Cats can cause havoc to flower gardens with their destructive behavior, but there are safe odor and physical deterrents you can use to safeguard them.
Spread pinecones, brush or twigs over the soil surface to make it more difficult for cats to navigate it. Also plant thorny shrubs such as roses, holly or perennial geraniums as they will make an effective barrier.
Cat Deterrent Sprays
Cats make excellent companions and aid with pest control, yet can be devastating to gardens and flowerbeds. Cats dig, leave behind deposits, chew plants and use flowers as soft napping spots – leaving behind holes or debris behind that becomes their playground. To stop your garden becoming one of their playgrounds, try installing safe odor deterrents or physical barriers to keep these pesky creatures at bay.
Common kitchen spices such as orange and lemon peels, vinegar, chili pepper flakes and mustard seeds can all work to deter cats from your garden. If you want an all-natural solution instead of chemical sprays such as ground pepper, try the latter as an effective deterrent instead.
There are various plants that deter cats, such as mint, rosemary, thyme, rue and lavender; as well as flowers with thorns or prickly foliage like sea holly, globe thistle and tropical grevillea. Oregano contains natural compounds which irritate cats’ respiratory systems and make them less interested in places where it grows.
Cat Repellents
Many gardeners welcome cats into their space, but occasionally they can use the flower beds like litter boxes or chew on plants’ leaves, making your flowers and vegetables uninviting to them. Utilizing repellents in your garden may help deter cats from harming both flowers and vegetables.
Make your garden an uncomfortable environment for cats by covering it with coarse mulch (which benefits soil health), chicken wire or plastic fencing – these methods deter cats by making walking painful for them and can save time while saving you from collecting poop in flower beds!
Attack a cat’s sense of smell with scent repellents such as citrus peels, coffee grounds and lavender oil to dissuade it from coming close. Pinecones, nut shells and sticks with sharp points may also serve to discourage digging in your garden. Another nontoxic method involves filling jars with dilute ammonia before burying them; both cats and dogs dislike ammonia’s pungent aroma, so using this approach could deter cats. Finally, Coleus canina (commonly known by its popular nickname of Scardy-Cat plant) has pungent scent which dissuades cats from coming close – deterring digging altogether!
Cat Barriers
As opposed to physical deterrents such as rocks, sticks, and pine cones which could harm your plants or be eaten up by other animals, using a cat barrier may be more effective in blocking access for cats. Examples include layers of coarse mulch or chicken wire embedded into soil preventing cats from climbing into flowerbeds and window boxes, or netting that prevents cats from crawling into them.
Plants that don’t appeal to cats, such as Russian sage and lavender, or those with prickly leaves such as Nepeta (catmint), may help keep cats out of your garden. You could also place strips of plastic bird netting over seedbeds and the edges of flower beds to prevent cats from digging up soil and disrupting seedbeds and flowerbeds.
Rosemary — also known as Scaredy Cat or Pee-Off Plant — can also help deter cats by emitting an unpleasant scent that repels them. Easy to grow in any garden setting and perfect as low-height borders or hedges.
Cat Traps
Cats make wonderful pets for their owners, yet can become destructive pests when left to their own devices in gardens and flowerbeds. Instead of resorting to harmful sprays or barriers, trapping cats that invade your space may provide the solution.
Place traps where cats have been seen scratching at the dirt. Line their bottoms with paper, cloth or vent cover to camouflage their presence and help calm cats once trapped. Be sure to withhold food prior to setting any traps so that the animal is hungry before setting one in place.
People often swear that placing ground black pepper or cayenne pepper around the perimeter of a flowerbed works to deter cats. It’s an inexpensive solution without scent or bothersome odor that blends right in with soil and mulch. Other cat deterrents may include orange peels, coffee grounds or vinegar-soaked cotton balls; and gardeners have even used marigolds as cat deterrents because they’re easy to grow while adding a pop of color and vibrancy to the garden!