10 Plants That Repel Pests

Ah, spring. Warmer weather brings fresh blooms, comfortable temperatures, and new mosquitoes.

Unfortunately, only two of those things are positive. When the last freeze passes, pests of all kinds will hatch or wake up from diapause and be in desperate need of food, water, and shelter. For a spring solution to spring problems, consider planting a pest repelling garden to keep annoying bugs away from your home.

Plants to Keep Pests at Bay

There are many different kinds of plants that help to prevent many different kinds of pests. Here are some of the most common:

• Catnip – Catnip is a plant most pet owners know as a cat’s best friend. But this versatile plant can also help to prevent unwanted pests from visiting your home or garden. Catnip helps to repel pests such as mosquitoes, flies, deer ticks, and cockroaches.
• Basil – Another versatile herb, basil is used in many refreshing spring and summer recipes but is a key player in keeping pests such as houseflies and mosquitoes away from your home.
• Lavender – there’s nothing more relaxing than the scent of lavender — other than the knowledge that you’re keeping pests away from your home with the scent. This classic plant repels moths, fleas, flies, and mosquitoes and can even deter rabbits and deer from your garden.
• Rosemary – Rosemary is a great plant for any vegetable garden as it repels not only mosquitoes but a variety of insects harmful to vegetable plants.
• Chrysanthemums – Flower power takes on a whole new meaning with these bright plants. The scent of the flower repels roaches, ants, Japanese beetles, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, and more.
• Nasturtiums – Another great plant to add to a vegetable garden, nasturtiums repel many vegetable-eating pests such as whiteflies, squash bugs, aphids, many beetles, and cabbage loopers. And bonus: They don’t repel bumble bees from your garden in the process.
• Lemongrass, lemon thyme, lemon balm – Who would have guessed that certain pests hate some smells? Many lemony scents repel mosquitoes.
• Geraniums – Another flower that can have a lemony scent, certain geraniums are known as the “mosquito repelling plant,” but they can also repel leafhoppers and other annoying pests from your home and garden.

When you need to protect your garden from annoying or harmful pests, check out your local garden supplier or nursery. If you need to combat a pest infestation at home, give Accel Pest and Termite Control a call at (877) 716-7522.