9 Best Plants That Repel Snakes to Keep Your Garden Safe

Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil

Worried about venomous snakes hiding in your bushes? Here are the best plants that repel snakes to keep your garden safe.

Let’s face it, snakes are frightening because they can strike. And, in addition to the sting and pain, they can be poisonous as well. In some cases, their bite can be deadly if not treated immediately.

As such, it is important to keep your yard safe from these creatures that may just come out of nowhere to harm your family.

Are Snakes Bad for Your Garden?

Snakes get a bad rap because of the harm they can cause to people. But, like all creatures on this earth, they serve a purpose.

In the garden, they help eliminate rodent infestations and other problems that can wipe out entire crop harvests.

But, while they can be helpful ecologically, safety of your family takes priority.

As such, getting rid of snakes is essential. And, unless you can identify them to tell which are poisonous or not, its not a good idea to have them lurking around.

What Do Snakes Hate

When it comes to getting rid of snakes, one of the easiest ways to do so is to grow plants that repel snakes.

This way, you don’t need a snake wrangler or hire professionals to do the job.

The plants will do it for you.

Better yet, it’s a hands-off kind of thing since you don’t need to even get close to any dangerous creatures.

Snakes have a strong sense of smell.

They don’t have noses. So, they use their tongues instead. They do so by using their tongue to collect the molecules.

Thus, using strong scented plants whose smells they dislike is a very effective way.

Similarly, snakes are afraid of certain shaped plants. Often, these are the long, sharp leaved ones.

As you’ll see below, you can easily grow these plants in the border or edges of your garden to keep snakes away.

Finally, there’s your garden environment. This has more to do with landscaping than growing specific plants.

Rocks, debris and wood piles around your home or garden are attractions to snakes.

Best Plants That Repel Snakes to Keep Your Garden Safe

Marigold

Marigolds are beautiful to look at because of their bright, colorful blooms. But, traditionally, they’ve made their place in the garden because of their ability to deter pests and other critters.

Marigolds, have an odor which repels snakes and other pests that are bothersome to gardeners.

Their roots also dig deep and grow aggressively which keeps underground nuisance like moles and gophers away.

These grow to between 4 to 36 inches tall. They enjoy full sun and are less picky about the soil.

Their flowers bloom in the summer. And, you can choose between all sorts of warm colors including red, yellow and orange just to name a few.

Mother in Law’s Tongue

Snakes are scary and imposing creatures to us humans. So, if you want to keep them away, you’ll need something that scares them as well.

And that’s where the Mother in Law’s Tongue comes in.

Yeah, it’s not what you’re thinking. That’s a different mother in law’s tongue that puts spouses at unease in family reunions. But, they’re just as imposing and frightening.

Anyways, the mother in law’s tongue plant is better known as the snake plant. And, it features sturdy, bright colored, upright standing foliage that are scary to snakes.

Thus, in addition to using odors to repel them, the appearance of certain plants does the same.

The best part about the snake plant is that its very easy to care for and will tolerate lots of neglect without dying on you.

West Indian Lemongrass

Lemongrass is well known for its fragrance. This is the reason why you see chefs in cooking shows use it to bring aroma and flavor to various cuisines.

It is this same citrus scent that keeps snakes away. Incidentally, it also repels mosquitoes. The latter hates the odor which keeps you and your family safe from the pesky blood suckers.

Thus, while lemongrass isn’t the prettiest one in our list of best plants that repel snakes, it does an amazing job in keeping many different sorts of pests, critters and dangerous animals away from your garden.

This lets your kids and pets enjoy time there without the risk of harm.

Mugwort

Mugworth (Artemisia vulgaris) is known for its medicinal use. But, it also attracts butterflies and bees in the garden.

The good news is, its strong aroma also keeps snakes at bay.

However, there’s one thing worth knowing about this plant. It is an invasive weed because it is able to spread very quickly in some parts of the country. Planting them in the garden can cause them to overwhelm and choke out some of your other plants near it.

Thus, you have a couple of options if you want to use it for repelling snakes.

Check to see if it is invasive in your locale. It may not be. And, if that’s the case, then it is safe to use without the risk of becoming a weed.

Grow it in a container. This will keep it away from the other plants. And, you can still place then in strategic locations to deter snakes and other pests.

Garlic and Onion

If you want to keep snakes away from your vegetable patch or beds, consider these alliums. As you already know, both garlic and onion have distinctive smells. This is why they’re so valuable in the kitchen.

They now only create an enticing aroma but also add amazing flavors to food.

That said, their strong scent is also what repels snakes as well. The slithering creatures hate the odor. It also confuses them.

Thus, both garlic and onion are great additions to any vegetable garden.

Pink Agapanthus

Pink Agapanthus is also known as Tulbaghia violacea. These are plants that repel snakes thanks to their garlic scent that emanates from its leaves.

That said, they feature beautiful blooms that look like fragrant lilacs. The flowers grow up to 2 feet high and blossom in late summer or early fall.

In some parts of the world they are used to make soups and included in salads.

They are hardy to USDA zones 7 to 10 and enjoy full sun.

Yucca

Yucca repels snakes much like mother in law’s tongue does. Its sharp appearance frightens them.

And, it doing so, it will help keep your garden or backyard safe from these venomous creatures.

There are over 40 different species under this genus.

Because of their size, they’re best suited for the outdoors. This means you need to give it enough room to grow.

Yuccas are very resilient plants. They are drought tolerant and tough. But, they are susceptible to too much water. Thus, be careful not to do this too frequently or give it too much at a time.

Indian Snakeroot

Indian Snakeroot is native to many South Asian countries including India and Pakistan.

They have medicinal uses as well and are often used as an antiseptic and for hypertension.

The plant repels snakes because of its scent. And, it is said that it can be used to treat venomous snake bites.