What’s worse than putting in hours of hard work, tears, and sweat into a stunning landscape or lush home garden for it to be destroyed by a pesky critter? Many animals cause damage to our Alabama properties. In this blog, you’ll learn what plants repel animals and pests most effectively.
Covenant Wildlife knows how crushing it can be to walk out to your yard or garden and see that it’s been ripped to pieces by deer, rabbits, moles, or other critters. We see this situation over and over. While hiring professionals is smart, growing pest-deterring plants will help you in the long run.
Continue reading to discover what plants are best for keeping common problematic pests out of your yard and home garden.
Unwanted Critters in Your Yard or Home
Alabama is teeming with wildlife. Many animals are fascinating to observe. However, they are typically destructive to your yard or home garden that you’ve worked hard to keep healthy and well-groomed. The following pests are some of the most common critters to cause chaos in our yards.
Deer- Deer are notorious for wandering into yards and gardens and making a chaotic mess. Depending on what you have planted, deer may eat the plants or simply trample all over them. These beautiful creatures are most attracted to lilies, azaleas, periwinkle, cherry trees, and tulips. Swap out the tempting plants for ones known for deterring deer, like yarrow.
Rabbits- These adorable critters are exciting to watch. However, they are a nuisance in your yard, especially if you have well-groomed vegetation or a home garden. Rabbits will chew the bark, leaves, and stems of typical yard plants and garden varieties. As long as it is low to the ground, it’s fair game for rabbits. They are particularly fond of leafy vegetables, fruit trees, and grasses. Keep the rabbits out by replacing these attractive plants with ones that repel them, like garlic.
Raccoons- Raccoons aren’t always a problematic yard pest. However, if you grow corn or grapes on your property, you’ve likely dealt with some serious raccoon issues. Even without planting these tempting crops, raccoons may be attracted to your yard for the grubs, worms, and insects in the soil. In efforts to dig up these ground-dwelling prey, they often make a mess of your garden or lawn. Cucumbers and squash are excellent plants to grow if you have a raccoon problem. The spiky leaves help keep these destructive critters away.
Squirrels- Squirrels won’t typically consume the plants in your yard. But they go a little nuts hiding their food in the ground. If you have squirrels in your yard, you know how destructive their food-storing habits can be. In no time, you’ll have a yard full of dug-up dirt and dead patches of grass. Consider planting daffodils to deter these common pests.
Mice and Rats- Mice and rats are certainly not welcome in your home. However, they’re also a big issue in the yard or garden. These rodents sometimes nibble at veggies and fruits, but they are most destructive when nesting. To build their nests, rats and mice tear pieces of plants, leaves, and sticks to create a decently large bed of comfy material. That means your plants are at risk if a rat or mouse decides to nest near a tree in your yard or along the garden fence. Grow lavender, rosemary, and other animal-repelling plants to keep them from wandering into your yard.
Moles- Moles spend most of their time underground. As a result of digging their tunnels and dens, your lawn can quickly become destroyed by moles. The mounds and entrances are unsightly, and the underground tunnels can completely ruin root systems, killing the grass or flowers at the surface. Plus, mole holes and mounds can be a tripping hazard in the yard. Keep your family safe and your lawn intact by planting onions and garlic in the garden.
The Facts: 9 Plants Repel Animals
While chemicals and specialized traps are a somewhat reliable quick fix to infestations, planting beneficial flowers, herbs, and grasses is an even better long-term solution to at-home pest control. Below are nine plants repelling some of the most common problematic pests.
Continue to learn what plants are perfect for protecting your yard or garden from wild animals.
1 | Lavender
Lavender is one of the most versatile plants. It adds a sweet and calming fragrance to soaps, lotions, candles, and air fresheners. Lavender also helps to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Additionally, the incredible plant is used to flavor food and beverages, like ice cream, tea, coffee, chocolate, and more. Even better, lavender plants repel animals from your yard and garden.
Lavender keeps mice, mosquitos, and other common pests at bay. The intense fragrance deters the critter from the area, making it wise to grow in your yard or garden.
2 | Russian Sage
Russian sage is excellent for repelling deer. These stunning animals may be pleasant to observe from afar. However, they are not a friend to your garden. Plant Russian sage in or around your flower beds to deter deer from trampling the plants.
3 | Yarrow
Another plant that keeps deer away is yarrow. This beneficial plant cures fever, colds, and stomach issues. Yarrow is also perfect for planting in your yard to keep destructive deer out.
4 | Rosemary
Furthermore, rosemary plants repel animals that are problematic in your yard. This flavorful herb isn’t only helpful in the kitchen. It also keeps deer, mice, and rats from damaging your garden full of hours of hard work.
Rosemary is a beautiful addition to the yard or garden. But you can also plant it in containers or flower pots to make controlling its growth easier and keep common pests at bay.
5 | Purple Cone-Flower
Purple cone-flowers are colorful and excellent for getting rid of common cold symptoms. However, they also help to deter mice and rats from your yard or garden. This stunning flower is sure to add some interest to your landscaping and protect it from unwanted pests.
6 | Garlic
What about pesky moles? If moles are digging up your well-groomed lawn, look no further than the powerful garlic plant. Grow garlic around or inside your garden to keep the moles away. The pungent smell of garlic growing can quickly repel these destructive critters. Not to mention, garlic helps keep rabbits out of your yard and garden.
7 | Lemongrass
Lemongrass is commonly used as a fresh fragrance in candles or soaps and a typical ingredient in soups and other dishes. Planting it in your garden or around your home has many benefits, including repelling mosquitos, flies, rats, and mice. These pests can be very problematic in your yard or garden. For instance, mosquitos make working in the yard irritating and unenjoyable with the constant bites and itchy welts. And rats and mice may nibble at growing veggies or fruits.
If you plant lemongrass in pots or containers, you can easily move it around to deter pests in specific areas of the yard or garden.
8 | Onions
Like garlic, onion plants repel animals that cause damage to your yard and garden. After all, these two strong-smelling plants are related. Deter deer, moles, rats, and mice by planting onions in your home garden. The pungent odor interferes with the critters’ ability to smell, which may make your yard less attractive to them.
9 | Daffodils
Daffodils will keep many pests away, like insects, voles, squirrels, and mice. It’s an effective form of natural pest control because the daffodil bulbs have a toxin that deters common problematic critters. Plus, they are a beautiful addition to your yard or garden.
Contact the Passionate Experts at Covenant Wildlife Removal
While natural pest control methods are typically effective at deterring critters, there are times when the problem is a little too severe to simply be combated with nature. If you have tried these natural and humane ways of repelling common pests in your yard but have seen little to no results, reach out to the friendly team at Covenant Wildlife Removal.
Our critter removal specialists know all the secrets to safely and kindly removing wild animals and how to keep them from coming back. Call Covenant Wildlife for professional pest removal today.
