Grow a Garden of Natural Mosquito Repellent Plants
February 20th, 2010 Posted in Organic & Chemical Pesticides
If you are living anywhere on the Eastern half of the United States, you were hit with a massive snow storm this weekend. Instead of sitting in the house watching daytime television on your snow day, consider planning your spring garden. This year, change it up by planting natural mosquito repellent plants around your home.
3 of the best mosquito repellent plants are:
Rosemary
Besides being a delicious ingredient in many recipes, rosemary is an extremely effective natural mosquito repellent plant.
Description
Rosemary has a very distinct and pleasant smell. Planting it near your home will not only ward off mosquitoes but scent the air as well.
Rosemary plants can grow to be anywhere from 2 feet to 8 feet tall. The flowers that bloom are blue, pink and white.
Throughout history, rosemary has been used for medicinal, decorative and now repellent purposes. But in order to keep mosquitoes away with rosemary, you must know how to grow it properly.
Where to Grow Rosemary
Rosemary is not difficult to grow and if you put in the effort, you will not only have a beautiful plant growing in your garden, but a useful one as well.
Similar to most plants, rosemary has its habitat preferences.
Likes:
- Sun
- Good water drainage
- Hot or dry climates
Not surprisingly, rosemary plants will die off if the weather gets too harsh. This is why many people will put rosemary into pots during the colder months to store inside.
Pair plants like rosemary with other forms of all natural pest control and your yard will be safe from mosquito infestations.
Catnip
Your house guests (as well as your cat) will thank you for growing not only a pretty plant like catnip, but one that also repels pesky mosquitoes.
Description
Catnip is part of the mint family and therefore also emits a welcoming fragrance (just not welcoming to mosquitoes). It can grow up to 3 feet tall with heart-shaped covered leaves covered with a soft down.
Where to Grow Catnip
Catnip is relatively durable and can flourish a variety of habitats. But it still has its ideal conditions.
Likes:
- Full sun exposure
- Temperature ranges from 45 degrees F to 66 degrees F
- Sandy soil (but a variety of soil types will do)
You can easily start growing catnip in your garden from seeds grown inside in the fall or spring.
When you are finally ready to plant, grow the seeds in rows spaced at least 20 inches apart. Then watch these natural mosquito repellent plants flourish into a protective shield for your house.
Marigolds
Marigolds will not only add a splash of color to your garden, they are also great natural mosquito repellent plants.
Description
There are many varieties of marigolds, but they are easily distinguished from other flowers by their orange, yellow or red colored petals. Some people do not like the smell (some claim it’s bitter), but this does not take away from the fact that marigolds are very effective repellents.
Where to Grow Marigolds
One benefit of marigolds is that, once seeded, they grow rapidly. Marigolds will begin flowering anywhere from 45 to 50 days after seeding, so many gardeners start growing the flowers indoors around late March. They will then be ready for planting outside when the ground begins to thaw.
Likes:
- Moist soil
- Full sun
- Being planted close to the surface
Seeds can be originally planted in a variety of places, including seedbeds, flats, clay or peat pots. When you start to see leaves, move the seeds to individual 3-inch containers and keep them in the shade for a few days.
After that, your plants are free to flourish in the sun.
For days when you have to venture outside your mosquito-free garden, make sure to use organic mosquito repellent to keep the bugs away. Just because not all plants are natural mosquito repellents, this does not mean they deserve a chemical shower.
Natural mosquito repellent plants are not only effective, but beautiful additions to any blooming garden.
5 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By Rebecca Hurrell on Mar 13, 2010
Thank-you so much for the info. It’s been really helpful and I’m already starting to plan where to plant everything. We live near a beautiful wetland but with it comes nasty, bitey mosquitos. The only way to get them to stop biting my family and I is to invite guests over. Then they bite them. I guess mosquitos like a little variety too. My cat will be happy (and probably all whacked out) with the Catnip idea.
By EcoSMART Megan on Mar 15, 2010
Dear Rebecca Hurrell,
Glad I could help, your guests and cat will definitely thank you.
I hope your garden turns out beautifully this spring!
By Erin Riggs on Jun 17, 2010
I like the info I found here and would love to try it. I am concerned about trying rosemary because I live in Colorado and the winters are very harsh. I think I am going to try keeping rosemary in pots so we can bring it indoors in the winter! I hope it works because mosquitoes love me (It’s mid-June and I look like I’ve had the chickenpox)!
By pete hinks on Oct 21, 2010
thanks,
that explains why the chooks don’t seem to attract mozzies!( rosemary hedge around house!) but i will now be filling my yard by the creek with all 3 of these plants! thanks again!
By Marinna Michalski on Mar 15, 2011
This is very interesting!! I just sent this to my mother. I was searching the internet to find out if Rosemary repelled snakes and ran across this website. I wanted to plant more rosemary below my kitchen window on the back of my house. I did NOT know that rosemary repelled mosquitoes!! I think I will be planting a forest of rosemary this year in all corners of my yard!!!Especially in near the koi pond !! Thanks so much for this helpful information!!!
Marinna*