Summer evenings spent relaxing outdoors are a delight. Unfortunately, they can be quickly spoiled by mosquitoes, buzzing around your face and leaving behind bites you won’t notice until the itchy damage is done.
Chemical sprays can be effective to deter mosquitoes, but gardening can also lend a helping hand. It is great if you prefer to keep things more natural. These seven plants will all help convince mosquitoes that their time is better spent elsewhere.
Deter Mosquitoes The Natural Way
Basil
Plant this aromatic herb around your outdoor dining table, and the sweet, spicy fragrance will help drive marauding mosquitoes away. Even better, pick a few leaves, squeeze them between your fingers to release the essential oils. Then rub them over your skin to provide instant protection from bites.
Catnip
Catnip is famously attractive for cats, but the chemical make-up that’s responsible isn’t quite so alluring for mosquitoes and other flying insects. Catnip is easy to grow in most conditions, but only you can decide whether attracting the local feline population is a price worth paying.
Citronella
A prime ingredient of commercial organic repellents, citronella also fills the evening air with a pleasant citrus scent. Note, it’s not a plant that thrives in cold conditions, so it’s best grown in pots that can be protected over winter.
Garlic
Garlic produces a strong fragrance which you’ll love or hate. However, the picture is more clear cut with mosquitoes: They definitely hate it.
For a gentle deterrent, grow a few garlic plants around your patio table and let the warm summer air free the scent. For more drastic protection, rub the stem of a plant or two between your fingers for a stronger aroma.
Geraniums
Geraniums are a garden favorite that looks and smell wonderful. Thankfully, mosquitoes don’t share this high opinion and will buzz away to somewhere less highly perfumed.
Lavender
Warm lavender is perhaps the defining scent of a summer evening, but it’s also a powerful insect repellent that most mosquitoes detest. It needs relatively warm and dry conditions to grow well, but if your local climate is suitable, it’s one of the most attractive plants a garden can host.
Rosemary
Rosemary is a close relative of lavender and shares the same repellent effects to deter misquitoes. However, it’s a lot easier to grow, and it can even be used as a hedging plant. Try growing a few around your patio to provide shelter from wind and mosquitoes alike.
Live and let live is an admirable idea, but when it comes to mosquitoes ruining your outdoor leisure time, there’s no room for living happily as neighbors. But that doesn’t need to mean employing chemicals to deter mosquitoes. Let nature be your ally in deterring these annoying insect space invaders.
Want To Make Your Summer Even Better?
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