Plants That Might Just Keep Skunks Away

Most people don't like to have skunks on their property, and understandably so. When skunks are around, there is often a persistent low-level odor present, and if one of the skunks sprays, you have to find out how to get rid of the skunk smell. Skunks can also dig holes in your lawn, tip over garbage cans looking for food, and expose you to disease. All of these are very good reasons to keep skunks out of your yard. Planting flowers and vegetables in your garden that skunks don't like may help, though there is no guarantee of their effectiveness.

1. Thick Hedges

Hedges take a long time to grow, but if you are willing to make the time investment, it may benefit you in the long term. Hedges are a decorative way to delineate the boundaries of your lawn, and because they grow so closely together, they can help to keep skunks and other animals out. If the hedges are thorny, that makes them more effective as a skunk deterrent. Oregon grape plants have thorny leaves and can be grown as a hedge. Another option is to intertwine a plant with thorny leaves with a regular hedge. Mahonia and holly are examples of plants that can be intertwined with hedges in the interest of skunk deterrence.

2. Crown Imperial

The crown imperial is a striking perennial flower that comes from the Middle East. A member of the lily family, its blossoms hang downward from a tuft of leaves at the top that resembles a crown. The crown imperial comes in color variations of yellow, orange, and red. Reaching a height of up to three feet, the crown imperial is an early-blooming flower. Skunks don't like crown imperial plants because of their strong, musky odor. It may seem ironic that a skunk could be repelled by the smell of a flower, but they have sensitive noses as many other mammals do, and the smell of the crown imperial may interfere with their abilities to find food. A potential downside of planting crown imperials as a skunk deterrent is that you may find that the smell is also too strong for you.

3. Summer Squash

If you have a vegetable garden, here is a plant that you can get some use out of besides deterring skunks from your property. Summer squash is a plant that spreads out over the ground as it grows. Its leaves are covered with tiny hairs. When skunks walk over the top of the summer squash plants, their feet become irritated by the little hairs on the leaves. If they can't get into the garden without walking on the plants, they may be less likely to hang around. There are a couple of things you have to know if you are planting summer squash as a skunk deterrent. You may need some help from a skunk expert to figure out how to plant them where they will do the most good. They are an annual plant, meaning that you have to replant them every year if you want to continue to get the benefit from them. This should be a relatively simple matter once you know where they will do you the most good. Once the summer squashes ripen, you need to pick them right away. While the skunks don't like walking on the plants, they do like to eat the fruit, and providing them with a food source is counterproductive.

Contact Skedaddle for Skunk Removal in Madison

If an animal is desperate for food or shelter, it may find its way around obstacles or deterrents that you put in its path. Skunks may make dens on your property to raise babies. Our method of humane skunk removal involves placing the babies in a heated box to keep them safe until the mother can relocate them to a new den. We also clean up where the skunks have been. Contact us for skunk removal today.