Protecting your flowers from unexpected feline visits needn’t be a never-ending battle – there are a few simple techniques you can employ to keep cats out while still reaping the fruits of your labor.
One method involves installing a cat fence; another method entails scattering your garden area with scent repellents such as mothballs or citrus peels to deter cats.
Place a Scarecrow
Scarecrows have long been used by homeowners and gardeners as an effective deterrent against cats from getting into flower gardens. You can make one yourself by placing a stick into the ground and attaching its head from something that won’t easily be damaged – such as an old pillowcase.
Use chicken wire or another stiff object that makes the scarecrow difficult for cats to access as its body. Add decorative touches, such as colorful duct tape or straw hats for aesthetic reasons as well as deterrence against pests.
If you want to add noise makers to your scarecrow, aluminum pie pans or strips of plastic can be used as noisemakers when the wind blows. Other accessories, like spoons, sticks, and wheelbarrows can further scare off any plant-nibbling animals that come close.
Cover the Flower Beds with Mesh Cloth
Cats have the ability to dig in flowerbeds, destroy plants by chewing, and use soft spots for napping. There are safe methods available for repelling cats from your garden to protect both the plants and bedding while not harming or hurting the cats themselves.
Implement plants known to repel cats into your landscape design such as rosemary, lavender, Scaredy Cat Plant (Coleus Caninus), sage, citronella lemon balm and eucalyptus to deter their presence. You could also create an effective barrier with crushed pine cones around the edges of gardens or flowerbeds.
An effective way to keep cats out of your flower garden is securing it with garden staples every few feet along its length, as this will prevent cats from digging underneath it and accessing your flowers and vegetables.
Place Objects with Strong Odors
Cats love playing in gardens and flower beds because their loose soil makes digging easy. To stop cats trampling your plants, cover it with material they find repellant; such as prickly mulch like twigs, rose hips or perennial geraniums will deter felines.
Plants with strong odors will also deter cats. Citrus scents repel cats, so scatter orange, lemon and grapefruit peelings around your garden to repel cats. Coffee grounds, vinegar, eucalyptus oil and lavender spray may also work effectively.
Place old, sticky tape in areas where you wish to prevent cats from accessing your flowers, and it should deter them. Cats attempt to paw at it but only experience pain – perfect solution!
Place Objects with Sharp Edges
Installing chicken wire fences is an effective way of keeping cats away from your garden. The wire is sturdy and hard for cats to penetrate. In addition, you could install a motion activated sprinkler which sprays water at cats when they approach, providing high frequency sound irritants which might make them reconsider coming back.
Planting cat-repelling flowers like catnip or perennial geraniums may also prove effective at keeping cats out of your garden. These plants contain chemicals designed to drive cats away.
Cats prefer smooth surfaces when walking on them; protecting your flowerbeds with pebbles or chicken wire will prevent cats from trampling your soil and trampling on plants’ leaves, plus window boxes and urns as well.
Train Your Cat
As difficult as it may be to prevent local cats or your own from using your garden as their toilet, doing so will allow you to spend weekend tending your veg patch without pulling out piles of poo! Bird netting or chicken wire covered in mulch are effective tools for deterring cats.
Implementing some cat-friendly elements, like a sand-style litter box and catnip, can also aid. Furthermore, creating perching spots at higher heights so cats can see around is also useful – stack some crates or attach shelves to fences as perching spots for this purpose. Since cats like exploring different textures with their paws, creating winding pathways through your flower garden with stepping stones and soft mulch might help them explore its contents with greater ease.