5 Landscaping Upgrades That Help Keep Wildlife Away from Your Home

Keeping wildlife out of your home starts before they ever reach your walls. The way your yard is set up either attracts animals or discourages them, and a few targeted landscaping changes can make a meaningful difference. These upgrades are not foolproof solutions on their own, but combined with professional exclusion work, they significantly reduce how often wildlife tests your home’s entry points.

1. Install a Perimeter Fence with a Buried Apron

A standard privacy fence will not stop most wildlife. Raccoons and squirrels climb easily, groundhogs and skunks dig underneath, and opossums squeeze through gaps. An effective perimeter fence needs to account for diggers.

Adding a buried wire mesh apron along the base of your fence is the most impactful upgrade you can make. The mesh extends 12 to 18 inches underground and then bends outward horizontally, so when an animal starts digging at the fence line, it hits a barrier and gives up. Hardware cloth with openings no larger than half an inch works best. For burrowing animals like groundhogs, this single addition dramatically reduces intrusions.

If fencing your entire property is not practical, focus the buried apron specifically around garden beds, crawl space entries, and the foundation perimeter of your home.

2. Eliminate Food Sources in Your Yard

Wildlife does not wander onto your property by accident. In most cases, something is attracting them. Removing those attractants is more effective than any deterrent product.

Common food sources that draw wildlife include:

  • Unsecured trash cans. Use cans with locking lids or store trash in a latched bin enclosure until collection day.
  • Bird feeders. Seed that falls to the ground attracts rodents, and the feeders themselves attract squirrels. If you have a persistent wildlife problem, remove feeders entirely until it is resolved.
  • Fallen fruit and nuts. If you have fruit trees or nut-producing trees, rake and dispose of fallen produce regularly. A pile of rotting apples is a raccoon buffet.
  • Outdoor pet food. Never leave pet food outside overnight. Pick up the bowl when feeding is done.
  • Open compost piles. Use a sealed compost tumbler instead of an open pile to avoid attracting rodents and raccoons.

Addressing food sources alone will not solve an established wildlife problem, but it will reduce how frequently new animals are drawn to your property.

3. Trim Trees and Shrubs Away from Your Roofline

Overhanging tree branches are a highway for squirrels, raccoons, and rats to access your roof and probe for entry points into your attic. Keep branches at least 10 feet away from your roofline and gutters.

Dense shrubs planted directly against your foundation create sheltered pathways for mice, voles, and other small animals to move along your home undetected. Keeping foundation plantings trimmed back and away from the structure reduces cover and makes animals less comfortable approaching your walls.

Check your downspouts as well. Downspouts that terminate at ground level against the foundation create a natural protected corridor that rodents follow toward the base of your home. Extending downspouts further from the foundation removes that cover.

4. Use Plant-Based Deterrents Strategically

Certain plants are naturally unappealing to common nuisance wildlife because of their strong scent or texture. While no plant will stop a determined raccoon, strategic placement around garden beds and entry points can make those areas less attractive to deer, groundhogs, and rabbits.

Plants these animals tend to avoid include lavender, rosemary, marigolds, catmint, and Russian sage. Thorny shrubs like hawthorn or barberry planted along a fence line can discourage animals from using that route as a travel corridor.

Plant-based deterrents work best as a supplementary layer alongside physical barriers, not as a standalone solution.

5. Seal Your Home’s Exterior Before Doing Any Major Yard Work

This is the step most homeowners overlook: landscaping work disturbs wildlife and sends displaced animals looking for new shelter. If you are removing brush piles, cutting down dead trees, or doing significant yard clearing, inspect your home’s exterior first.

Check for gaps around the roofline, damaged soffits, loose vent covers, spaces around utility penetrations, and any deteriorated wood trim. Wildlife displaced by yard clearing will immediately probe nearby structures for an entry point. If your home has unsealed gaps, clearing brush without addressing the exterior first can actually accelerate an intrusion.

If you need help identifying and sealing entry points, Bay Area Wildlife Solutions provides exterior inspections and exclusion services throughout Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Call us at (302) 500-0181 or contact us online to schedule an inspection.