How to Keep Rabbits Out of Your Garden – Rabbit-Resistant Plants – Zone 9

We’ve pulled together a list of  rabbit deterrent plants that grow in Orange County USDA Zone 9 that will help keep rabbits out of your yard.

Allium
From the cute 6-inch-tall rock garden types to the 6-foot-tall giants, alliums are great garden plants. Perfect cut flowers and long-lived garden residents, it’s an added bonus that deer, rabbits, and even squirrels tend to pass them by.
Name: Allium varieties
Growing conditions: Full to partial sun and well-drained soil
Height: 6 inches to 6 feet tall
Zones: 3-10, depending on variety

Anise Hyssop
An incredibly rugged North American native plant, anise hyssop bears spikes of violet-blue flowers from midsummer to fall. The flowers and the foliage have a decidedly anise scent, hence its common name.
Name: Agastache varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 2-6 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 4-10, depending on variety

Baptisia
One of the toughest plants in the garden, baptisia bears spikes of violet, blue, yellow, or white flowers in early summer. The plants are very heat- and drought-resistant and their blue-green foliage continues to look great all the way to frost.
Name: Baptisia Australis
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Height: 5 feet tall
Zones: 3-9

Bee Balm
Rabbits may not like bee balm, but hummingbirds sure do! This easy-growing plant produces lots of pink, red, violet, or white flowers from summer to early fall. The flowers are long lasting and great for cutting.
Name: Monarda varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and moist, well-drained soil
Height: 1-3 feet, depending on variety
Zones: 4-9

Daffodil
While many spring bulbs are rabbit magnets, the pesky critters avoid daffodils. These bulbs bloom in shades of red, orange, yellow, white, and pink and offer a variety of flower shapes. Daffodils are also long-lived garden plants.
Name: Narcissus varieties
Growing conditions: Sun or shade and well-drained soil
Height: To 1 foot tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Daylily
One of the hardiest garden plants, daylilies bloom in a rainbow of shades and can take all but the toughest conditions. Grow them in full sun and enjoy their easy-growing beauty.
Name: Hemerocallis varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 2-6 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 3-10, depending on variety

Fritillaria
Fritillarias are underused spring bulbs. These interesting bulbs offer a wide variety of flower colors, forms, and sizes. Among the best known are crown imperials (shown), which grow 3 feet tall and are one of the most flamboyant plants in the spring garden.
Name: Fritillaria varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil
Height: 6 inches to 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Hellebore
A nearly indestructible shade-garden plant, hellebores bloom in late winter or early spring and produce black, red, pink, white, cream, or green flowers. In many climates, the plants are semi-evergreen.
Name: Helleborus varieties
Growing conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil
Height: 1-2 feet tall
Zones: 4-9, depending on variety

Iris
Iris are great,  not only for their rabbit resistance, but also for their gorgeous frilly flowers (that are great for cutting) and for their sweet scent. Plus, the flowers appear in almost every color of the rainbow. Reblooming iris offer the extra advantage of blooming again in fall.
Name: Iris varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9

Salvia
There are a whole host of salvias great for the garden and almost all are nicely rabbit resistant. The blooms range from bright red to shades of purple and blue. Most make great cut flowers, too.
Name: Salvia varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Height: 1-5 feet tall, depending on variety
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety

Siberian Iris
Siberian iris is our favorite of the iris tribe. It blooms a little later than the tall bearded types and features wonderful grassy foliage with elegant blue, purple, rose, or white blooms. The flowers, like most iris, are great for cutting and the plant has especially nice form even when it’s not in bloom.
Name: Iris sibirica
Growing conditions: Full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil
Height: 1-3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9

Yarrow
Lovely yarrow is not just rabbit resistant, it’s also a hardy, drought-resistant perennial. This rugged plant blooms through the summer in shades of yellow, pink, red, and white. The long-lasting blooms are beautiful in the vase and in the garden.
Name: Achillea varieties
Growing conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil.
Height: 2-3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9, depending on variety