Best mosquito repellent plants

When you have lots of mosquitoes in your backyard it can be difficult to enjoy outdoor activities. Besides sucking your blood and causing itches, mosquitoes can also spread lots of diseases. Mosquito-repellant creams contain chemicals that can harm our health. Growing certain plants in your garden can help to repel mosquitoes. You can grow these plants in walkways, near children’s play areas or on patios. These plants emit certain fragrances that mosquitoes hate. Plus, these plants are easy to grow and do not require much maintenance.

Mosquito repellent plants for your garden:

1.Lemongrass

Lemongrass produces a certain substance called citronella that repels mosquitoes. Besides repelling mosquitoes this herb is also used for cooking purposes. Lemongrass loves sunlight and is drought-tolerant as well. It grows quite fast when it is planted in a location that gets 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day. It does not require much maintenance as well.

2. Mint

Mint is a herb that can be grown easily from cuttings. Mosquitoes hate the fragrance that this herb produces. This herb needs morning sunlight and shade during the afternoon. It grows quite fast and you can pick a few leaves to add to your food. It’s best to grow mint in containers as it can spread quite fast.

3.Basil

Basil is a natural pest repellant and its leaves can be used for both cooking and medicinal purposes. It needs 4 to 5 hours of sunlight every day but protect this plant from afternoon sunlight. You can grow basil from seeds or from cuttings. You can also buy a sapling from the local nursery.

4.Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm is a drought-tolerant herb and grows well in full sunlight. This herb can also help to ward off mosquitoes and attract pollinators. You can grow lemon balm from seeds.

5.Marigold

Marigold is a drought-tolerant flower and is easy to grow this flower from seeds. Marigold contains a substance called pyrethrum which deters mosquitoes.
It can be grown as a companion plant as well. It needs 4 to 6 hours of sunlight to grow well.

6.Rosemary

Rosemary is an aromatic herb and contains a substance called geraniol which repels mosquitoes. It can be grown from seeds or from cuttings. It needs 4 to 5 hours of sunlight.

7.Garlic

Growing garlic in your garden can help to repel mosquitoes. You can also use it for cooking purposes too.

8.Catnip

One of the mosquito repellent plants is catnips. The scent emitted by catnip is toxic to many insects and repels mosquitoes. This plant is easy to grow and is quite hardy too.

9.Lavender

Lavender is a herb that grows to a height and width of 3 feet. It produces purple flowers that bloom throughout summer. Mosquitoes hate the scent this plant produces. You can buy a plant from the local nursery and grow it in your home.