# Toxic Garden Plants



## sara_laughs (Mar 29, 2007)

[font="Arial, Verdana"]I was planningon planting hosta around the area where my bunny is going to have it'srun. Before I buy the plants and put them in I was wondering if youknow if hosta is toxic to rabbits? I don't want to feed themto the bunny but I know that it's possible for the leaves to hang intothe fencing where the bunny could nibble.[/font][font="Arial, Verdana"]I already havedaylillies and ferns planted but I will pull them out if it would beharmful.[/font]
[font="Arial, Verdana"]
Is there a place where I can find information about other garden plants without having to bug you guys every time? 
Thanks, 
Sara
[/font]


----------



## naturestee (Mar 29, 2007)

Check out the safe/unsafe lists here:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=13618&amp;forum_id=17

I don't know about hostas or ferns, but lilies are toxic. Ifyou have a veggie garden, keep the rabbit out of that too.Tomato plants are relatives of nightshade, and their leaves arepoisonous.


----------



## sara_laughs (Mar 29, 2007)

I can't see on any of the lists either hostas orferns. They're not listed on either the safe orunsafe. I'm not sure what that means. Surelysomeone must know. I'll have to keep hunting.

Thanks for the info on lilies. I'll transplant them to besafe. It seems like bunnies can't have plants with a bulbousroot and I'm going to assume that means rhizomes too especially since Isaw irises and tuberous begonias on the "no" list. I wonderabout fibrous begonias. Not that I'm going to bother plantingthem; I'm just curious.


----------



## sara_laughs (Mar 29, 2007)

Well I found an interesting site about the damage wild rabbits do to gardens. 

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1031.html

It lists hosta as "Plants Moderately Damaged" so obviously wild rabbitseat hosta. There's even a pic of damaged hosta on this page: 

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1101/rabbits.asp

But on that first site it also says morning glory is "Heavily Damaged"and some of the sites I was looking at earlier lists morning glory asbeing toxic to bunnies. Is there a difference in the things awild rabbit can eat versus a pet rabbit?


----------



## naturestee (Mar 29, 2007)

Wild rabbits don't always know that they shouldn't eat something, so you can't really use that as info.


----------



## sara_laughs (Mar 29, 2007)

I have an answer! I posted on agardening site since I couldn't find anything that definitively saidyes or no. A fellow gardener who has two pet bunnies said herbunnies eat her hostas every year and they're alive and well.Another person said they especially like the tender newleaves. They both said it could end up being anall-you-can-eat salad bar but I think it'll be ok since the hostas willbe fenced away and I was really just worried about overhanging leaves.

Now I'm off to buy the plants!


----------



## Runestonez (Mar 29, 2007)

If Hostas are dangerous then there should be awhole whack of dead squirrels soon!:grumpy Don't get mewrong...I love **** near any animal...but our squirrels are making mecrazy! I have HUGE gardens in the front and back and rightnow I am totally out numbered by the wild life aroundhere!:grumpy We finally had to chicken wire the veggie gardenafter we found a dump truck sized ground hog munching inthere...bunnies too! And we live in the city! Notout in the boonies somewhere! So far the count is a dozenrabbits...2 HUGE groundhogs, a family of raccoons and a half dozenhawks!

:rant:The squirrels have decimated my hostas...they dig up the bulletsand eat them off right at the roots!(Don't get me started on thechipmunk under the deck!) My tulips are just coming in so assoon as they tire of hosta my tulips are toast too.NO! Pepper doesn't work! I swear they laugh as theyrumage thru the gardens...If you wonder why this rant ...I woke up thismorning to find a Great Heron fishing in my pond...and all my Koigone! Arrrgh! I feel like an all you can eatsmorrgassborgh has opened in my yard!:censored2:


----------



## Aina (Mar 29, 2007)

Ahh, squirrels can eat almostanything. We have one who is eating the caulk off ourwindow. He has been doing it for about half a year and stillhasn't died. I wonder if they get high or something off thatstuff, because I casn't imagine what appeal it would have.


----------



## SOOOSKA (Mar 30, 2007)

Hi, our Buttercup has eaten Hosta before and hadno problem he actually really liked them. We also have thewild rabbits out the back and they have also eaten them.

Our wild bunnies lve the Mornong Glories too.

Susan:bunnydance:


----------



## Hazel-Mom (Mar 31, 2007)

Both Hosta and daylilly (Hemerocallis spp.) areon the safe plants list of the California Poison Control System. I knowthat most lily species are poisonous, but daylillies are not reallillies, they are a different species and quite edible.
Ferns on the other hand are on most poisonous plant lists.


----------

