Could curry plants help keep cats out of your garden?
Cats may be lovely, but finding that a neighbourhood cat has been digging or using your flower beds as a toilet can be frustrating.
If you are looking for a natural and humane deterrent, a strongly scented curry plant could be worth trying.
What is a curry plant?
Helichrysum italicum, commonly known as the curry plant, is a small, bushy evergreen shrub.
It has attractive silvery-grey foliage with a distinctive curry-like fragrance. Clusters of small yellow flowers appear during summer, adding colour and interest to borders and containers.
Curry plants grow best in:
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A warm, sunny position
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Well-drained soil
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Sheltered borders
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Gravel gardens
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Containers and courtyard gardens
Protect them from excessive winter wet and cold, drying winds.
Can curry plants deter cats?
Some gardeners believe the strong aroma produced by curry plants discourages cats from spending time nearby.
Try positioning several plants around the edges of flower beds or close to the areas cats regularly visit. Planting shrubs fairly close together can also reduce the amount of exposed soil available for digging.
Results will vary between individual cats, so curry plants cannot be guaranteed to keep them away. They are best used as part of a combination of humane deterrents.
Other ways to discourage cats
You could also try:
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Covering exposed soil with pebbles or stones
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Placing twigs between plants to make digging more difficult
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Planting borders more densely
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Keeping bird food above ground level
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Using a gentle motion-activated water spray
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Keeping outdoor bins securely closed
Avoid anything that could frighten excessively, injure or poison a visiting cat.
Locally grown curry plants
We grow our curry plants at our local growing site less than 20 miles from Coletta & Tyson Garden Centre.
Even if they do not deter every determined visitor, their silvery foliage, summer flowers and distinctive scent make them an attractive addition to sunny borders, gravel gardens and containers.
Visit us in Woodmansey, near Beverley and Hull, to explore our locally grown plants and find more friendly advice for your garden.