Do Rabbits Eat Flowering Almond Shrubs?

Rabbit Identification

• Rabbits are active year round, during the day and night, but you may never see one in your yard. However, they do leave evidence of their presence behind. Rabbit tracks are distinctive in that the hind feet are much longer than the front and are placed ahead of the front feet. Rabbits also leave pea-sized droppings and make gnawing marks on the trunks of your shrubs a few inches above the ground. They bite off lower stems at a clean, 45-degree angle, as well, but they may also eat bark and stems higher than 3 feet up the tree, particularly when snow is deep.

Exclusion

• Protect your flowering almond and other valuable trees and shrubs by erecting a fence 2 to 3 feet high made of 1-inch poultry netting. Fences are also useful for keeping rabbits out of flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Bend the bottom edge outward, away from the shrub, and bury it at least 4 inches into the soil to prevent rabbits from digging under it. To protect individual shrubs, place black plastic drain tile around the base of the trunk to prevent rabbits from gnawing on them.

Habitat Modification

• Modifying your landscape so that it’s less inviting to rabbits may encourage them to look elsewhere for food. Remove brush piles and tall weeds where rabbits like to take cover and mow vegetation within 3 to 4 feet of newly planted trees and shrubs. This reduces rabbit shelter near your trees and shrubs, making rabbits less likely to feed on shrubs because they have nowhere to seek cover when they feel threatened. Rabbits use the space under sheds and decks for shelter as well, so cover entrances to these areas with 1/4-inch wire mesh.

Repellents and Scare Devices

• Rabbits usually avoid plants with strong aromas, but there are no plants that are truly rabbit-proof. In harsh conditions, rabbits may eat whatever is available, even plants they usually avoid. However, daffodils, which are hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, are poisonous to rabbits, so planting these around your shrub may be an effective deterrent. Taste and odor repellents are available commercially and are applied directly to your flowering almond shrub or to the soil around it. However, these are short-lived in effectiveness because they are washed away by rain or irrigation. Scare devices may be more effective than repellent plants or taste and odor repellents, but are only temporarily. Rabbits will become used to these devices, and they eventually won’t scare them away.

Trapping

• Some municipalities allow removal of rabbits causing damage to personal property, but others may restrict or prohibit the use of traps outside of regular hunting seasons. Check with your local municipal office before removing rabbits in your landscape.