Asked on Jun 02, 2018

How can I keep rabbits from eating my zinnias?

Judy Purcell
by Judy Purcell
Something is eating my zinnias. I know we have rabbits living in our hedge. Are they the culprits? Or is it something else and how do I stop them?

  5 answers
  • Vida Knab Vida Knab on Jun 02, 2018

    Plantskydd,, repellant....new product on market. Highly recommended to repel animals

  • Elizabeth Dion Elizabeth Dion on Jun 02, 2018

    Spray the flowers with a mixture of water and hot pepper sauce. If it’s rabbits that will stop them from munching.

  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Jun 02, 2018

    Try sprinkling blood meal around them.

  • Cindy Cindy on Jun 02, 2018

    It probably is the rabbits eating your pretty flowers. Spread some shredded Irish Spring bar soap around your plants. You can shred the bars on a box grater or even in a food processor. This method is effective and inexpensive.

  • Catherine Gilbert Catherine Gilbert on Jun 29, 2020

    Only a physical barrier is any good once animals learn they can get to something they want to eat. I put bird netting on the ground around the zinnias. Anchored it with landscape pins. Sort of bunches and swirls of the stuff, not taut on the ground. That seems to be working. So far!


    Mine are mature, 2 ft, blooming zinnia plants, not sprouts. Rabbits have chewed them as far up as they can reach. They chewed off smaller side stalks and lower flowers, as well as fuzzy lower leaves on the stalks. This is the first year they've attacked the zinnias. but blood meal and animal deterrent sprays were no help at all.


    I also fenced off my Peace rose plant and my herb garden because rabbits were destroying coneflower, dill, and chive plants. They ate the rose down to the wood. It's coming back now that it's fenced. Rabbits will eat anything! They've even destroyed a young witch hazel tree!

    • Jerry Jerry on Sep 19, 2021

      the rabbits are doing the same thing here . the zinnia that is three feet tall has a couple branches way up with flowers I too am using the small netting around my ornamental grasses. I killed a rabbit with rat poison . am hoping it was the one doing the damage. the drought is tough on all the critters