Do You Love to Garden but Hate Mosquitoes?

There are enough pests trying to attack your plants without you having to worry about pests that attack you, too.

At best, mosquitos are garden nuisances that leave you with a bunch of itchy red bites. At worst, mosquitos are dangerous carriers of diseases like Zika, West Nile, and Dengue.

Fortunately, there are some plants you can add to your garden space to help you keep flying pests like mosquitos, gnats, and biting flies at bay. Now, I'm not saying you can plant these around your house and never have to worry about bug bites or vector-borne illnesses again. But you can use these plants to keep annoying insects off you. Here's how.

How Do Certain Plants Repel Mosquitos?

It might feel like you set off a mosquito's tripwire alarm the second you step outside, but they actually find you thanks to your odors (no offense) and the carbon dioxide you breath out.

Plants with really strong scents can mask these "Hey, we got a human here!" triggers before they reach the pests' scent receptors. Like I said, it's not enough to plant certain plants in your garden. You have to release the plant's essential oils.

All you have to do is take some leaves from the plant, crush them between your fingertips, and rub them on exposed parts of your skin to create your own little DIY insect repellant.

Obviously, if it's a plant that's new to you, make sure to test it out on a small patch of skin before you douse yourself in its oils.

Here's a good rule of thumb: If you can no longer smell the plant you rubbed on yourself, it's time to reapply. This is not the equivalent of using a commercial-grade bug spray. This is just an easy, organic solution to keep bugs off you temporarily while you're working in the garden.

My Favorite Plants to Keep Mosquitos Away

Make sure to include these plants in your garden to keep flying pests at bay:

• basil
• bee balm
• lavender
• lemon balm
• lemongrass
• lemon thyme
• marigolds
• mint
• rosemary
• sage

Now, let's look at each of these plants in turn so you can admire their impressive power to vanquish bugs.

Basil Acts as a Natural Fly and Mosquito Deterrent

This delicious herb can also keep mosquitoes and flies off your trail. There are lots of delicious basil varieties, and they're all great at keeping flying pests away, so plant all your favs. Bonus: if you let your basil plants flower near the end of the growing season, your plant will also attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies to the garden space.

Basil grows during the warm and hot seasons and likes lots of sun. You can find success growing basil in the ground, in containers, and in raised beds. You'll need to replant basil each spring since it's an annual.

Read more about growing your own basil from seed.

Bee Balm Oils Naturally Repel Mosquitos

Like basil, bee balm can repel annoying insects like mosquitos with its incense-like odor while its gorgeous flowers attract pollinators. Also known as horsemint, bee balm will fill your garden with pops of red, pink, purple, white, or lavender.

Bee balm is a perennial, so you can plant this in your garden once and enjoy it (and its mosquito-repelling scent) for years to come. Buying a bee balm plant or two (or ten) from your local nursery is a great investment in your garden space.

Lavender Keeps Mosquitos, Gnats, Fleas, Flies, and Moths Away

I don't understand how any creature, even one as annoying as a flea, could hate the scent of lavender, but apparently many bugs do. Lavender essential oils not only repel pests, they might even limit a mosquito's ability to smell at all. You'd think something so apparently repulsive to bugs would then also keep the garden good guys away, but that's not the case. Lavender flowers are beloved by bees and butterflies.

You can largely neglect your lavender herbs after planting them, as long as you get the garden setup right first. Learn more about how to grow your own lavender.

Lemon Balm Is Repugnant to Pests Like Mosquitos

If a plant has the word "lemon" in its name, there's a good chance its smell will repel flying pests. The lemony scent of lemon balm is downright offensive to mosquitos. And I have to say, I don't mind smelling like lemon, especially if it means the bugs leave me alone. Bonus: When lemon balm flowers, it brings in bees and butterflies and other pollinators.

Lemon balm grows really well under so many different conditions. It grows so well it's best to give it lots of space in the ground to spread out instead of trying to contain it in your raised beds. It's a tough perennial that'll spring back after a harsh winter; in a warmer climate, you can enjoy this plant year round.

Learn how to grow your own lemon balm from seed.

Lemon Grass Wards Off Biting Bugs

Lemon grass has proven abilities to repel mosquitos. In fact, it's a common ingredient in store-bought mosquito sprays.

