Do Gophers Like Lavender Plants

Do gophers like lavender plants? The short answer is generally no, as gophers tend to avoid lavender due to its strong scent and taste.
 
If you’ve been battling these furry diggers in your yard, you might have wondered if planting lavender near gopher tunnels will keep them away.
 
The truth is that while gophers might not like lavender plants as a food source, they can still burrow right past them if they’re hungry enough.
 
In this post, we’ll dig into whether gophers like lavender plants, why they avoid them in most cases, and how you can use lavender as part of your gopher defense strategy.
 
Let’s get started so you can protect your garden from these underground pests.
 

Why Gophers Generally Avoid Lavender Plants

So, do gophers like lavender plants? The evidence suggests they don’t, and it all comes down to the plant’s natural defenses.
 
Gophers are herbivores with a strong preference for tender, moist roots and shoots, but lavender offers none of those appealing qualities.
 
Here’s why gophers tend to skip lavender plants in favor of tastier options in your garden.
 

1. The Strong Aroma Works as a Natural Repellent

Lavender is packed with essential oils like linalool and camphor, which give it that signature, calming fragrance.
 
To a gopher’s highly sensitive nose, that same pleasant aroma is overwhelming and off-putting.
 
Since gophers rely heavily on smell to locate food and navigate their tunnels, the intense scent of lavender can confuse or deter them.
 
That’s why many gardeners report that gophers don’t seem to like lavender plants enough to munch on them.
 

2. The Bitter, Woody Taste Is Unappealing

Even if a curious gopher takes a nibble of lavender roots or stems, the taste doesn’t reward the effort.
 
Lavender has a somewhat bitter, resinous flavor that contrasts sharply with sweet carrots, juicy bulbs, or tender grass roots.
 
Gophers are pretty smart when it comes to foraging, and they quickly learn which plants taste good and which ones don’t.
 
Because gophers don’t like lavender plants’ flavor, they’ll usually move on to a more palatable food source nearby.
 

3. Lavender’s Woody Stems and Roots Aren’t Easy to Eat

Gophers prefer soft, succulent plant material that they can pull underground with minimal effort.
 
Lavender plants have tough, woody stems and a fibrous root system that isn’t nearly as appealing to chew.
 
While gophers like lavender plants is a common question, the reality is the plant’s texture makes it a poor meal for these rodents.
 
Even a determined gopher may avoid the effort required to break through lavender’s tough structure.
 

When Gophers Might Not Like Lavender Plants Enough to Stay Away

While gophers generally avoid lavender, you can’t rely on it as a foolproof barrier because they don’t magically disappear.
 
These critters are driven by survival, so if your garden is their only buffet, they might tunnel under or around lavender patches.
 
Here are the key situations where gophers like lavender plants less, but still won’t abandon your yard completely.
 

1. Food Scarcity Forces Them to Take Risks

If natural food sources are scarce, gophers may become bolder and sample plants they normally wouldn’t touch.
 
In these cases, gophers don’t like lavender plants as a first choice, but they might eat the roots if starvation is a real threat.
 
That means lavender alone won’t protect your prized roses or vegetables if the gopher population is high.
 

2. They Could Simply Tunnel Right Past Lavender

Remember, gophers live underground, and their primary goal is digging networks of tunnels to find food.
 
They won’t necessarily stop digging just because they encounter a lavender root while burrowing along.
 
Even if they don’t like lavender plants’ taste, they’ll just push through the soil and continue on to more appetizing roots nearby.
 
So you might notice gopher mounds right next to your lavender bushes, which makes it seem like the plant isn’t working.
 

3. Lavender Is Not a Poison or Lethal Deterrent

Some people wonder if lavender has a toxic effect on gophers, but that’s a misconception.
 
Lavender won’t kill gophers, it just doesn’t appeal to their palate when tastier options exist.
 
If you have a heavy gopher infestation, thinking that gophers like lavender plants will solve everything is a mistake.
 

How to Use Lavender Plants to Deter Gophers Effectively

Now that you know gophers don’t really like lavender plants, you can use this knowledge strategically in your garden.
 
Lavender isn’t a magic bullet, but when combined with other methods, it can be a helpful part of your defense plan.
 

1. Plant Lavender as a Border or Barrier

Create a perimeter of lavender around the areas you want to protect, like your vegetable beds or flower gardens.
 
When gophers approach, they’ll encounter the dense, aromatic lavender first, and their noses will tell them to move elsewhere.
 
This works best as a deterrent because it creates a smelly, unappetizing ring around your most valuable plants.
 
Just make sure the lavender ring is thick enough, at least a few plants deep, to give gophers a strong signal.
 

2. Pair Lavender with Physical Barriers

Since you can’t fully trust that gophers like lavender plants will keep them out, add a physical layer of protection.
 
Install underground wire mesh or hardware cloth around your garden beds, burying it at least 18 to 24 inches deep.
 
Plant lavender around your garden to discourage gophers while the mesh provides a reliable backstop.
 
This one-two punch ensures that even if a gopher braves your lavender border, it can’t actually reach your plants.
 

3. Use Lavender’s Aroma in Other Forms

You don’t have to rely only on living lavender plants to repel gophers from underground tunnels.
 
You can drop dried lavender clippings, essential oil-soaked cotton balls, or crushed lavender leaves into active gopher tunnels.
 
This intensifies the scent in their pathways and may encourage them to abandon those tunnels altogether.
 
It’s a handy trick if you don’t want to commit your whole garden to lavender but still want to leverage its repellent properties.
 

4. Combine Lavender with Other Gopher-Resistant Plants

Try planting lavender alongside other natural deterrents like marigolds, daffodils, or castor bean plants.
 
Each of these plants has its own strong scent or toxic properties that gophers dislike, creating a multi-sensory barrier.
 
The more unappealing options you offer, the less likely gophers will want to stick around your garden.
 

So, Do Gophers Like Lavender Plants?

Do gophers like lavender plants? No, they don’t like lavender plants, and these furry pests will generally avoid eating them.
 
The strong scent, bitter taste, and tough texture make lavender an unappealing snack for gophers.
 
However, this doesn’t mean lavender is a guaranteed solution to your gopher problem because they dig out of pure instinct.
 
The best approach is to treat lavender as a useful deterrent in a broader gopher control strategy.
 
Now you know the truth about gophers and lavender, so you can plant with confidence and protect your garden smarter.