Best plants to repel mosquitoes naturally. Are you looking for the best plants and flowers to repel mosquitoes while spending time in your backyard? We researched and gathered the best plants to keep mosquitos away while exploring the outdoors without reaching for sprays that contain chemicals.
Mosquitos are perhaps some of the least liked insects. No one wants to be bitten by a mosquito and have to deal with the constant itching and other negative health effects, which is why you should always carry bug spray along when camping or enjoying the outdoor space. You can make an organic mosquito repellent spray yourself, or you can plant some of the best plants to repel mosquitoes and enjoy the outdoor area freely right in your backyard.
You may have heard that taking supplements, particularly vitamin B, may reduce your chances of getting bit. Unfortunately, even though we all want to avoid mosquitos, many people don’t wear bug repellent when they go outside. If you’re spending time in your own yard, you might not want to have to deal with spraying yourself or dealing with the smell of repellent on your skin and clothes.
Best plants to repel mosquitoes naturally
However, by considering what you plant in your garden, you can further protect your family and yourself from dreaded mosquito bites this summer. Many plants are natural mosquito repellent, so start adding some to your home garden as soon as possible to prevent itchy bites this summer.
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Lavender
Lavender plants smell great, making them a great addition to any outdoor living space. The smell of lavender has also been proven to alleviate stress and anxiety. However, you might not know that it can also repel insects, thanks to the pleasant odor released from the flowers. Luckily, while humans are attracted to lavender plants, many animals and insects are not because the smell is too strong for them.
Lavender is fairly easy to take care of as long as it has full sun and good drainage. You can put lavender anywhere around your home, but we recommend keeping it where you spend your time to help prevent bugs like mosquitos. Without exaggerating, the properties of the lavender plant are great for mosquito repellent.
Marigold
Marigolds are annual flowers that are easy to grow. The smell of marigolds deters mosquitos, and you can grow them in pots to make them easy to carry around the exterior of your home. Place the marigold flowers near the entrance of your home to prevent mosquitoes from flying inside and if you can, near the windows.
Lemon Grass
Also called citronella grass, lemon grass has a distinct smell that’s commonly used in natural mosquito repellants and sprays. These lemon-scented plants require very little maintenance and thrive in large planters.
Catnip plant
Cats love catnip, but mosquitoes don’t. As a member of the mint family, catnip is often considered a weed, but it can help prevent mosquitoes. If you don’t want catnip growing among your plants and yard, you can plant catnip in its own pot and keep it near the entrance of your home. But, of course, be careful if you have any cats that might want to try to get outside and eat it.
Rosemary
Rosemary is an herb with a strong scent that can repel all types of bugs. This herb is best grown in hot, dry climates and typically thrives in containers. Rosemary is a plant that’s easy to grow inside, so if you want to grow your own herbs while keeping insects like mosquitos out of your home, it’s a great starter plant. You might be interested in reading this article: Indoor vertical garden ideas.
Bee Balm
Bee balm attracts bees and butterflies while deterring mosquitos. With bee balm, you can create your own private backyard getaway to bring butterflies closer to your property and repel mosquitoes. Bee balm is a beautiful plant that looks great in any front or back yard, with colorful leaves that can be red, pink, white, or purple.
Best anti-mosquito plants
Mint
Mint is a plant that can keep all sorts of pests away, including mosquitos, flies, and ants. You can grow mint indoors or outdoors and let the strong aroma repel all types of bugs. Since mint is an herb, you can start using your mosquito repelling plant in teas and food.
Floss Flower – Ageratum houstonianum
Floss flower is a beautiful plant that contains coumarin, a chemical also used in insecticides, so it’s extra potent. However, this chemical is toxic, so it’s best to keep floss flowers away from pets and children.
Pennyroyal – Mentha pulegium
Pennyroyal is yet another member of the mint family with a strong fragrance mosquitos hate, making it effective at keeping them and other insects away from your home. However, Pennyroyal can be toxic to people and pets, so it’s best to be grown in a container away from anywhere children and pets may get into it.
