Garden Plants That Repel Bugs

While some of us have indoor gardens, for others garden season means plenty of time outside. That’s one of the great joys of gardening: the time it allows us to connect with the natural world. And while nature is beautiful and wonderful it also contains insects and pests that can bite, irritate, or otherwise be annoying while we’re working in our gardening spaces. That’s part of nature too, but nature also offers some solutions in the form of plants that can help naturally repel bugs and other pests from our garden spaces. So let’s dig in and learn a bit more about garden plants that repel bugs and how we can bring them into our gardens.

A quick note before we begin: some of these plants are edible to humans, some aren’t. So remember that this isn’t a list of human-safe or pet-safe plants, but rather a list of plants that repel bugs!

Natural Insect Repellents

· Mint (Mentha spp) is a flavorful and aromatic herb beloved by humans around the world. It’s best planted in containers as it tends to spread aggressively, but that’s OK. Containers of mint placed around your home and garden can help repel bugs like aphids, flies, cabbage moths/cabbage worm, squash beetle, and ants! As a bonus, when in bloom mint is beloved by pollinators of all types.

· Scented geranium (Pelargonium spp) refers to the varietals of geranium that produce a strong aroma which is pleasant to humans but, like mint, repellent to common garden pests like mosquitoes and fleas. Scented geranium can also help keep mice, rats, and deer away, adding to its versatility and beauty in the garden. It’s easily grown in either containers or in-ground beds, tolerates partial shade, and tends to thrive in any well-drained, well-watered soil.

· Rue (Ruta graveolens) is a classic garden herb from northern Europe that is now popular around the world. It’s easily pruned into hedge or shrub form as needed and produces lovely clusters of small yellow blossoms to complement its lacy, pale green leaves. Rue likes full sun, well-drained soil rich in organic materials, and it rewards our love and care with its flowers and by release compounds that repel aphids, Japanese beetle, fleas, and other plant pests. Rue can be grown in containers—we recommend at least 5 gallon/20 liters in size—and makes an eye-catching addition to patio or container gardens.

· Sage (Salvia officinalis) is another traditional herb with a wide variety of cultural and culinary uses. Like mint, it’s beloved by pollinators of all kinds and will attract them to your garden space when in bloom. It can be grown either in-ground or in containers, and is a versatile herb for companion planting. Its distinct camphor-like aroma is a natural insect repellent, deterring cabbage moths/cabbage worms, beetles, and carrot rust flies. Sage is popular as both an ornamental and a culinary plant, meaning that there’s a space for it in most garden spaces!

· Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus) may be instantly recognizable for many of us as a source of natural bug repellent in the form of citronella oil lamps, candles, and bug sprays. But some of us may not know what citronella is a fairly easy plant to grow at home, adaptable to containers or in-ground spaces in zones 9 to 11. It likes full sun but will tolerate partial shade, making it fairly easy to adapt to porch or patio gardens. The lemony-fresh scent of citronella is beloved by humans and bees but deters mosquitoes, gnats, and other biting insects. It only takes a few citronella plants to keep our front porch clear of skeeters during the summer, so we hope you’ll give it a try!

· Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp) has many traditional uses in its native Australia where it’s also known as a “gum tree”. There are over 700 species of eucalyptus, many of which are popular as ornamental trees or shrubs and some of which are the right size for growth in containers. The strong, heady scent of eucalyptus emanates from the essential oils found throughout the plant. Here’s were some of the trouble starts: these oils can be toxic to both humans and pets, meaning that we all need to take precautions when growing eucalyptus at home. In addition, eucalyptus species can be invasive in some parts of the US, adding an additional complication to its cultivation.  We’re including it here as eucalyptus is so popular and so often recommended as an insect repelling plant, but we also suggest you consider all of its traits when deciding on it for your garden.

There are a lot of different options for plants that naturally repel unwanted insects, and we hope this lists helps get you started. There are many, many more, and we may do a followup article if enough readers are interested. If you have a favorite plant that helps keep the garden pests away, let us know in the comments or via email! Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!