While some of us wouldn’t mind seeing squirrels running around in parks, most of us would like to keep them off our gardens. Luckily, one of the easiest methods to get rid of these small critters is by planting flowers that squirrels hate, and that’s where this guide comes in handy!
In today’s article, we’ll provide you with a brief list that includes some of the most popular squirrel deterrent flowers out there. So without further ado, let’s dive right in!
1. Alliums
Allium is a popular genus of plants that belong to bulb plants, such as onions, garlic, shallots, leeks, scallions, etc.
The word “Allium” itself means “garlic” in Latin. Although the onion and garlic family is known for adding a unique flavor to many cooked foods, they have a rather annoying smell that protects the plant from animals.
Alliums, in general, contain various chemical compounds that are rich in sulfur, such as cysteine sulfoxides. These compounds are the ones responsible for both the bad odor as well as triggering a teary eye response.
This smell will help you keep squirrels and other critters off your garden. However, you should know that the intensity of the smell depends on the sulfur content of the plant, and therefore, you need sulfur rich soil, so make sure that you use proper fertilizers that are rich in sulfur.
Despite the smell, the flowers of the allium species are surprisingly good looking! They’re known for their spherical appearance and abundance of vibrant colors, such as blue, purple, pink, white, and yellow.
Also Check: 10 Flowers That Mean Goodbye
2. Daffodils
Another great alternative to alliums that you can use in your garden to deter squirrels and other critters is daffodils.
This plant belongs to the Narcissus genus, which is characterized by its remarkable beauty and resilience.
The reason why daffodils work when it comes to deterring squirrels, moles, and rabbits is their distinguished scent of narcissus oil.
This deterrent smell increases with more flowers, so you might need several flowers around your garden to make them more effective.
The flower is originally native to the Mediterranean region and features many species that bloom at different times of the year. The most common blooming season for daffodils is between the late weeks of winter and throughout spring.
Daffodil flowers are remarkably vibrant and bloom in various colors depending on the species of the plant, which includes various shades of white, orange, and pink, all with or without yellow pistils.
3. Dianthus
Dianthus is a genus of flowering plants of the family “Caryophyllaceae” that includes anywhere between 330 and 350 species.
This plant is mainly native to Asia and Europe as well as Africa and North America to a lesser extent.
In addition to Dianthus, the plant is also known as “carnation” and “pink”, which refers to the color of its flowers.
In addition to the pink color, the flowers of the Dianthus plant will also feature patterns of white or salmon.
The main reason why these flowers repel squirrels is the notable spicy scent that they emit as they bloom. The flowers will usually bloom from early spring to early summer.
One of the most important things to keep in mind while planting dianthus is that they need plenty of sunlight. Ideally, you should make sure that they get at least 6 hours of full sun or partial shade.
4. Sweet Alyssum
If you want to stop squirrels and other rodents from invading your garden and eating your plants, you should always consider the Sweet Alyssum.
Despite the name, this flower is anything but sweet to species of squirrels, moles, and rabbits.
The scientific name of the plant is Lobularia maritima, which belongs to the “Brassicaceae” family.
The Sweet Alyssum plant will produce small clusters of tiny flowers that bloom in various colors, including white, yellow, orange, pink, purple, lavender, and more!
Ideally, the flowers will bloom from the early weeks of June all the way up to mid October. Not only that, if you cut back all spent flowers, you’ll encourage the plant to rebloom again.
With that said, Sweet Alyssum flowers tend to attract honey bees and some other insects (mostly beneficial), so you have to keep that in mind.
Read more: 9 Flowers That Represent Miscarriage
5. Hyacinth
Hyacinth is one of the most attractive herbaceous perennials out there that produce bulbous flowers in spring.
The flower is originally Native to the Mediterranean region of the Middle East. It’s characterized by the dense floral spikes and the abundance of colors, as it comes in shades of white, purple, cream, rose, pink, purple, lavender, blue, red, maroon, and more!
The reason why Hyacinth is a good deterrent for squirrels is the robust scent of the flower. However, the same scent will attract honey bees.
The best way to use these bulbous flowers is to plant them in various parts of your garden and the plants you want to protect.
6. Lily of the Valley
Despite the name, the lily of the valley is not an actual lily. Instead, it’s scientifically classified as a species of the “Asparagaceae” family.
This shade loving plant is originally native to woodland areas in Asia and Europe. The plant is known for blooming a few delicate bell-shaped flowers during springtime.
Also, the flowers of this plant are facing downwards, they quickly spread their remarkable fragrance in your garden. This scent is commonly used in making perfumes, but squirrels don’t like staying near that scent.
With that said, you should know that the flower is a bit invasive and spreads quickly through a network of underground rhizomes, so they can be a little tiresome to manage if you want to keep your garden neat.
In addition to the scent, the flower also has a few poisonous toxins that rodents and other small mammals will avoid.
However, the plant is also problematic for humans and pets, so you have to be extra careful with them if you allow your pet into your garden.
7. Snake’s Head Fritillary
The Snake’s Head Fritillary is not a common flower that you’ll often see in gardens. With that said, the flower has a very unique appearance that would actually appeal to a lot of garden owners.
The plant produces a downward facing bell shaped flower that has a unique checkerboard pattern of light and dark hues covering its petals.
The most common color of the Snake’s Head Fritillary flower is purple or maroon, although you can also find it in shades of green, yellow green, dark brown, and black.
Besides the interesting look of the flower, it actually has quite a foul scent of cat’s urine that is highly effective in keeping rodents away.
You can plant a variety of these flowers around your garden or close to plants of interest that typically attract squirrels in your area.
8. Geraniums
Geranium, also known as “Crane’s Bill” is a genus of plants that includes 400+ species in the family Geraniaceae.
They’re typically native to South Africa, but they can be found in various temperate areas in the world, especially the coastal areas to the east of the Mediterranean.
The plant produces a veined bloom that is easy to identify and comes in a wide array of colors, including solid and bicolor varieties in red, pink, purple, orange, and yellow.
Geranium emits a characteristic scent with peppery and citrusy tones that are deemed unfavorable by many small mammals, including squirrels.
9. Solidago
Solidago is another species of plant that is highly effective in keeping squirrels away. It’s also called “Goldenrods”, which refers to its bushy strands of golden yellow florets.
The plant is sometimes made into herbal teas to treat various ailments, such as inflammations and kidney stones. In fact, some studies also back up these health benefit claims.
Besides its potential health benefits, the plant is also an edible repellent to small mammals like squirrels because it gives off a strong taste similar to anise that they hate!
10. Galanthus
Another highly effective flower that squirrels are known to hate is the Galanthus, also known as the “Common Snowdrop” flower.
The name of the plant is derived from the time of the year when you should expect the flowers to bloom, as they’re typically around from late winter to the earliest days of spring when some snow may still be around.
The main reason why squirrels avoid gardens that have Galanthus planted in them is that they smell quite annoying.
Luckily, while the smell is capable of quite a deterrent to small animals like squirrels, it’s not as foul to our noses.
This makes it ideal if you like to spend some quality time in your garden every now and then or if you typically prefer planting nicely scented flowers.
Wrap Up: Flowers That Squirrels Hate
There you have it! A brief guide that walks you through 10 of the most effective flowers when it comes to keeping squirrels and small rodents off your garden.
As you can see, there are plenty of options to choose from, and some of them may work better for you than others, although we recommend using a combination of them for best results because squirrels will quickly adapt to floral deterrents.
In addition to flowers, you can also use other complementary methods to keep them away, such as sprinkling chili flakes in your garden and avoiding leaving food remains in the garden.