Iguanas are currently found in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and are thought to have come to the U.S. from Central and South America as stowaways on boats and as people released their pet iguanas into the wild. Although they are fascinating creatures, these large lizards are prolific invaders that voraciously consume native plants, which in turn harms native wildlife. If iguanas are a nuisance where you live, you can discourage them from taking over your garden

Iguanas in and around your property.

They are not usually aggressive but defend themselves against pets or people if cornered. They have attacked small pets over territory.  They have powerful tails and can scratch and bite.

Iguanas are mostly herbivorous, and the prettier the flower, the better as far as they are concerned. Prize roses and orchids attract iguanas and make delicious snacks. Digging and living in burrows can cause dangerous damage to buildings by sea walls, increasing the risk of erosion and eventual collapse.

While beautiful, iguanas have become a nuisance in some areas, decimating gardens and flower beds and leaving delightful trails of feces along the side of pools. The problem is that they are super quick and covered in tough, scaly skin, so if they decide to whip you with their massive tails or bit you, you will come off worst.

Iguanas are difficult to catch and are protected by anti-cruelty laws, which means that once they are in, they are very hard to get rid of, and they very quickly show you who is boss in your backyard.

Things you can do to control the iguana populations in your yard or garden.

The plan should be to make the garden inhospitable for them.

Iguanas are burrowing creatures. They nest, breed, and travel through underground tunnels. Fill any iguana burrows they have made with rocks and trim bushes, so you take away their shelters. Look for areas that iguanas may find attractive and take steps to change that.

Iguanas love to climb trees so they can munch on the leaves. Prevent iguanas from climbing trees by installing sheet-metal cylinders about 18 inches from the base of the trees. Create L-shaped wire barriers along the bottom of seawalls or other fixed objects to stop them from digging underneath.

Iguanas like basking in the sun, on pool decks and boats. Keep a water hose handy to spray them off, and think about things that could make clattering noises to disturb their sunbathing. Windchimes and deer scarers startle them, you can also try hanging old CDs to reflect light that will disorient them.

Plants that help repel iguanas?

Iguanas have strong senses of smell which they use to find food sources. Although they sometimes eat insects, they are mostly sussing out your leaves for their dinner menu. They like to hang out in hidden spaces or thickly planted shrub beds. Trimming bushes and pruning trees will make it less attractive for them to hang out in.

Iguanas are attracted to flowers and fruit trees, although they dislike citrus fruits intensely, so these can be a great choice to plant. Their favorites are roses and orchids. Hibiscus, impatiens, and melons are like salad crops with tender leaves. Planting leaves that are too heavy to chew can be helpful too.

Weaponize leafy greens in your veggie patch... Spinach, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and turnips are all toxic to reptiles, and they seem to sense that. These can make great iguana repellents, especially if you plant them in borders around tender crops like lettuces. 

Plant citrus fruit trees, oleanders, milkweed, pigeon plum, and coonties (Zamia integrifolia) through your landscape to deter them. These are all plants that repel iguanas.