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So, do gophers eat lavender?
The short answer is yes, gophers can and will eat lavender, but it’s not usually their first choice on the menu.
While many gardeners plant lavender hoping it will act as a natural deterrent, the truth is that a hungry gopher will often dig right past their supposed boundaries to take a nibble.
In fact, most seasoned gardeners will tell you that gophers do eat lavender more often than you’d think, especially when other food sources are scarce.
Now, this might seem confusing because you’ve probably heard that lavender is a gopher-resistant plant.
Let’s clear up that myth and dive into what really happens when a gopher discovers your lavender patch.
In this post, we’ll explore the reality of gophers eating lavender, why they might target it, how to protect your plants, and whether any lavender varieties are truly safe.
Let’s get right into the dirt, shall we?
## Why Gophers Can Eat Lavender
Gophers can eat lavender because they are opportunistic feeders, which is a fancy way of saying they’ll eat what’s available.
While gophers prefer tender roots, juicy bulbs, and succulent vegetation like alfalfa or dandelions, they don’t have a strict diet that rules out aromatic herbs.
When they encounter a lavender plant, they often test it with a small bite.
If the plant is young, tender, or stressed, that little test can turn into a full meal.
Here’s why gophers do eat lavender when you least expect it:
### 1. Extreme Hunger Overrides Taste
When a gopher is starving or facing a harsh drought, its survival instincts take over.
During these tough times, gophers will eat lavender even if the strong scent and essential oils aren’t appealing.
Your beautiful lavender plants suddenly become a survival food source, and the gopher will gnaw on the roots and lower stems without hesitation.
So, yes, gophers do eat lavender when their preferred food is gone, and they won’t waste time digging to get it.
### 2. The Roots Are Still Succulent
Even though the leaves and flowers of lavender are packed with aromatic oils, the roots are a different story.
Gophers do eat lavender roots because those underground structures hold moisture and carbohydrates.
These nutrient-rich roots are surprisingly attractive to a burrowing rodent looking for a water source.
If you find your lavender plant wilting and pulled down into the soil, it’s a clear sign a gopher has been feasting on the root system below.
### 3. Young and Newly Planted Lavender Is Vulnerable
A mature lavender plant with woody stems is less appealing to gophers because the texture is tough and fibrous.
However, gophers eat lavender shoots and tender roots when you first plant them in the ground.
Freshly planted lavender is soft, easy to chew, and packed with the moisture a gopher craves.
This is why many gardeners lose new lavender plants within a week of planting them in a gopher-prone area.
### 4. Scent Doesn’t Always Repel Them
Many people claim that the strong scent of lavender repels gophers, but science and experience say otherwise.
Gophers do eat lavender despite its powerful fragrance because they have a poor sense of smell compared to their sense of touch.
Instead of relying on smell, gophers use their whiskers and teeth to explore food, so the aromatic oils in lavender don’t register as a warning.
What smells lovely to you is simply a crunchy snack to a determined gopher.
## When Gophers Might Pass on Your Lavender
While gophers do eat lavender in many situations, there are times when they’ll completely ignore it.
Understanding these scenarios helps you figure out if your lavender is at risk or safe in your garden.
### Mature, Woody Lavender Is Less Appealing
If your lavender is over three years old and has developed thick, woody stems at the base, gophers will often pass it by.
The tough, dry texture is too hard for them to chew efficiently, and the flavor is far too bitter.
Gophers eat lavender that is green and leafy, but they’ll skip old, woody plants in favor of tastier garden bed neighbors.
### Abundant Food Sources Nearby
When gophers have plenty of their favorite foods like grass roots, clover, and bulbs, they will rarely touch your lavender.
It’s only when their natural food supply runs low that they turn to aromatic herbs.
So, gophers can eat lavender, but they’ll usually only do so when the pickings are slim everywhere else.
### Wet and Rainy Seasons
During wet periods, gophers find plenty of juicy roots and earthworms right under the surface.
They do not eat lavender as frequently when the soil is soaked and full of other easy meals.
It’s in the dry summer months or early spring that your lavender becomes a tempting target.
## How to Stop Gophers From Eating Lavender
If you’ve noticed that gophers do eat lavender in your garden, don’t give up on growing these fragrant beauties.
There are several effective strategies to keep your lavender safe without harming the gopher population.
### Plant Lavender in Raised Beds
Gophers love to tunnel underground, but they rarely venture into raised beds if you line the bottom with wire mesh.
Planting lavender in a raised bed with a hardware cloth base prevents gophers from ever reaching those precious roots.
This is the most foolproof way to grow lavender when you know gophers eat lavender in your area.
### Use Gopher Baskets for Individual Plants
You can buy wire gopher baskets that you bury in the ground to encase your lavender’s root ball.
When you plant lavender in these baskets, the gopher cannot gnaw on the roots from below.
The metal barrier is too tough for their teeth, so your lavender grows healthy while the gophers tunnel right past it.
### Make Your Garden Less Inviting
Remove excess debris, keep your lawn mowed, and avoid overwatering your garden so gophers don’t feel at home.
Gophers do eat lavender more readily when they have established burrow systems near your flower beds.
By disrupting their tunnels with a simple garden fork or aerator, you make your yard less appealing to them.
This encourages them to move to your neighbor’s yard instead of staying to snack on your lavender.
### Try Companion Planting with Stronger Deterrents
While lavender isn’t a reliable deterrent, other plants like castor bean plants, daffodils, or marigolds are far more offensive to gophers.
Plant these around your lavender to create a buffer zone.
Since gophers do eat lavender when hungry, you want them to be repelled by the stronger-smelling plants before they even reach your lavender.
### Regular Monitoring Is Key
The best defense is to check your garden daily for fresh gopher mounds.
Gophers eat lavender fast, and one hungry gopher can destroy an entire hedge in a single night.
When you spot a fresh mound, use a gopher trap or a natural repellent right away to stop the damage before it spreads.
## So, Do Gophers Eat Lavender? The Final Verdict
Yes, gophers do eat lavender, but it’s a matter of preference and desperation.
While they prefer juicy, tasteless roots and weeds, they will absolutely eat lavender when they are hungry, when the plants are young, or when other food is unavailable.
You can’t rely on the fragrance to protect these plants, so you must take active steps to shield them from burrowing pests.
If you’ve been frustrated, wondering why your lavender has vanished, it’s likely that a gopher found your garden and had a feast.
Protect your lavender with wire barriers, raised beds, and early detection to enjoy its beauty without sharing it with underground invaders.
Now that you know the truth about gophers eating lavender, you can plan your garden with confidence and keep those fragrant purple blooms all to yourself.