As much as we love summer, it does have annoying mosquitoes. I am sharing 10 Plants to Keep Mosquitoes Away! Help repel mosquitoes by filling your garden with as many plants that keep mosquitoes away and hopefully, you’ll have a mosquito-free yard!

10 Plants to Keep Mosquitos Away

Many of the 10 plants to keep mosquitoes away are easy to add to your patio decor. They will not only look beautiful but serve a purpose in keeping your outdoor space pest free!

  1. Basil – This is one of 10 plants to keep mosquitoes away. You can make your own natural mosquito repellent with dried basil very easily. Simply steep a cup of dried basil in 1/2 cup of filtered boiling water, kind of like you would make tea. In fact, you can use a tea ball to help make this a neater job. Add in a little basil essential oil and about 1/2 cup of some sort of alcohol that is safe for the skin.
  2. Catnip – There are some studies that show that catnip oil is better at repelling mosquitoes than harsh chemical insect repellants. If this is true, you should try it. You can buy it already made catnip oil repellent or make your own catnip mosquito repellent. It works on other types of pests too. 
  3. Citronella – This lemony plant is the most popular known plant to help keep mosquitoes away. You’ve likely seen citronella candles that work too, but why not just plant this pretty grass-like plant. You should plant it in large containers that can be easily protected during frost and place strategically around when guests are visiting.
  4. Garlic – The bulb of the garlic plant’s amino acid make up coverts to a substance called allicin once you crush it, blend it or chop it. You can actually blend the bulbs with water and water other plants and foliage (and humans) with it to help repel insects. Here are a few recipes you can try.
  5. Geranium — Plant scented citronella geraniums to help control mosquitoes in pots to put around your patio and in areas that you and your guests might want to sit without being bothered by mosquitoes Click the image to see more about this patio!You can also crush the leaves and add to lotions to help the repellent work even better.
  6. Lavender – Growing lavender is fun and has many uses including as a mosquito repellent and it’s a lot more plant to smell than some of the other options. If you don’t want to grow it you can purchase lavender soaps, essential oils, and lotions to use as a mosquito repellent.
  7. Lemon Balm – This also smells a lot better than citronella or garlic and works well too. All you have to do is take the leaves and crush them and rub them on your body where the skin will be exposed.
  8. Marigolds – Most people who grow vegetables tend to plant marigolds within, and for good reason. These magical flowers help banish many types of insects including mosquitoes. Of course, the smell is usually not that pleasant to humans either, but they’re not hard to look at or grow.
  9. Peppermint – This delicious tasting and smelling plant is a great mosquito repellent. Bugs hate the smell and the flavor of them. You can either crush up the leaves or rub on skin or you can use an essential oil infused lotion. Thankfully, peppermint is easy to grow because you’ll want to use it for mosquito repellent and for your mojitos. Buy peppermint essential oil here. 
  10. Rosemary – You can boil a cup of dried rosemary in a quart of filtered water for 20 minutes, and then strain into another quart of filtered water. Pour into individual spray bottles, to use when going outside where mosquitoes might be. Be sure to store unused portion in the fridge.