Peppermint
Like the other members of the mint family, peppermint’s strong fragrance is enough to keep mosquitoes away. However, this plant is versatile and can be used in food, tea, and bath products. Peppermint should be grown in a container because it can quickly become invasive if you don’t keep its growth in check.
American Beautyberry
American beautyberry is a shrub with purple berries on it, so not only will it help repel mosquitos, but it’s a beautiful addition to any home to add a pop of color anywhere in your yard. It also attracts songbirds but releases oil that mosquitoes don’t like.
Lantana Camara
If you’re looking for a plant that not only keeps pests like mosquitos away but looks great in your yard, look no further than Lantana Camara, a plant popular with hummingbirds and butterflies. Lantana Camara typically thrives in warmer climates and is grown as an annual, doing best in full sun with semi-arid soil.
Fennel
Fennel is a green plant that can add texture to your home’s exterior or garden. Mosquitos don’t like fennel, but swallowtail butterfly larvae do. As a perennial, it does best when grown in areas with a few hours of sunlight a day and fertile soil.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is another plant used to make essential oils. It has a strong fragrance, so mosquitos typically stay away, making it ideal for a yard or patio. Eucalyptus plants thrive in warm weather, so if you live in a place with cold winters, it’s best to bring the plant inside when the temperature gets low.
Best plants to ward off mosquitoes
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Do Plants Work to Repel Mosquitos?
Mosquitos are just one of many pests you don’t want to encounter when you’re trying to relax in your own yard. Unfortunately, they’re quite common, so you must find ways to deter them from your yard to prevent them from biting you and leaving itchy welts. Plants make a great alternative if you prefer to repel mosquitoes without potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides.
As you’ve just read, many plants can help keep mosquitoes away from your property, so you can choose any plant on this list to liven up your yard and keep bugs away. In addition, many of the plants mosquitoes avoid smell great to humans and are colorful, so you can make your yard truly special by adding lavender or any other type of plant that can add color and fragrance to your yard.
If you already have a garden, you can start planting many mosquito-repellent plants immediately, but if you want to keep mosquitoes from flying into your home, you’ll have to be more strategic with plant placement. For example, it’s typically best to keep your plants potted, allowing you to easily move them around and keep them on patios or near doorways.
Getting Rid of Mosquitos
Everyone deserves to be able to relax in their own yard. After all, you own it, and you’ve spent time and money trying to make it just right. But, unfortunately, mosquitoes can come and go as they please if you aren’t doing anything to stop them. While plants can help reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard, you’ll have to plant a lot to prevent mosquito bites completely.
Along with planting some of the plants on this list, you can also do other things to your yard to help naturally repel annoying pests. For example, removing standing water where mosquitoes are likely to breed, including buckets, pools, and ponds, can help reduce mosquitoes. You can also use scented oils around your yard.
Best flowers to repel mosquitoes
We’ve already discussed how many of the plants on this list produce odor mosquitos don’t like, so you can take the essential oils made from these plants and put them around the home, including doorways. For example, if you’re eating outside, you can use a lavender-scented candle to repel insects to keep them away from your meal.
Final Thoughts
Mosquitos can quickly ruin any outdoor event, making it unbearable to spend quality time outside with your family or alone.
You don’t have to put on stinky, sticky bug spray to keep insects from biting you or ruining your nice time. Instead, you can strategically plant insect repellent plants around your home, especially where you spend the most time. For example, if you spend a lot of time on your deck, you might want to pot some herbs and other plants to keep mosquitoes from landing near your hangout spot.
Whichever plants you choose for your garden, always ensure you know how to properly care for them. Some plants require total sunlight, while others are a little lower maintenance. If you’re unsure what plants will thrive around your home, check the location of the sun and the type of soil you have before planting.
Julia Olivas
Julia Olivas graduated from San Francisco State University with her B.A. in Communication Studies. She is a freelance writer who loves sharing her passion for digital marketing and content creation. Outside of writing, she loves cooking, reading, making art, and her pup Ruby.
