Rats can't stand the smell of certain flowers, and gardeners have been advised which ones they can plant to keep them at bay. Rats can significantly harm a garden by eating crops, damaging structures, and spreading diseases. They can also contaminate food sources and pose a threat to pets. 

It might sound bizarre, but rats hate the scent of certain flowers and bushes, even though they might smell lovely to us. Pure Pests says these are the five best rat-banishing plants to grow, as reported by Yahoo News.

Lavender

Most of us adore lavender for its gentle floral smell. However, due to the plant’s high concentration of essential oils, rats find it a sensory nightmare.

It has the added benefit of attracting pollinators like bees and butterflies to your garden. This is especially important, given that butterfly numbers have dropped in the UK, according to Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count.

Mint

Humans love mint so much that we use it as a breath freshener. Well, not rats. Vermin hate the stringent freshness of mint so much that they go out of their way to avoid it.

This is because mint contains menthol and other compounds which they find unpleasant. Even better, the scent of the plant is quite strong, so it creates a wide smell barrier which repels rats.

Marigold

These cheerful yellow flowers are known to have a heavy, musky smell. While humans enjoy it, rats find their overpowering odour unpleasant.

An added bonus is that rats also find the Marigold’s bright colours off-putting. Rats prefer dimmer lighting and find bright lights and colours uncomfortable.

Catnip

This is a tip for cat lovers. Catnip serves the dual purpose of attracting more felines to your yard while keeping nasty buck-toothed rodents at bay.

Catnip has a sharp, minty smell and contains the oil nepetalactone, which triggers a euphoric response in cats’ brains. However, it does the opposite for rats, who are completely repelled by it.

Camphor

Camphor plants (not to be confused with the camphor tree) are gentle, leafy plants with dark fruits. Fortunately, their innocent appearance belies a rat-thwarting machine.

They have a sharp, earthy scent that is often compared to Vicks Vaporub. The plant is also a deterrent to rats, who despise it. Research shows it can even be an effective rodenticide, as it causes symptoms like irritability and blurred vision in rats.