
Some other plants that show up often on “gophers won’t eat” lists are columbine
Rocky Mountain Columbine
Aquilegia coerulea is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, native to the Rocky Mountains from Montana south to New Mexico and west to Idaho and Arizona. Its common name is Colorado blue columbine; sometimes it is called "Rocky Mountain columbin…
Aquilegia
Aquilegia is a genus of about 60–70 species of perennial plants that are found in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere, known for the spurred petals of their flowers.
Ceanothus
Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs or small trees in the family Rhamnaceae. Common names for members of this genus are California lilac, wild lilac, and soap bush. "Ceonothus" comes from a Greek word meaning "spiny plant", Ancient Greek: κεάνωθος, …
Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent phylogenetic research has placed it in the much enlarged fami…
Lantana
Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region. The genus includes bot…
Mimulus
Mimulus is a plant genus in the family Phrymaceae, which was traditionally placed in family Scrophulariaceae. The genus now contains only seven species, two native to eastern North America and the other five native to Asia, Australia, Africa, or Madagascar. In the past, about 150 spe…
Nandina
Nandina domestica commonly known as nandina, heavenly bamboo or sacred bamboo, is a species of flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Japan. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Nandina. It is widely grown in gardens as …
Rhaphiolepis indica
Rhaphiolepis indica, the Indian hawthorn, India hawthorn, Hong Kong hawthorn or Snow Maiden, is an evergreen shrub in the family Rosaceae.
What do Gophers hate the most?
While gophers have terrible eyesight, they have a very strong sense of smell. Gophers hate strong scents such as rosemary, sage, thyme, eucalyptus, geranium, pine, lavender, coffee grounds, peppermint oil, and castor oil. These scents mask potential food sources and irritate a gophers senses.
Do gophers like to eat peanut butter?
The best bait for gophers is fresh and succulent portions of vegetable roots and stems, or any part of their agricultural favorite plant, alfalfa. Carrot sticks, celery sticks, apples, and peanut butter are all highly attractive to gophers. Keeping this in view, what does a gopher like to eat?
Do Gophers eat Rosemary plants?
While rosemary and thyme have a pleasant smell for humans, they are very strong and gophers do not like it because it overwhelms their sensitive sense of smell. If you want to use rosemary or thyme to repel gophers you can use the plants themselves, or you can use an essential oil like Maple Holistics Undiluted Rosemary Essential Oil.
Do Gophers eat palm trees?
In short, these rodent pests tend to eat any and all types of plants—be it grasses, trees, shrubs, bulbs, roots, seeds, or tubers. Gophers also eat vegetables that grow beneath the surface. They particularly enjoy peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

What type of plants repel gophers?
Plants that repel gophers: Other plants can be used to repel gophers, such as gopher spurge (Euphorbia lathyris), crown imperials, lavender, rosemary, salvia, catmint, oleander and marigolds. Try planting a border around your flower beds or vegetable garden with these.
What do gophers not like to eat?
Rosemary and thyme are herbs often used in cooking. These bushy herbs can be planted directly into the ground or in pots or raised bed gardens. While rosemary and thyme have a pleasant smell for humans, they are very strong and gophers do not like it because it overwhelms their sensitive sense of smell.
Do gophers eat all plants?
Gophers eat a wide variety of plants, and are not particularly picky. They are known to damage everything from ornamental shrubs, flowers, and agriculture crops. What gophers eat varies with the availability of food sources around them. Gophers living in different areas may eat different plants.
What vegetables won't gophers eat?
Especially carrots, peas, potatoes and parsley, Aster, Campanula, California Poppy, Lavatera, Miscanthus, Phormium, Rose, and Salvia uliginosa.
How do I permanently get rid of gophers?
Castor oil: Mix some castor oil with water and spray it to the gopher underground channels entry and exit places wherever possible. Fish: You may use the scraped fish-fins and keep them near to the tunnels or also drop them inside. Dryer sheets: Use some dryer sheets to place them into the tunnel holes.
Do coffee grounds keep gophers away?
*Do coffee grounds keep critters away? Now, you might be wondering if the coffee grounds you easily throw away can help reduce or eliminate a gopher infestation. Yes, coffee grounds can be used on gophers, but not just gophers, other burrowing animals too. Fresh coffee grounds instantly repel garden moles as well.
How do I keep gophers from eating my plants?
You can place all sorts of natural deterrents around your property to repel gophers. Growing plants with strong smells such as sage, daffodils, iris, thyme, and geranium will repel them, for example, as will placing fish oil, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, or tabasco sauce on the ground near gopher tunnels.
Do gophers like hydrangeas?
