The Popular Low-Maintenance Plant That May Be Attracting Snakes To Your Yard

If you're not careful, you could be unwittingly growing things that are attracting snakes to your yard, like your favorite ornamental plant. Hostas, also called plantain lilies, are a family of herbaceous perennials native to Asia with a wide variety of cultivars. Despite its beautiful variations, including lovely flowers, colors, and shapes, hostas create a very friendly environment for snakes. A lot of its ability to attract snakes comes down mainly to the growing conditions hostas thrive in. By planting hostas, you're investing in a long-lived addition to your outdoor curb appeal. 

Although they can invite unwelcome visitors to your yard, hostas are popular among gardeners. Their easy upkeep makes them a sought after perennial, especially for landscaping around decks, pools, trees, and walkways. The flowers that bloom also attract more pleasing visitors to your garden, including hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Many unique and interesting cultivars from the hosta family also provide beautiful flowers for a shaded garden.

Hostas grow best in moist, fertile soil with a little light shade. These conditions are also extremely pleasant for different species of snake. Cozy spaces are perhaps the most common place snakes hide in your yard. By growing a bed of hostas, you are cultivating a space in your yard that snakes will love. Other creatures will congregate near your hosta beds, too. Slugs, insects, and even some rodents enjoy the coverage offered by this plant's green leaves. Snakes will be further attracted by the potential for an easy meal. 

The arching foliage of many hosta species form the perfect damp shelter that snakes seek out. Shaded by the leaves of the hosta plant, snakes can rest during really warm summer days. Hostas are also shade-loving perennials that brighten up shaded areas of your garden, which means you'll often grow them in cool areas that snakes automatically seek out. 

If you're not a fan of snakes making your hostas their home away from home, remember to stay on top of your garden bed maintenance. Grooming the large, thick leaves of your plants periodically can limit available hiding spots. Discard dead leaves that fall off the plant in late fall and there will be fewer pests that attract snakes, too. If a snake cannot find a good spot out of sight, they will probably go somewhere else.