In an attempt to find natural ways to control pest problems, gardeners have started using plants to repel pests, such as squirrels. But which plants are said to work and are they effective?
Can Plants Repel Squirrels?
If you choose the right plants, then yes, you definitely can repel squirrels with plants.
Squirrels are susceptible to smells, and therefore choosing particular fragranced flowers can keep them away. If you plant enough of these repellent plants throughout your garden, you can keep the whole area safe and squirrel free.
What Bulbous Plants Repel Squirrels?
It appears that squirrels most commonly dislike flowers that are grown from bulbs.
They do not exclusively only dislike bulbs, nor do they dislike every type of bulbous flower, but these bulbs listed below are known to be very effective at driving away squirrels.
Hyacinths
Hyacinths are a great bulb to plant in a large number. They are bright and come in a variety of colours. As well as this, their strong odour works well as a squirrel deterrent.
Planting enough of these colourful bulbs in just one area should keep most of your garden safe from squirrels.
Daffodils
These yellow bulbs are great to use to protect other types of plants. Almost every part of the daffodil is poisonous to a squirrel, and therefore they will avoid them as much as possible.
If you have a particular area of the garden frequently disturbed by squirrels, interspersing daffodils in that area will almost immediately drive squirrels away.
Alliums
Alliums are a large family of bulbs, and almost all of them work for repelling squirrels.
There are flowering strains of this plant that will keep squirrels away, but if you are looking to grow your own crop, garlic and spring onions are part of the allium family and keep squirrels away.
Do Geraniums Repel Squirrels?
Certain bedding plants keep squirrels away, and one of these is the family of geraniums.
There is a bit of debate amongst gardeners as to the effectiveness of using these plants. Many state that interspersing these flowers keeps areas of their garden squirrel free. Whilst others have said that if a squirrel is hungry enough, it will ransack the area regardless of geraniums.
You also need to be wary as it is only scented geraniums that will keep squirrels away.
Like with the other plants mentioned, scent appears to be the biggest factor when keeping squirrels away. Geraniums are also popular because of their hardiness and the fact that they are easy to grow and maintain.
Are there Plants that Attract Squirrels?
Whilst it is good to know what plants repel squirrels, it won’t be much use to you if your garden is full of plants that squirrels love. Let’s have a look at some of the most liked plants by the squirrel population.
Tulips
Tulips are one of the only bulbs that squirrels really like. They will be attracted to them and proceed to dig them up. You should be able to keep squirrels away from these plants by interspersing other bulbs such as daffodils in your tulip patches.
Berry Plants
With their wide diet, it probably doesn’t surprise you that squirrels will eat berry plants, such as strawberries. If you want to keep growing your fruit, you can grind cayenne pepper around the soil.
Squirrels don’t like the spicy smell of the pepper, and it should keep your berry beds undisturbed.
Camellias
When it comes to flowers, squirrels particularly like to feed on flower buds. One of their favourite flower buds to eat is that of the camellia.
These plants are attractive and easy to keep making them popular amongst gardeners. But you do run the risk of attracting squirrels. Make sure to plant something strongly scented, such as garlic close by to your camellias, to keep the squirrels off of your plants.
Summary
To summarise what we’ve learnt, there are different types of plants that will repel squirrels. The most commonly repellent type of plants are bulbous plants, these include hyacinths, daffodils and alliums.
Some bedding plants that repel squirrels include geraniums. Squirrels are deterred because of the scent of these flowers.
There are some flowers that squirrels are actually attracted to, these include tulips and camellias. You can keep your garden mostly undisturbed by squirrels by planting a large number of repellent flowers.
