There’s no contesting that mosquitoes are a nuisance. They can cause heart worm in your pets and pass disease to your family, too, like West Nile.
If you’re looking for a natural way to keep these pests away, these 11 plants can keep mosquitoes from bothering you, your family, and your pets.
Most of them are easy to grow as long as you care for them properly.
1. Marigolds
Mosquitoes have a distaste for the scent of marigolds. Specifically, it’s the pyrethrum in the plant that insects detest.
Marigolds’ blooms look like orange, yellow, or red pompoms. Sometimes, you may even find them with stripes or two tones. These plants range in size, anywhere from six inches to four feet.
In general, marigolds are easy to grow. As soon as you plant them as a seed, you should water them thoroughly without making them soggy. Once your marigolds are established, water them regularly, enough so the soil is moist six to eight inches below the ground.
2. Rosemary
Mosquitos don’t like rosemary’s piney fragrance.
This evergreen plant is green has needle-like leaves and can get between three and six feet tall. It has either small blue, pink, white, or purple flowers.
Preferably, you should grow it from cuttings rather than seeds. When you plant the cuttings, place them in a loamy soil. Water this plant every seven to 10 days, unless you have weeks with more precipitation. Rosemary grows best in direct sunlight for at least six hours per day.
3. Basil
Basil is an herb in the mint family, giving an off odor that repels mosquitoes.
It’s a seasoning commonly used in Italian cuisine that has waxy, green leaves and a unique aroma.
Basil doesn’t tolerate frost well and prefers six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day. It grows best in moist, well-draining soil.
4. Catnip
Catnip is best known for giving cats a buzz, but this plant can also keep mosquitoes and other pests away. It contains a substance known as nepetalactol, which has been shown to be an insect repellant.
On average, catnip grows up to four feet tall. It has feather-like leaves and grows clusters of violet-colored leaves.
This mint plant grows best when they receive at least eight hours of direct sunlight per day. These plants like average to medium moisture levels. Generally, they need to be watered every nine days.
5. Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a plant native to Australia with a mint-like fragrance. They have smooth, fibrous leaves with some species having flowers that look like puffballs of color.
Ideally, you should grow eucalyptus from seeds. Make sure you allow your plant to dry out between waterings and give it a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight.
6. Lemongrass
Lemongrass has a lemon-like scent that mosquitoes detest known as citral. It’s a perennial that has long, tightly packed leaves and small, six-petaled tubular pink, white, or cream-colored flowers.
It grows best in loamy soil and at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Water it every few days to keep the soil moist, but be careful so the roots don’t become waterlogged.
7. Lavender
Mosquitoes are repulsed by the strong scent of lavender. which comes from the linalool and camphor in it.
This plant has greenish-gray foliage and purple flowers that grow more upright than outward.
Lavender thrives best in full-on sunlight for at least six hours per day. They have little tolerance for shade and need to be watered once or twice weekly.
8. Citronella
Although citronella is a common candle scent to keep pests away, it’s actually a plant with a pungent aroma.
It’s a grass that can grow up to two to four feet high. Some species have blades, while others have leaves.
Citronella prefers direct sunlight without any coverage. You’ll get the best results by planting it in well-draining soil. Five or six seconds of water every one to two weeks is plenty for this plant.
9. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is part of the mint family. In fact, it looks like a large mint plant. It has a unique fragrance of lemon and mint, making it undesirable for mosquitoes to go near.
This is a versatile plant that can grow in nearly any type of soil, though will do best in well-draining soil. You may grow it in either direct sunlight or partial sunlight, but it’ll fair best in full sunlight.
10. Sage
Sage gets a reputation for being a spice in stuffing, but a mosquito wouldn’t dare go near that food. And they stay away from the plant as well due to its scent.
Most plants have grayish-green leaves, but silver sage is silver. The tops of sage are loaded with small, purple flowers that grow upright, not width-wise.
This plant requires either partial or full sunlight. It needs well-draining soil. Make sure you let the soil for this plant dry completely before watering it.
11. Garlic
Garlic has an odor from the allicin in it, and it keeps mosquitoes at bay. It prefers sandy loam soil and desires full sunlight for at least six hours a day.
During weeks with little rain, water this plant. Make sure its soil isn’t soaking, though. Keep in mind that it needs hot summers to grow optimally.
