Out for your blood? Outsmart pesky mosquitoes with plants they really hate! Natural and skin-friendly, you’ll be thanking your garden for it!
We’ve all been here—when we casually step out to admire a bloom-filled garden in shorts and cuppa in hand, only to be ravaged by bloodthirsty mosquitoes! But this fear ends now! We give you plants that mosquitoes really hate—grow them and naturally repel these dreadful twilight monsters!
5 Plants that Mosquitoes Really Hate
1. Lantana
Botanical Name: Lantana camara
Lantana’s essential oils exude a strong scent that the dengue-causing Aedes mosquitoes find overwhelming! Unlike most plants, both its tiny, colorful flower clusters and rough, serrated leaves carry this fragrance. Growing it around the entrance, rubbing the crushed foliage of this plant, or tossing it into a burning fire can also repel mosquitoes. You can learn more about this in our post!
This perennial shrub thrives in full sun and moist or dry soil. However, it also adapts easily to poor soil conditions and is quite invasive, outcompeting native species. But with really pretty blooms, you can contain its wilderness by growing them in pots or hanging baskets.
2. Citronella
Botanical Name: Cymbopogon
Easily the most hated by mosquitoes, citronella grass effectively repels bugs with its citrus-like fragrance. There are two primary varieties—Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon winterianus—that comprise essential oils such as citronellal, citronellol, and geraniol, all useful in disgusting mosquitoes and several other bugs, including ants!
3. Catnip
Botanical Name: Nepeta cataria
Next on our list of plants mosquitoes really hate is one our feline babies love! Catnip has a strong scent due to a compound called nepetalactone, which stimulates cats much like cannabis affects humans! And it’s almost as effective in repelling mosquitoes!
The plant has deeply serrated ovate green leaves and tiny whitish or purplish flowers that grow on vertical spikes. Although this plant prefers well-draining soil and full sun, it can adapt to various conditions.
4. Peppermint
Botanical Name: Mentha × piperita
Minty scents have always been the nemesis of mosquitoes, and peppermint—a cross between water mint and spearmint—is one plant they steer clear of. Its high menthol content overwhelms the insects’ senses.
Pinch off its fresh green leaves to make drinks, jellies, and sauces, and enjoy its benefits in the kitchen as well.
5. Lavender
Botanical Name: Lavandula angustifolia
Finally, we love lavender not just for its herbal superpowers but also simply because many pests like mosquitoes truly hate it! It has multiple essential oils, such as linalool, linalyl acetate, and camphor. With tall spikes of purple flowers and silvery-green foliage, this sweet and calming plant is a perfect choice for hedges and bordering.
Lavender can tolerate many conditions but prefers well-drained, dry soil and full sun. But if you are in a hot and humid region, here’s how to grow lavender in tropical climes.