Lemon grass is a low-maintenance plant, but it can't handle frost. Most of you will want to grow your lemon grass in a large container so you can bring it indoors for the winter. If you keep this planter on your patio or balcony, it can double as a privacy screen thanks to the plant's height.

Lemon Thyme Repels Mosquitos with Its Citrusy Scent

You'll want to add this one to your herb garden, and not just because its leaves are absolutely delicious on chicken. Rub crushed lemon thyme leaves on your limbs or toss a couple sprigs on your grill when you're barbecuing to enjoy some bug-free outdoor time this summer.

Thyme is a hardy perennial herb that stays evergreen in temperate climates. If you let your thyme flower, the delicate little blooms will attract bees just when it's time for your tomatoes, cucumbers, and other fruiting plants to be pollinated.

Learn more about how to grow and care for thyme plants.

Marigolds Are the Go-To Flower to Keep Bugs Away

Oh marigolds, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1. Mosquitos; 2. aphids; 3. thrips, 4. squash bugs; 5. hornworms; 6. whiteflies. Yes, those are all the pests that marigolds deter thanks to a compound called pyrethrum. The best part? You can benefit from this compound by applying essential oils from the plant topically, but marigolds also release pyrethrum while they're growing. That means they're repelling pests round the clock.

Again, you might think this compound would also be bad for beneficial insects. And again, you'll be surprised. Marigolds are one of the best plants to grow to attract pollinators to your space.

Marigolds are super easy to grow in the ground, in containers (they make great additions to fall planters for your porch or patio), and in raised beds. Even though they're frost-sensitive annuals, they regularly reseed themselves.

Learn how to grow your own marigolds.

Mint Repels Ants, Mosquitos, and Flies

People have been planting mint near their doorways and windows for hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years to keep their least favorite insects out of their homes. The pungent aroma of mint leaves that we all love so much is terrible to crawling and flying things.

Like lemon balm, mint has a tendency to spread, so make sure to give it lots of space or even its own pot. This perennial is super easy to care for and comes with lots of benefits for you, besides protecting you from itchy bites and stings.

Find all our tips to grow your own mint.

Rosemary Makes an All-Natural Mosquito Repellant

The woody scent of rosemary deters mosquitos, moths, slugs, and flies, so add some rosemary topiaries to the planters on your front porch and plant more rosemary in your garden. If you're cooking outdoors, toss some rosemary sprigs onto the grill to keep mosquitos at bay.

By the way, the same smell that keeps pests away has been clinically shown to relieve anxiety and ease depression in humans, so don't just rub these leaves on yourself to keep bugs from bugging you. Keep this plant on hand for you, my friend.

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs to grow and so easy to care for. Learn more about keeping rosemary plants happy.

Sage Can Keep Your Backyard Mosquito-Free

The compounds found in sage that give it that earthy smell also repel mosquitos, flea beetles, moths, snails, and slugs. Specifically speaking, it's the cineole, which can also be found in eucalyptus, and camphor that work by disrupting an insect's sensory receptors. You can rub the oils on yourself or toss some sage leaves onto the fire. (Who knows? Maybe you'll rid your home of evil spirits at the same time.)

This beautiful herb with its velvety gray-green leaves is surprisingly easy to grow in the garden, and its light pink or purple flowers attract tons of pollinators.

Learn more about growing your own sage.

Two More Quick Tips to Control Mosquitos

One: Avoid Standing Water

Make sure to change out the water in birdbaths daily to prevent mosquitos from laying their eggs inside. If you've got a fountain with a motor, you should be good because the water will be kept moving.

Two: Keep Grass Trimmed

Mow grass before it gets too high and creates a welcoming little home for mosquitos to rest. Better yet, just get rid of your lawn and convert it to a pollinator garden!

Don't Let Bugs Bug You

I would keep any of these plants in my garden for the sole purpose of keeping mosquitos away. How lucky are we that these same mosquito-repelling plants are also attractive, fragrant, and beneficial in so many other ways? This is one of the reasons I like to say work with nature, not against it. Nature provides us the solution for so many of our problems if we're just willing to grow a diversity of plants in our spaces.

Here’s to gardening bug-free and making the best use of all our plants in the garden!