Hydrangea (Hydrangea) Several (online) authors have stated that Hydrangea is gopher resistant.
What attracts gophers to your yard?
These pests stick around when you have moist, cool, healthy dirt. The better your lawn looks, the better chance of housing moles or gophers. They feed off of insects and plant roots.
What is the easiest way to get rid of gophers?
For a homemade remedy, mix three parts castor oil and one part dish soap. Add four tablespoons of the mixture to a gallon of water. Soak the tunnels and entrances to evict the moles and soak the holes to evict gophers. Castor oil is one of the most effective home remedies to get rid of these animals.
Will gophers eat tomato plants?
Gophers may, however, eat at the root system of a tomato if there is a shortage of food. Fruit trees are usually safe after three years. Watch out, though. The roots of a young tree are a special treat for gophers to eat!
Do onions repel gophers?
Onion Family Onions or anything from the Allium genus are said to repel gophers, and can even be beautiful. Any Allium that forms bulbs can be used, including garlic, shallots and onions.
How do I keep gophers from eating my plants?
You can place all sorts of natural deterrents around your property to repel gophers. Growing plants with strong smells such as sage, daffodils, iris, thyme, and geranium will repel them, for example, as will placing fish oil, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, or tabasco sauce on the ground near gopher tunnels.
What is gophers favorite food?
Gophers are Herbivories and prefer eating plants. Here are a gopher's favorite foods: roots, tubers (like potatoes), grasses, and seeds. They are drawn to alfalfa, dandelions, bulbs, carrots, onions, garlic, perennial ragweed, sweet clover, pricky pear cacti, and many types of flowering plants.
Do gophers like potatoes?
Gophers are herbivores, so plants and fruits top their menu. They feed underground by eating the roots of plants like alfalfa, carrots, dandelions, grasses, potatoes, radishes, tree bark, and tulips.
Will gophers eat tomatoes?
They also tend to shy away from grains such as oats and corn—their roots systems are too thick. Squashes rarely get touched by gophers, as do peppers, tomatillo, berries, and tomatoes. Gophers may, however, eat at the root system of a tomato if there is a shortage of food.
How to deter gophers from eating my plants?
One of the natural and effective ways of deterring gophers is by having daffodils planted within your surroundings. As gophers burrow through your garden, they chew on any plant they come across. With daffodils, they don’t stand a chance. A toxic chemical compound in the bulbs will easily poison these rodents.
What are some good plants to keep gophers away?
Marigolds. Marigold plants serve as effective repellents to gophers. The presence of these plants creates an unfavorable condition that limits gopher activity. The most effective way to use these plants is to populate your backyard or garden with them.
What is a gopher spurge?
Gopher spurge plants are popularly used as gopher repellents. This native European plant is called by several names including a mole plant, gopher plant, and euphorbia Lathyrus. It is a poisonous plant not only to gophers but also to humans and most animals.
How to discourage gophers?
One of the natural ways to discourage and dispel gophers is by using a catmint plant. This plant not only repels gophers but also serves as an attraction for cats. Both cats and plants help create an environment that isn’t conducive to gophers.
What plants repel gophers?
Lavender. Another plant with natural gopher repellent properties is lavender. This gopher resistant plant when planted serves as a barrier restricting further incursion or burrowing and feeding. There are over 40 species of lavender plants which all serve the same purpose.
What plants are good for a syringe?
These plants include Daffodils, Allium, Onion, Garlic, Gopher spurge, Crown imperials, and Lavender. Other plants include Rosemary, Salvia, Catmint, Oleander, Marigolds, and Euphorbias among several more.
Can gopher spurge stick to skin?
The handling of gopher spurge is likely to lead to skin irritations. This plant contains latex which can easily stick to your skin. Consider using gloves to avoid such. Medication is also essential when these irritations happen.
What do gophers eat?
While there are a lot of factors you could consider, gophers will generally eat: Alfalfa and dandelions are two of the most preferred plants that gophers will eat. Succulent vegetation. Fleshy roots of both plants and trees. Roots are generally the year-round source of food for gophers.
What plants foil gophers?
According to Penny Pawl, a master gardener who contributes a weekly column to the University of California, the following plants are ones that might foil gophers because they are not a pleasant taste to them: Nandina. Fortnight lily. Lily of the Nile. Daylilies.
Do gophers eat plants?
Unlike moles, which are omnivores, gophers only feed on plants and are strict herbivores. So in addition to the holes that they burrow, they can cause significant damage to your garden by eating away at it. There are three main ways that gophers will eat the plants in your garden:
Can you snack on pantry bugs?
