Yes, lavender repel rabbits works very well in most gardens. Lavender is one of the best aromatic plants for keeping rabbits away from your other plants. The strong oils in lavender leaves and flowers create a scent barrier rabbits hate.
I planted my first lavender garden border five years ago along the back of my vegetable patch. The change was amazing. Rabbit visits dropped from several per day to almost zero within a month. My lettuce and beans stayed safe all season for the first time ever.
Lavender rabbit deterrent power comes from the oils it makes. The main ones are linalool and linalyl acetate. These compounds give lavender its strong perfume smell. To us it's pleasant, but to rabbits it's way too intense. Their sensitive noses can't handle it.
Using aromatic plants rabbit control means picking varieties with the strongest scent. Not all lavenders smell the same. Some pump out way more oils than others. Your choice of variety makes a big difference in how well your border keeps rabbits out.
English Lavender
- Cold hardiness: Survives winters down to Zone 5 (-20°F/-29°C) and comes back strong each spring in most areas.
- Scent level: Medium to strong aroma that deters rabbits well while not being too harsh for you to enjoy nearby.
- Best picks: Hidcote and Munstead are easy to find and grow well in a wide range of garden conditions.
Lavandin Grosso
- Cold hardiness: Handles winters in Zone 6 and warmer with heavy mulch protection in colder spots.
- Scent level: The strongest smelling lavender type with double the oil content of English varieties.
- Best for: Maximum rabbit protection in areas where you can grow this larger more pungent variety.
Provence Lavender
- Cold hardiness: Works in Zone 6 through Zone 9 and does great in hot dry summer climates.
- Scent level: Strong classic lavender smell that commercial growers favor for oil production.
- Growth size: Gets two to three feet tall and creates a wall of scent along garden borders.
Plant your lavender garden border in full sun with soil that drains fast. Lavender hates wet feet and will rot in clay soil. Add sand or gravel to heavy soil before planting. Space plants twelve to eighteen inches apart so they can fill in.
The more sun your lavender gets, the more oils it makes. Plants in shade will grow but won't smell as strong. This matters for rabbit control since weak scent means weak protection. Give your lavender at least six hours of direct sun each day.
My neighbor tried planting lavender in a shady spot and the rabbits walked right through. When she moved the plants to a sunny bed, they started pumping out oils and the rabbits stopped coming around. Location really does matter.
You can also harvest lavender stems and scatter them around plants that need extra protection. Dry bundles work great tucked under tomato cages or around bean poles. The scent lasts about two weeks before you need to add fresh cuttings.
Read the full article: Rabbit Proof Flowers That Actually Work
