By Phillip Prichard, Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteer
From tomato hornworms and mites to aphids and beetles, bugs can be a major annoyance in the garden. Instead of treating your garden with chemical pesticides, have you considered growing plants that naturally repel bugs. Many plants have properties, like a strong scent or compounds, that are unappealing to common garden pests. Growing them in your garden acts as a natural repellent while adding beauty and fragrance to your yard.
Please realize that this probably isn’t enough to make your garden totally insect-free. Dr. Bodie Pennisi, a professor and landscape specialist at the University of Georgia’s Griffin campus, says it’s unclear how many plants would be needed to effectively repel insects and how close together they would need to be planted. But here are a few suggestions of plants that have properties that may repel pests.
Lavender (Lavandula) is an herbaceous perennial with tall purple flowers that range from light to dark. It produces a fragrance that is calming to humans and unpleasant to pests like mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and moths.
Rosemary (Salvia), a woody evergreen shrub, has aromatic foliage filled with long-lasting oils that can be noticed from quite a distance. Rosemary repels common garden pests, including Japanese beetles, carrot flies, slugs, and snails.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum), can keep mosquitoes, flies, aphids, mites, and tomato hornworms away from the garden thanks to its strong aroma. It can also help keep insects from coming inside. Plant it near doors and windows to discourage pests from entering.
Chrysanthemums are known for their fall interest, but they also have pest-repellent properties. Chrysanthemums contain pyrethrum, a natural insect repellent commonly used in insecticides. Their daisy-like blooms repel ants, cockroaches, ticks, fleas, bedbugs, and Japanese beetles.
Mint (Mentha) is an upright perennial that forms thickets through underground stolons. Most mints are very high in oily aromatics that are easily extracted from the leaves. Mint repels cabbage moths, ants, mice, and fleas.” It’s best to plant mint in containers, as it is a prolific grower that can take over the landscape.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the allium family that grows long, slender leaves above the soil and produces a bulb of smaller cloves beneath the soil. It has a strong scent that repels aphids, cabbage loopers, and Japanese beetles.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is in the same family as mint, so it has a similar scent and appearance. The fragrance is a deterrent to pests, including mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites, says Spoonemore.
Marigolds (Tagetes), is often grown as a companion plant are great at keeping pests away from your garden. Marigolds are bright, vibrant flowers available in shades of yellow, orange, and white. These vibrant flowers emit a strong scent that repels mosquitoes, aphids, and other insects. They can also help with nematodes in the soil as well. Plant them near vegetables to deter pests.
Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) are colorful flowers that can attract beneficial insects like bees and butterflies to the garden. In addition to attracting beneficial Insects , the plant can also deter whiteflies, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles. With trailing growth habits, nasturtiums are great for containers.
Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus), a fragrant herb with low-growing, oval-shaped leaves, emits a lemony aroma that deters mosquitoes, cockroaches, and termites.
Sage (Salvia officinalis) is another culinary herb with pest-repelling properties. Its foliage can be silver-gray, purple, yellow, or variously variegated, says Pavlich. The strongly scented foliage offers protection against cabbage worms, beetles, and carrot rust flies.
All of these plants are suited for Paulding County, Georgia in USDA Hardiness Zone 8a.
