Plant Some of These in Your Garden to Keep Mosquitoes Away

Mosquitoes are the most dangerous creatures on earth. If you want to keep them away from your yard, these plants can help!  Topical Mosquito Sprays kill what is present at the time and lasts between 1 to 2 days. Removing any standing water is a good first step. Larvae and pupae live in any stagnant water, including bird baths, clogged gutters, used tires, and pool covers! 

Over the next several weeks, we’ll post NINE common herbs and plants that have multiple benefits.  All plants listed can be found at any local garden center.

Marigolds

Who knew that Marigolds were good for something other than summer long color? They’re easy to grow and they have a chemical called pyrethrum in them. 

Pyrethrum is an ingredient used in many insecticides and repellants.  The smell is off-putting to most critters. Another benefit – Deer won’t eat them. Use them as natural deer fencing around other flowers!

Lemon Grass

If you’ve hosted a backyard barbeque or pool party, you’ve likely lit some citronella candles or tiki torches to try to keep mosquitoes away from pestering your guests.

Lemon Grass contains a good amount of that essential oil.

HGTV says that when the plant’s leaves heat up in the sun or are burned in a fire, they can reduce the number of mosquitoes by 49-79%.

Lavender

You know that lavender can make you feel more Zen and even help you sleep better. The more camphor a lavender contains, the more mosquitoes hate it.

Those essentials are naturally released when the plant gets warmed up on a sunny day.

Lavender is a hardy perennial and attracts pollinators too!  It grows 2 feet tall and compact, providing color all summer and into late fall.

Rosemary

You must love that so many plants on this list have a dual purpose. Rosemary keeps you from becoming a mosquito buffet and provides a tasty way to season your dinner entrees or breads (focaccia is a fav).

You can add rosemary to everything from grilled chicken to potato salad to lemonade. 

Mosquitoes, vegetable bugs and flies are not big fans of the fresh, pine-like scent that it gives off. Toss some into your backyard fire or place some on the grill to help repel the bugs.  It is hardy and can withstand freezing temperatures.

Basil

Less mosquitoes AND the essential ingredient for homemade pesto, how could you go wrong here?!

You may LOVE the smell of basil, but mosquitoes and flies don’t. The plant is also toxic to mosquito larvae so if you have unavoidable standing water on your property, putting basil near it can help keep mosquitoes from laying their eggs there.  

Harvest basil BEFORE it flowers to preserve the intensity of the smell. Freeze it in ice cube containers and defrost as needed.  Making pesto? Don’t add the cheese, pour it into freezer safe container, cover with a thin layer of olive oil.  When ready to use, defrost and blend in the cheese. Fresh as when picked!

Garlic

It turns out that vampires and mosquitoes have more in common than their love of sucking blood.

Garlic is not quite as effective as some of the other plants on this list, but mosquitoes, aphids and ants don’t like the odor coming from garlic. 

If you’re in a pinch, you can rub garlic juice on your skin, and it will help keep the mosquitoes away, but it may also have unintended social consequences!

Mint

If you plant mint, just be careful. It grows quickly and will take over your garden and squish your other plants. It’s best to grow mint in containers to keep it from becoming invasive. It is also a perennial.

That said, not only is the oil produced by mint plants great at repelling mosquitoes, but deer also won’t eat it.

Put those containers around your flower beds to set up a natural netting.  Mint grows about two feet tall and blooms in late summer, with small light purple flowers.  Great in iced tea or Mojitos!

Sage

When your life is turned upside-down and nothing seems to be going right, you can burn sage to cleanse the bad energy from your life.

We’re not sure if it works, but some cultures believe it does. It will keep the mosquitoes away even if it doesn’t keep away the bad vibes. If you’re using it as a mosquito repellent, it’s most effective when you throw some leaves into your fire.

Additional benefits of Sage: It smells good, great for brown butter sauces or stuffings and attracts hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are far more beautiful than mosquitoes. It’s a hardy perennial and puts up spikes of light purple flowers.

Catnip

Catnip plants contain something called “nepetalactone.”

It’s the chemical that attracts cats but is a huge turn-off to mosquitoes, termites and cockroaches.

In 2001, the American Chemical Society published a study revealing that because of that chemical, Catnip is actually 10 times better at repelling mosquitoes than the DEET you find in many bug sprays. It does attract cats, so if you’re in an area with a stray population you may end up making a few new furry friends. MEOW!