How to protect flower beds from animals: radical ways

Not only people like to relax in the garden. Animals also like to lie down in the shade of a flower bed, but in doing so, they can break and crush the plants you have so carefully grown there.

To protect the results of their labor, gardeners have come up with several ways to combat the desire of cats, dogs, and other four-legged animals to play in the garden. OBOZ.UA has collected their tips.

Spiked barriers

Sharp spikes can discourage a dog from urinating on garden trees or a cat from digging in a flower bed. To create a natural barrier around trees, you can plant a thorny plant near the trunk, from barberry or prickly pears to rose bushes. Cut branches with thorns will also be a fairly reliable barrier. If you don't want your pet to get hurt, choose plastic spikes. They are not as sharp, but they are still unlikely to be pleasant for the animal.

Scent barriers

Animals cannot tolerate certain odors, and you can use this to protect your garden. For example, sprinkle a path of hot pepper around your dog's favorite tree or bush. But it's better to lay it on an impermeable base, because the substances in the spice may not have the best effect on the soil. By the way, growing hot pepper varieties near a flower garden can also wean your pet off digging in the flowerbed.

Other scents that animals don't like include vinegar or essential oils of citrus fruits. Scatter orange or lemon peels in the flowerbed and replace them as they dry. You can also spray apple cider vinegar or 5 percent acetic acid near the plants. This treatment will need to be repeated after each rain. There are also ready-made repellents based on natural scents that you can buy at gardening stores.

Wire mesh

If you cover the flowerbed with a regular wire mesh with large meshes and then disguise it with mulch or a thin layer of soil, it will definitely be a pleasant surprise for an animal that decides to make a mess of the flowerbed. Lay the mesh so that the plants can fit through the holes and cover it with a camouflage layer.

Noise barrier

Animals do not like unexpected loud noises. Therefore, foil laid on a flower bed can be an extremely unpleasant surprise for them. So unpleasant that the cat or dog will not want to try to get to the same place again.

Correction of behavior

Animals can dig in the ground for various reasons. For example, dogs often do it to find coolness, and cats may be attracted to certain plants. To discourage them from your flower garden, set up a separate area in the garden for your pets. This can be a small bed of catnip or a shaded area where a bowl of fresh water and toys are always waiting. Don't forget to play with your cat in a place where it is free to roam and frolic, and it will get used to it.

Physical barriers

In the end, placing a low wattle fence around the flower bed or even just putting up a taut rope can scare your pet away. Not everyone will be thrilled with the idea of jumping over this fence every time. The dog can be trained not to approach it by giving it appropriate commands during walks and rewarding it for the right behavior.

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