Rodents (mice, rats, voles, squirrels, and gophers) frequently inhabit residential and garden spaces, causing significant damage to cultivated plants. Their continuously growing incisor teeth compel them to gnaw constantly, targeting vegetation for both food and maintenance. Understanding which plants appeal most to these animals is the first step for homeowners and gardeners seeking to protect their landscapes. Identifying specific feeding habits helps determine the type of damage inflicted and informs prevention methods.
Understanding Rodent Feeding Behavior
Different rodent species exhibit distinct feeding preferences, and the part of the plant consumed often identifies the culprit. Gophers are subterranean, focusing their diet on roots and tubers encountered while tunneling. This behavior frequently results in entire plants wilting or tipping over after their root systems are severed underground.
Voles, which are often mistaken for mice, are known for creating extensive surface runways through grass and low vegetation. Meadow voles consume grasses, stems, and seeds, but in winter, they frequently gnaw on the bark and cambium layer of young trees and shrubs when snow limits other food sources. Pine voles are specialized, spending most of their time underground feeding on plant crowns and roots.
Mice and rats are highly omnivorous but prefer high-calorie items like seeds, grains, and nuts. In the garden, they target soft produce and stored food, leaving gnaw marks on stems and fruits while seeking sustenance and water. Squirrels frequently dig up and consume flower bulbs, driven by the need for food or the instinct to bury and recover winter stores.
Garden and Vegetable Favorites
Annual crops and soft produce are primary targets, offering high concentrations of carbohydrates and water. Root vegetables, a major food source for burrowing rodents, are especially vulnerable to damage.
These are frequently eaten while still in the ground, often showing gnaw marks or disappearing entirely:
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Beets
- Parsnips
- Turnips
Fruiting vegetables and soft produce also attract rodent attention, particularly as they ripen and their sugar content increases. Rats and mice will readily consume sweet corn cobs, tomatoes, squash, and pumpkins, often leaving behind tell-tale parallel grooves from their incisor teeth. Beans and peas are also susceptible to damage, with rodents consuming the seeds directly from the pods.
Plants grown for seeds or grains are prime targets for mice and rats seeking energy-dense food. Sunflowers and corn are particularly attractive, as the animals will climb or strip the stalks to reach the mature seed heads and kernels.
Landscape and Ornamental Targets
Rodents turn their attention to perennial landscape elements for storage or survival during lean times. Flower bulbs are a favorite, particularly those rich in starch like tulips, crocuses, and lilies, which squirrels and voles frequently dig up. This damage is seasonal, peaking during autumn planting or late winter when food reserves are low.
Structural plants also suffer damage, especially woody species with soft bark, which provides food and fiber in the winter months. Voles and mice gnaw away the bark and cambium layer near the base of young trees and shrubs, such as Japanese maples, often girdling the plant. The height of this gnawing damage often indicates the depth of the snow cover that allowed the rodent access to the trunk.
Ornamental trees and shrubs that produce nuts or large seeds attract squirrels and other seed-caching rodents. Acorns and pine nuts are routinely collected and buried. The presence of these plants can increase the overall rodent population, and this activity often leads to extensive digging and disturbance of garden beds.
Plants Rodents Avoid
Some plants possess natural defenses, such as strong odors, unpalatable textures, or toxic compounds, that make them unattractive to rodents. Strongly scented herbs, including mint, lavender, and rosemary, contain powerful essential oils that rodents find overwhelming. Planting these species near vulnerable areas acts as a natural deterrent.
The Allium family (garlic and onions) is widely avoided due to its pungent aroma and the presence of sulfur compounds that are irritating to rodents. These compounds can be toxic if ingested in large quantities, making the plants unappetizing.
Several ornamental plants are naturally protected by internal chemicals. Daffodils contain alkaloids that are toxic to rodents, causing them to leave the bulbs alone after a test bite. Other toxic ornamentals, like foxglove, also contain compounds that deter feeding, providing natural protection when incorporated into the landscape.