbits to eat your flowers rather than your produce.

Rabbits are known to eat a variety of plants, but finding their trail of damage will let you know what plants in your garden are attracting bunnies. If you discover that there are bite marks all over your impatiens flowers, they are likely the plants that are attracting the rabbits. While impatiens might not always be their first choice, rabbits can cause severe harm to these flowers.

If you want to keep hungry rabbits out of your garden, one easy solution is to put up a wire fence around your precious plants. Using 1 inch mesh chicken wire, enclose your flower bed or garden, creating a fence that is a minimum of 18 inches tall. You may also spread blood meal near your flowers, which can deter rabbits because of the smell, but you may need to do this often as the smell could fade quickly. Deterring rabbits from your impatiens could get them to leave your yard, but if you have a garden they might start eating your other plants instead.