Springtime brings out all kinds of colorful plants and pollinators. From bright flowers to bees and butterflies, planting a colorful garden has many useful benefits that go beyond our own enjoyment. As much as we enjoy basking in all the bloom and buzz, one pesky critter gets in our way year after year: the squirrel. The squirrel’s home is the out-of-doors, where they forage and store for food; however, they often become troublemakers around the home, chewing up outdoor furniture and digging holes in potted plants and around the lawn. It’s pretty hard to keep them out of our yards, but a little research has yielded some tips for making our yard an undesirable place for squirrels. Certain flowers act as natural repellants, producing a smell that squirrels will keep those pesky squirrels at bay. We’re definitely giving a few of these a try!

Hyacinth

Hyacinth come in a variety of colors, and are a beautiful addition to springtime gardens. In addition to their vibrant color, their fragrance is enticing to us, but a natural repellant to squirrels.

Geraniums

Geraniums are a hearty perennial, and their vibrant color is certainly an accent to any outdoor floral arrangements. Once again, it’s not their bright color but their pungent aroma that squirrels find detestable.

Lily-of-the-Valley

While Lily-of-the-Valley is both beautiful and fragrant, they are also highly invasive, and also toxic, and therefore should be handled with gloves and not ingested. Their beautiful bell shape and delicate appearance are lovely to look at, but are not attractive to squirrels.

Daffodils

These bright yellow, early spring plants are a great deterrent to squirrels and deer. It is the strong smell of this flower that keeps the squirrels away.

Galanthus

Galanthus flowers are notable for their “snowdrop” appearance, and offer beauty to any green space. And it should come as no surprise that their fragrance is desirable to us,

but not to squirrels.

Fritillaries

These beautiful flowers look like hanging bells. Once again, it is the powerful smell of these flowers that keeps squirrels at bay.

Alliums

Alliums are a part of the onion family, and include garlic and scallions. Squirrels are not a fan of the powerful smell of these plants.

Cleary the theme here is to choose fragrant flowers to keep out undesired guests from our gardens. Keep these tips in mind for future spring planting. We appreciate finding natural ways to keep those pesky backyard pests out of our plants. Fortunately, we are able to reap the benefits of beautifully fragrant flowers while keeping those bothersome squirrels at bay.