Cats can be a menace in flower beds by digging, depositing unwanted items and chewing up plants, but there are ways you can keep them at bay from your garden.
Spraying your flower bed area with cat repellent spray that’s safe for flowers can help deter felines. Furthermore, placing spikey “barriers” such as rose thorns, pyracantha or holly plants can make it uncomfortable for cats to stand there.
Spraying
There are sprays designed to help keep cats away from flower beds. Made with ingredients known to repel cats without harming flowers, they may provide an effective deterrent against felines grazing on floral arrangements. Furthermore, these can be combined with other methods for maximum effect.
An alternative solution could be using a motion-activated sprinkler. These will remain off for most of the time, but will turn on when an animal approaches, giving a surprise that will drive it away from your flower garden.
Covering the bed with chicken wire or plastic fencing is another permanent solution that will prevent cats from digging up your plants, keeping your flowers safe from other threats as well. It is an affordable way of protecting their beauty.
Sprinklers
Motion-activated sprinklers are an excellent way to keep cats away from your flower garden. When these sprinklers detect motion, they spray a cold stream of water onto them – an effective yet humane approach which won’t harm either flowers or plants!
Use cat-repelling plants in your garden. Rue, lavender, lemongrass, pennyroyal, lemon thyme and geraniums all emit an unpleasant odor that cats will find unpleasant; additionally you could sprinkle dried citrus peels or essential oils throughout the area for further effect.
Purchase mats or chicken wire that you place around your flower bed to discourage cats from scratching it, providing a quick solution that requires little work but may look unsightly or be uncomfortable for cats.
Chicken wire
Cats that linger near flowerbeds can be an enormously disruptive presence. They dig up flowers, defecate on them and even hunt songbirds – but there are humane solutions you can take to keep them away from your garden.
One solution is to spray your garden with vinegar, which will make it smell bad to cats and deter them from returning. Citrus peels may also work; however, these may become moldy over time and attract flies; therefore they’re less than ideal options.
Cover your flower bed with chicken wire to deter cats from entering it and prevent entry of pesticides or chemicals that harm plants. Furthermore, this option doesn’t require any chemical applications for setup or operation – all with zero impact to plants!
Bird netting
Cats can cause significant damage to gardens and flowerbeds when they dig, urinate and destroy plants. Luckily, there are multiple humane ways you can use to keep cats out of your flower garden; just remember one method may not work for every cat so employ multiple approaches at the same time to build an impregnable barrier around your flowers.
One effective way to deter cats from your garden is with scent deterrents such as lavender, lemon thyme and rue herbs, or you could try placing small ammonia-filled bottles around flowerbeds buried behind flowers; or consider planting marigolds which don’t emit an offensive aroma and blend in seamlessly with the mulch.
Tape
Cats can ruin flower beds by digging and pooping in them or eating the flowers, but you have options available to you to keep them out, including plant repellents and barriers. These techniques should be safe both for cats and plants when combined effectively;
Scent deterrents can also help prevent cats from digging up flowerbeds. Place citrus peels around your garden as an effective deterrent – however, over time these will decompose and become less potent, so they must be replaced frequently to remain effective.
Other scent-based deterrents that work to protect cats include mothballs and ammonia. As ammonia may be harmful if swallowed or inhaled by cats or other animals, it’s wise to avoid its use.