Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
Rabbit-Resistant Small Border Plants for Full Sun
Rabbit-Resistant Small Border Plants for Full Sun. A select group of small plants for borders can resist rabbits and flourish in full sun. Rabbits are most active in warm weather but can damage plants in winter, and they come out both day and night. One way to prevent these critters from damaging your garden is to use rabbit-resistant plants. You...
A select group of small plants for borders can resist rabbits and flourish in full sun. Rabbits are most active in warm weather but can damage plants in winter, and they come out both day and night. One way to prevent these critters from damaging your garden is to use rabbit-resistant plants. You also can deter rabbits from living and breeding on your property by removing brush piles and mowing down tall weeds.
Bulb Companions
Some small plants are effective in a mixed border with spring-blooming bulbs. Bergenia cordifolia, for example, is an evergreen that grows 12 to 18 inches tall by 18 to 23 inches wide and puts out flowers from mid-spring into early summer. In a cool-summer climate, try English primrose "Wanda Dark Pink" (Primula "Wanda Dark Pink"). This perennial grows 4 to 6 inches tall by 8 to 12 inches wide and produces fragrant flowers all spring. Both rabbit-resistant plants for full sun have deep-pink flowers and are hardy in USDA zones 2 through 9.
Long-Bloomers and Butterfly Attractors
Enjoy a long-blossoming border that attracts butterflies from early summer through early fall with certain rabbit-resistant plants for full sun, such as blanket flower "Dwarf Goblin" (Gaillardia "Dwarf Goblin"). Growing 8 to 12 inches tall by 10 to 12 inches wide, it begets golden-yellow daisies with flame-red centers. The blooms are used in flower arrangements, and the plant is hardy in USDA zones 2 through 9. Dwarf coreopsis "Presto" (Coreopsis grandiflora "Presto") is another option. It reaches 8 to 10 inches tall by 8 to 12 inches wide and begets semi-double, golden-yellow flowers. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9 and tolerates hot and humid summers.
Crinkled Foliage
Certain small, rabbit-resistant plants that grow well in full sun feature crinkled foliage, which adds texture to a border. Those plants include fancy-leaf coral bells "Blackberry Crisp" (Heuchera "Blackberry Crisp"). Its evergreen leaves emerge deep burgundy and mature to purple-black, and its white flowers appear from early to midsummer. Growing 12 to 18 inches tall by 14 to 16 inches wide, the plant is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. Spikes of violet-blue, butterfly-attracting flowers appear from midsummer to early fall on hybrid speedwell "Sunny Border Blue" (Veronica "Sunny Border Blue"), which also has crinkled foliage. Hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, it grows 12 to 18 inches tall and wide.
Loads of Small Flowers
Expect loads of small flowers to carpet your border when you plant dwarf sweet William "Barbarini F1 Mix" (Dianthus barbatus "Barbarini F1 Mix") or Mexican fleabane daisy "Blood Sea" (Erigeron karvinskianus "Blood Sea"). "Barbarini F1 Mix" produces large clusters of small, bicolor flowers in a variety of colors, including red, mauve and purple, from late spring through summer. This self-seeding biennial grows 6 to 8 inches tall by 8 to 12 inches wide in USDA zones 2 through 9. The small daisies on "Blood Sea" begin white and mature to pink; they appear from early summer into mid-fall. The plant thrives in hot, dry weather and grows 8 to 12 inches tall and wide. It is hardy in USDA zones 8 through 10.
