7 Plants that Help Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Grow a garden full of your own natural pest control with these plants that repel mosquitoes naturally. Here are 7 mosquito-repelling plants that you need in your backyard ASAP.

When the summer rolls around, most of us love spending time outside. I know that in Arizona it can get pretty toasty outside, especially if you don’t have a pool or a mister system, or lots of foliage in your backyard.

Foliage is really important here in the hot desert – it’s not that we want a backyard full of Palm Trees.  Well, we do… but there are plenty of plants that you may want to consider planting to allow yourself the opportunity to really enjoy being outside.

As beautiful as palm trees are, they don’t provide tons of shade and they certainly don’t repel mosquitoes naturally.

Mosquitoes don’t bode well with enjoying the outdoors. Here in Arizona, we may not get the sheer volume of bugs that they do in Minnesota or Wisconsin during the hot heat of the summer, but we do get them.

And there is nothing worse than being pestered – right?

If you are looking for ways to repel mosquitoes naturally, plants are one option, but so is making your own Outdoor Spray, or your own mosquito repellent. 

7 Plants that Help Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Thankfully you can find several herbs and plants that repel flies and mosquitoes that are ALSO pleasant to have in the backyard too. 

1. Lavender

Lavender is a beautiful aromatic plant with small purple flowers. It’s commonly used ground, or in dried bunches and added to everything from baked items to homemade soap – beauty products, and more.

It’s great for planting in your backyard and all around your house – aim for under the windows, near the back porch, and around doors.  It repels fleas, mosquitoes, flies and even moths.

2. Sweet Basil

This is one of the most popular kitchen herbs … it’s popular in gardens, and is commonly used in cooking because of it’s aroma. Plant in small pots near windows and doors – on the back porch too – as it repels against flies and mosquitoes.

(One tip though  — Bees love Basil!)

3. Lemongrass

Citronella Grass is a variety of lemongrass – both Lemongrass AND Citronella grass are both well known as an insect repellent. Here in Arizona Lemongrass grows amazing – especially in the summer heat.  It dies in winter and then new shoots will pop up in the spring – and they grow about 3 1/2 ft high.

You can put Lemongrass on the porch or, near the windows – it repels mosquitoes, ticks, gnats, flies and ants.

4. Rosemary

Rosemary can grow into a HUGE evergreen hedge – here in Arizona it does super, especially considering it needs at least 6-8 hours of sun each day.   It’s commonly used in cooking, but is also extremely effective at repelling bugs, too.

You’ll want to plant this in well drained areas of your back or front yard – along a path or border where it has room to grow. If it gets too large it can always be trimmed back.

5. Citronella

Citronella has a strong smell that masks a mosquito’s ability to find you 🙂 It’s a clumping grass that grows to a whopping 6 feet tall – and does well in full sun.  There are several types of Citronella grass – some of them are Citronella Grass without the properties OF Citronella grass. 

So when buying Citronella at your local Nursery or, Garden store you will want to look for Cymbopogon Nardus OR Citronella Winterianus – as those both are the only varieties that actually hold a strong Citronella smell that will deter mosquitoes.

6. Marigolds

Marigolds are popular as border plants – we had them often as kids in the front yard.  They are very hardy and grow almost everywhere.  They also have a pungent smell that mosquitoes find offensive.

If you can spare space to plant them, they do best in fertile soil with full sun. You can also put them in flower beds, or in pots around your back porch, too.

7. Mint

Mint is popular to grow in gardens or herb boxes simply because it can be incorporated in cooking and in summer drinks like iced tea.  But it also does an effective job at repelling mosquitoes – that is because it has aromatic properties that are repulsive to bugs.

Plant in pots around your porch to ward of mosquitoes.

What are some other tips for keeping mosquitoes and flies away? We suggest cleaning up your backyard. 

Mosquitoes love water .. so make sure that any standing water is drained. If you have a bird bath, flip it over to drain it out and do the same with your potted plants. Sitting water attracts the pesky critters so eliminating the opportunity for them to come by through raining is most helpful.

What Makes them Bite SOME more than Others?

Have you ever wondered why some people get bit or pestered more than others?

Mosquitoes are fond of octenol, a chemical released in sweat, as well as cholesterol, folic acid, certain bacteria, skin lotions, and perfume. (src)