When it comes to pests in your home, nowhere is off limits — including your pantry. Yes, it's true: You might not be the only one snacking on the foods you have stored away in the cupboard. Pantry bugs, which are actually called called stored product pests because they feed on products that we store for a period of time, are a relatively common nuisance, but they can be prevented if you know what to look out for and what to do.
Do cockroaches live in garbage?
Cockroaches aren't just unsettling — they're unsanitary. These common household pests often live in or near sewers, drains and garbage, bringing them into contact with a variety of germs, and they're known to carry pathogens that may cause disease. Needless to say, they're unwelcome visitors in any home.
Do gophers eat different plants?
Gophers living in different areas may eat different plants. Additionally, gophers will eat different plants at different times of the year, based on seasonal availability. And, the season may also affect how much a gopher will eat. While there are a lot of factors you could consider, gophers will generally eat:
What Are a Gopher’s Favorite Foods?
Needle and thread grass ( Hersperostipa comat a) is a perennial grass that grows in bunches and is suited to dry, sandy soils. It is a type of needlegrass that looks like a dry, tangled beard. Needle and thread grass is considered a critical range species. This grass can grow up to 4 feet. It is one of the most commonly used grasses in land reclamation and rehabilitation.
Who Are a Gopher’s Predators?
Gophers are prey for larger carnivores, including coyotes, bobcats, and snakes. Sometimes, raptors like owls and hawks will hun t gophers.
What Is a Gopher?
Gophers are small rodents who are members of the Geomyidae family. They are related to the kangaroo rat and pocket mouse. Although they are sometimes confused with groundhogs and prairie dogs, there are key differences between all those rodent species.
What are the main food sources for pocket gophers?
There, too, they found that needle and thread and scouring rush were the main food sources.
How much does a gopher weigh?
Gophers are also much smaller than groundhogs. The average gopher weighs about 2 pounds, while a groundhog weighs about 15 pounds.
Do gophers eat nut?
Gophers eating a nut. Gopher teeth are well-adapted for their vegetarian diet.
Can gophers eat grass?
They are herbivores. Studies have found that gophers can survive on a diet of just grasses, although they prefer to mix in some forbs and other flowering plant s.
Is a gopher drought tolerant?
Many are drought tolerant, and there are quite a few California natives among them. Of course, like any mammal, gophers will be more exploratory in their tastes than, say, your average insect, but the above plants are on several lists, so they are good bets. Top Picks In Shopping.
Is Algerian ivy infested with gophers?
Recently another problem has reared its furry head. The entire lot is infested with gophers. They have changed the landscape considerably. The upper third of the lot has had Algerian ivy on it for four decades, and it survived fine with no care but regular trimming around the edges - until the gophers moved in. (My husband wants me to let the ivy grow all the way down to the street below, but the neighbors don't like it and say it encourages rats.)
Do gophers dig under ivy?
Now the gophers have dug under the ivy, drying out the soil. The ivy has weakened and died in some areas, and new, previously unseen and unknown weeds are flourishing in the gaps. I presume the gophers have brought in the seeds.
Why Gophers Are Bad For Your Yard?
Gophers can cause considerable damage to your yard. The main gopher behavior that causes damage is burrowing. When gophers burrow in your yard they can cause damage to trees, shrubbery, garden beds, and other landscaping.
The Best Gopher Deterrents
Noise, flashing lights, and supersonic sounds are not effective against repelling gophers. Gophers do have eyes, unlike moles, but their eyesight is poor. Gophers also have bad hearing. This makes these methods unreliable and quite ineffective when it comes to deterring gophers from visiting your yard.
How to Use Plants That Repel Gophers
Plants like rosemary, thyme, sage, and geranium can be planted in the ground or in pots, and gophers will not like the scent. You can also use eucalyptus and pine as a plant, tree, or shrub. However, you can take advantage of the gopher deterrent properties of these strong-scented plants by using their essential oil extracts as well.
9 Scents That Keep Gophers Away
Planting aromatic plants that will keep gophers away is a great passive way of deterring these destructive critters. You can simply plant them and leave them to do their work, but just be aware they cannot protect your yard in the winter.
More Ways To Keep Gophers Away
Exclusion is another way to keep gophers away, specifically away from trees, shrubs, and garden beds. This works great in tandem with scent repellents.
How To Tell If a Gopher Hole Is Active
If you are going to be taking care of your gopher problem yourself with DIY methods, at some point you will want to know if certain gopher holes are active. That is, you will want to know if gophers are still returning to this area to either get to your gardens or eat the roots of your plants and landscaping.
Professionals Can Help Get Rid Of Gophers
Depending on where you live and how bad your gopher problem is, a professional may be a good option for helping to get gophers out of your yard. You can use our nationwide pest control finder to get in contact with a local professional for free!
