11 Beautiful, Natural, Versatile Ways To Battle Mosquitoes

Plants, herbs, and flowers the repel mosquitoes and other insects

We absolutely love this list of ways to repel bugs because it serves so many purposes. Rather than buy store-sold treatments that are expensive and sometimes overwhelmingly smell, try this method. Here’s a list of 11 fabulous live plants that can get the job done while also beautifying your home or garden, and offering practical uses such as when cooking. 

1. Lemon Balm – (aka horsemint or beebalm) part of the mint family, easy to grow, hardy, drought resistant, grows well in shade, grows fast and aggressively so a pot is a good idea to keep it from taking over the garden, can also dry the leaves and enjoy as herbal tea.
2. Catnip – discovered to be 10 x more effective than strongest store bought mosquito repellant, easy to grow; do not plant near other herbs, flowers, or vegetables or kitty will roll all over them and smash them.
3. Citronella – clumping grass that emits a strong aroma that masks other scents thus keeping insects from being attracted to them, easy to grow, stronger than store bought, grows 5-6 feet tall, can grow it in pots, place them where needed.
4. Lavender – soothing, calming scent, indoors near sunny window, in a flowerbed, can make tea.
5. Marigolds – hardy annual, contains Pyrethrum (a repellent), distinct aroma that bugs hate, beautiful as border plants, also great way to create a mosquitoe border.
6. Basil – perfect for double duty, tastes great in lots of recipes.
7. Peppermint – most bugs hate it; also effective if you do get bitten, rub the leaves directly onto the skin to relieve the itching; can also be used in many recipes.
8. Penny Royal –natural deterrent, plant around flower beds, excellent ground cover, attracts butterflies; some people use it to cook.
9. Rosemary – add to herb garden to keep bugs away, great addition to recipes, attracts butterflies.
10. Garlic – add it to your garden beds of flowers and vegetables.
11. Geranium – repellent that can hang in a container of cascading flowers that will create a barrier and look lovely.