Marigold is a fragrant flower that grows easily everywhere and is used in home decoration. This type of flower increases the beauty of your garden significantly and has many benefits. In this article, we will discuss whether the marigolds repel squirrels.
Will marigolds repel squirrels?
The Marigold is especially popular for its color and vibrance, blooms, and fragrance. Due to the diversity of its characteristics, marigold is mostly chosen by gardeners. The sharp aroma of marigold flowers spread around in the garden very easily which helps to repel squirrels and other rodents.
Squirrels are a common type of rodent seen in localities. These small animals enjoy tree nuts, plant seeds, and other foods as a part of their daily diet. But sometimes they can be a matter of trouble when they enter your garden and steal food from the plants.
That is why you need to think about something that will repel squirrels from your garden. So, a marigold can be a good option. The Marigold grows best in full sun and is good as a squirrel repellant.
There are over 51 species of marigolds that grow up to six inches tall. The marigolds are available in yellow, cream, and orange colors. The strong scent of marigold deters squirrels.
As a result, planting the scented variants of marigolds will help to repel squirrels and other rodents from your garden. Below is a brief discussion on whether Marigolds can repel different types of squirrels:
Ground squirrels:
Though it is entertaining to see squirrels roaming and playing on the ground, sometimes they can be harmful because they can easily invade the garden and damage the plants.
The squirrels love to eat nuts and acorns so they eventually invade the garden and damage the trees. But due to the strong smell of Marigold, they will not be interested in entering the garden anymore.
Flying squirrels:
Marigolds are effective to keep flying squirrels away as well. They are mostly found in dark places which is why the flying squirrels invade the garden at night.
So, planting marigolds throughout the garden will prevent the flying squirrels from invading the garden and keep it in good condition.
Are marigolds squirrel repellent?
Marigolds are an effective option to repel squirrels. There are almost 51 species of marigold that exist. The marigold has a sharp smell that deters the squirrels from entering your garden because the squirrels cannot resist the bitter smell.
As a result, most gardeners choose to plant marigolds in the gardens to increase the beauty of the garden as well as keep the squirrels away from the garden. The scented variant of the marigolds is the best squirrel repellent.
They spread a smell throughout the garden that the humans will love but will prevent the squirrels from entering the garden. As a result, your garden will be safe from squirrels.
In addition to that, the squirrels love to eat seeds and acorns which is why they often invade your garden. So, you need to plant marigolds surrounding the garden to let them spread a beautiful smell that will deter the squirrels.
3 reasons why marigolds repel squirrels
The squirrels can be a big trouble to your garden because of their food-stealing characteristics. They usually invade the garden when in search of food and eat the seeds and plants to maintain their daily diet.
As a result, some trees in your garden get damaged. That is why you can plant marigolds to keep squirrels away from the garden. There are a variety of options to choose from when planting the marigold.
The benefits of planting marigolds are also vast. Below are some reasons why marigolds repel squirrels:
It has a strong smell:
The significant characteristic of marigolds is that the flower spreads a strong smell within a specific area that deters the squirrels. The squirrels cannot resist the smell so they stay away from the garden.
The trees can be a good barrier:
The marigold trees can be a good barrier to keep the squirrels away from the plants that can be damaged.
The leaves are toxic to squirrels:
Apart from having a strong aroma, the marigold plants and leaves are also toxic to squirrels which is why they avoid it.
What marigolds repel squirrels?
The squirrels love to eat seeds and acorns. So, they come to your garden in search of food and damage the plants by eating seeds and herbs from them. As a result, your garden loses its beauty.
So, you may need to think of something that will repel the squirrels out of your garden. Planting marigolds is the best solution to that. There are almost 51 species of marigold that help to deter squirrels from your garden.
The specialty of Marigold is the scent of the flowers that keeps the squirrels away from your garden. The strong pungent aroma is usually spread around the garden. As a result, the squirrels are unable to resist this smell.
There is a different type of scented variant of marigolds that keeps the squirrels away. Some variants are discussed below:
Vanilla Marigold:
The scented variants of marigolds help to deter squirrels away from the garden. The vanilla Marigold has a strong pungent aroma that the squirrels cannot resist.
It spreads its smell around the garden and prevents the squirrels from entering it.
Mexican Marigold:
Mexican marigolds have excessively strong-smelling characteristics that efficiently keep the squirrels away from the garden.
In addition to that, the Mexican Marigold plants also can be used as a barrier around the garden to prevent squirrels from entering it.
African Marigold:
The African Marigold has quite a similar fragrance capability to the French Marigold. They not only repel squirrels but also help to keep insect pests and nematodes away from the garden.
Do squirrels like or dislike marigolds?
The squirrels usually dislike marigolds because of their scent. There are almost 51 species of marigolds that are mostly chosen by gardeners. The Marigold adds beauty to your garden as well as a beautiful smell.
The scented variant marigolds are disliked by the squirrels because they cannot resist the strong pungent aroma of Marigold. As a result, they cannot enter the garden to eat seeds and damage the plants.
Planting marigolds can be a great option to keep the squirrels away from your garden. You can simply plant marigolds around the garden to use as a barrier to keep the squirrels away.
The Marigold flowers spread the smell when they bloom and this smell remains in the area for a long time. As a result, any ground squirrel or flying squirrel cannot enter the garden and damage plants.
Do squirrels eat marigold plants and flowers?
Squirrels cannot stand the smell of marigolds. As a result, they don’t even get closer to the plants. The marigolds spread a strong smell that deters the squirrel and keeps them away from the garden for a long time.
In some cases, you might think that the squirrels may eat the plants, but the leaves and flowers are also toxic to the squirrels, as a result, they cannot eat them as well. You can plant marigolds to keep the squirrels away from your garden.
It is highly recommended to plant the scented variants because they spread a strong aroma that remains intact for a long time in the garden.
How to keep squirrels away naturally with marigolds?
Squirrels are a type of rodent that is commonly found in the localities and the trees. These squirrels usually love to eat acorns and seeds.
Sometimes when searching for food, they might invade your beautifully decorated garden and damage the plant by eating seeds from it.
It may become troublesome for you to maintain your garden and keep them away from the squirrels. There are many ways to keep squirrels away from the garden.
Considering the natural way, you can simply plant some trees that spread smell because the squirrels cannot resist the strong smell. Planting Marigold is an ideal option to keep the squirrels away from your garden.
Simply follow these steps to keep the squirrels naturally away from the garden and marigolds:
Plant marigolds inside the garden:
It is important to plant the marigolds inside the garden so that each plant can cover a specific area by spreading its smell. This way the squirrels won’t be able to enter the garden easily.
Sprinkle mustard on the soil:
You can also sprinkle mustard on the garden soil because it spreads a strong smell that the squirrels cannot stand.
Spray white vinegar on plants:
Finally, spray white vinegar on the plants and the leaves to prevent the squirrels from eating them.
Final Thoughts
The marigolds are an effective option to repel the squirrels because it spreads a strong smell around the garden that resists the squirrels from entering it. There are almost 51 variants of marigolds available, but the scented ones work best to prevent the squirrels from invading the garden.