Plants that sheep, just maybe, won’t eat

Written By Cathy Heavers
Wandering sheep in Dwygyfylchi

Sheep resistant plants

One question I’m asked quite regularly is “what plants can I have in my garden that sheep won’t eat?”.

Sheep make regular visits to a few of my customers’ gardens but unfortunately, they have pretty catholic taste and are no respecters of lovely plants that have cost money and taken time and effort to grow.

It’s not the easiest question to answer but, based on what I’ve observed gets left uneaten in the gardens I work in where sheep are regular visitors, plus a bleat of research, here goes.

  • Alchemelia mollis, commonly known as Lady's Mantle

  • Lavender

  • Rosemary

  • Hypericum perforatum, commonly known as St John’s Wort

  • Delphinium

  • Rhododendron

  • Nerium oleander, commonly known just as Oleander

  • Poppies

  • Foxglove

  • Lotus corniculatus, commonly known as Bird’s Foot Trefoil

  • Flax

  • Eupatorium rugosum / Ageratina altissima also known as White Snakeroot

  • Conifer

  • Yew

  • Laurel

  • Primrose

I also recommend that you wrap fruit tree trunks or add chicken wire guards around them to protect the bark from being stripped off. This also applies if you"re having issues with rabbits or deer damage.

You might have joined the dots in spotting that the majority of these plants are toxic to humans and animals e.g foxgloves and oleander or alternatively, have a strong herbal scent e.g lavender and rosemary. None of them present an issue in your garden as long as you and your pets avoid consuming them. Though if I had young children or pets I would avoid Oleander to be honest.

Aside from this, most other plants, are unfortunately, easy pickings for sheep unless you are able to secure your garden. Perhaps the parting silver lining is be thankful that this article is not about goats. If it was, the list of plants would be very, very short!

Cathy Heavers