Shrubs & Hedges
Pest Issues? These Plants Repel Mosquitoes Naturally
Written by
Blair Brown
You finally have a day off. The garden chores are done, and it’s time to kick back and enjoy the summer sun. But, just as you recline in the hammock with an ice cold drink, the party crashers arrive. They congregate on your arms and legs, unaware that this your time to relax. You run inside with numerous mosquito bites. The bugs have won.
You want to be rid of these interlopers, but you don’t want to use toxic sprays. You want all natural, but you also don’t want to hear buzzes or feel bites ever again. Luckily, there are plant warriors out there that will battle biting bugs until they're driven from your sacred haven.
Citronella Mosquito Plant
No more sprays. No more spending a fortune on citronella candles. The Citronella Mosquito Plant is a perfect patio plant for its lemony scent, and it’s the bane of all mosquitos. Also known as a scented geranium, the Citronella is an ideal potted patio plant in growing zones 3 to 8.
You can move the Citronella to surround your patio furniture, enabling you and your guests free time to enjoy the outdoors without the worry of mosquito armies. And if you live south of zone 8, you can plant a wall of these lemony barriers for year round protection.
Silver Dollar Eucalyptus Tree
Goodbye ticks. So long fleas. Adiós hungry deer. The Silver Dollar Eucalyptus Tree is possibly (at 40 feet high) the tallest pest deterrent in the world. If you live in growing zones 7 to 11, you can plant this evergreen for year round delight. The beautiful silver blue foliage is only matched by a sublime scent that is dreamy to humans but a nightmare to pests. Snip off a few branches for some floral arrangement zest. Or add some foliage to your pet’s favorite sleeping area to ward off fleas and ticks. Other annoyances like drought and disease don’t affect this tree at all.
Rosemary
This herbal wonder of the culinary world is also enemy #1 of mosquitos. And it’s a great guardian in the vegetable patch by repelling cabbage moths, carrot flies, slugs, snails, and the Mexican bean beetle. Rosemary is versatile in a container or in the ground (in growing zones 7 to 11).
Its luscious piney scent will draw the nose and ward off winged enemies. For a little gastronomy flair, consider getting the Barbecue Rosemary. Its long stalks at maturity make it the perfect skewer for your BBQ parties. Guests will praise your cooking prowess, and mosquitoes will curse your rosemary’s scented prowess.
Lemon Grass
Lemon Grass—another culinary staple of chefs and home cooks around the world. It contains natural oils of citronella, which means mosquitos will stay away. Lemon Grass grows to four feet high and three feet wide at maturity, giving it an ornamental grass look.
If you live south of zone 10, you can have hedges of Lemon Grass to repel mosquitos. It can also sit well as a patio plant, and you can move it inside in the winter to enjoy the lemon scent year round. It’s also one of the most prolific herbs for recipe inspirations. Add to soups, meat dishes, marinades, and, yes, even ice cream. Guests will buzz about your food. The mosquitos will buzz elsewhere.
