How to Grow Insect Repellent Plants

The more we learn about the long term effects of exposure to chemical agents, the more many of us are looking for more natural alternatives to solving the problem of pests in the garden. One solution to the dilemma of wanting a beautiful garden but not wanting to fill it up with dangerous pesticides is to grow a few insect repellent plants. The beauty of this more organic approach to bug control is that carefully integrating some of these plants into your existing garden will help keep bugs off all your plants, even the ones bugs love to dine on. This is called companion planting, and it can work wonders in your garden.Often the types of plants that bugs avoid are strong smelling. Sometimes the smell is something you wouldn't want in a bouquet, like garlic, but other times it’s a wonderful smell that enhances the garden . . . from a human perspective, anyway. Growing plants that will help control pests doesn't have to be a chore, or even that much of a compromise. The only ones who will think it stinks are the insects.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Lavender
• Basil
• Garlic
• Sweet woodruff
• Thyme
• Catnip
• Mint
• Rue
• Tansy
• Artemesia
• Feverfew

1. Select the areas that most need protection from insect activity. If insects are coming indoors, plant tansy, rosemary, mint and catnip around windows and doorways to discourage flies, mosquitoes, moths, cockroaches, ants and fleas. To control flies and mosquitoes near decks and patios, plant tansy and basil.

2. Identify the insects that are causing the most problems.To keep the general bug population down across the entire garden, plant sweet woodruff in shaded areas and thyme near walkways and in flowerbeds. To control Japanese beetles near roses, plant rue in combination with garlic. Discourage slugs and snails with artemesias. Eliminate moths with lavender. Control ants and aphids with thick plantings of feverfew or catnip.

3. Create a diagram showing where you will be introducing plants with notes on which plants, if any, you will have to remove.

4. Read the instructions for each plant you plan on purchasing. Pay particular attention to its water and light requirements. The most common reason plants fail in the garden is that their light and water requirements aren't met.

5. Plant new garden plants early on a spring day, if possible. If you live in an area that experiences hot summers, avoid planting new plants after the beginning of June.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that small plants grow fast. You can purchase a few plants at first and then propagate them next season to populate other areas of your property.
• Many of the plants listed are useful at repelling a number of different types of insects. If you introduce each plant variety separately, you will be able to tell more easily which ones are doing the best job of keeping the bugs away.
• Avoid planting too many plants at one time. It's easier to monitor the progress of a few plants than it is to keep track of dozens.