The Fragrant Plant That'll Keep Squirrels Out Of Your Garden

Planting flower bulbs each fall brings a satisfying bloom of perennial flowers to your spring garden. But many a gardener has been frustrated when their neat rows of bulbs are found in chaos from the foraging of that cute garden menace, the squirrel. These natural diggers will go after your bulbs during fall and winter and snack on your flowers in spring, nibbling on favorites such as tulips and crocuses. Among the many tricks you can try to help make a squirrel-free garden possible, planting a particularly unsavory bulb, the hyacinth, can make these pests think twice about chowing down.

Hyacinths (Hyacinthus orientalis) are non-native, perennial flowers that originate from the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Their showy and fragrant blooms come early in the spring, forming tall, densely layered flower clusters ranging in color from deep purply-blue to light pink. Inviting to the eye but not to the touch, both the bulbs and the blooms contain calcium oxalate raphides, which are tiny crystals of irritant toxic to squirrels, pets, and people (which is why you must wear gloves to plant these bulbs). Hyacinth flowers are especially pungent, with a strong, sweet smell not everyone loves, including squirrels. As such, planting a ring of hyacinth around your garden beds may make squirrels think twice about entering to munch on your harvest.

Hyacinth — and the more diminutive (but unrelated) grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) — both contain the toxins that deter squirrels and can be planted in the fall among your other bulbs in an effort to stop them from ravaging your garden. The flowers will return year after year in growing zones 4 to 8, as they enjoy a cold winter. They are relatively low-maintenance plants that need the basics of sun, moisture, and well-drained soil. These perennials will easily thrive if you avoid some common mistakes when planting hyacinths, such as putting them in too shady a spot or forgetting to deadhead old blooms. 

Even if squirrels don't favor the toxic bulbs, know that they and other rodents may still dig them up and sample a bite. To further protect your freshly planted bulbs in the fall and humanely banish squirrels from your garden, consider covering your planted bulbs with a chicken-wire cage or prickly branches. Similarly, planting other squirrel-deterring plants in your garden that pair well with hyacinths, such as garlic and onion, will also go a long way toward keeping these pests away from your other prized blooms.