20-05-2025
Gardening experts recommend the top 5 plants that repel rats naturally
Rats can be a real pain - they chew through everything, from plants to electrical wires, and can spread potentially fatal diseases. Here's how to keep them at bay
There's nothing more unsettling than spotting a rat in your garden – these unwelcome rodents gnaw through your plants and spread disease. Thankfully, there's a simple method to keep them at bay.
Rats are notorious pests, known for devouring everything from vegetables and meat scraps to rubbish. They can also transmit unpleasant diseases, such as leptospirosis, which can lead to potentially fatal complications like Weil's Disease.
Luckily, gardening gurus suggest planting certain flora known to repel these pests, reports the Mirror.
It may seem odd, but rats detest the aroma of specific flowers and shrubs, even though they might be pleasing to our noses. To help with any infestaitons, Pure Pests has identified the top five plants for keeping rats at bay.
1. Lavender
While many of us cherish lavender for its delicate floral scent, it's a sensory nightmare for rats due to the plant's high concentration of essential oils.
An added bonus is that it attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden. This is particularly crucial given the decline in butterfly numbers in the UK, as reported by Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.
2. Mint
Humans are so fond of mint that we use it to freshen our breath. Rats, on the other hand, despise the potent freshness of mint so much that they actively avoid it.
This is because mint contains menthol and other compounds which they find unpleasant. Even better, the scent of the plant is quite strong, so it creates a wide smell-barrier which repels rats.
3. Marigold
These vibrant yellow flowers are known to have a heavy, musky smell, somewhat similar to overripe animals. While humans enjoy it, rats find their overpowering odour unpleasant.
An added bonus is that they also find the Marigold's bright colours off putting too. Rats prefer dimmer lighting and find bright lights and colours uncomfortable.
4. Catnip
This is a tip for cat-lovers. Catnip serves the dual purpose of attracting more felines to your yard, while also keeping nasty buck-toothed rodents at bay.
Catnip has a sharp, minty smell and contains the oil nepetalactone, which triggers a euphoric response in cats' brains. However, it does the opposite for rats, who are completely repelled by it.
5. Camphor plant
Camphor plants (not to be confused with the camphor tree) are gentle, leafy plants with dark fruits. Fortunately, their innocent appearance belies a rat-thwarting machine.
They have a sharp earthy scent that is often compared to Vick's Vaporub. It is also a deterrent to rats, who despise the plant.
Research shows it can even be an effective rodenticide as it causes symptoms like irritability and blurred vision in rats.
