Q: Are there any plants that repel mosquitos? I’ll take all the help I can get! —J. C. Northampton
A: I’m with you on that one, J.C.! Those pesky buggers seem especially tenacious this year. They always come around just as I am settling down outside to enjoy a good book in the coolness of early evening after dealing with the often brutish mugginess of these July days. Thankfully, there are some floral and herbal scents we consider lovely but mosquitos consider offensive, so you can give some aromatic deterrence a try.
Do you have an herb garden or window box? You can stock either with a few plants mosquitos prefer to avoid such as basil, lavender, and rosemary. Lemon basil and cinnamon basil seem especially effective. Lemon thyme is another option. They also dislike various members of the mint family such as peppermint, lemon balm, and catmint. If you are more of a flower garden person, a couple of options are scented geranium and marigold. The essential oils in these plants are the key ingredients mosquitoes are avoiding.
Now, unless you want to sit down in the garden amongst your scented shields, you will need to bring the flowers up to your seated level. Here you have a couple of options. One, if you have a full sun spot near where you sit outside, you could pot up a couple or a few containers of these plants and strategically place them within a few feet of you on your patio, porch or deck. Alternatively, you could snip the flowers and place them in vases on your outdoor tables, creating a cheerful summery display that belies its repellent properties. Only you will be the wiser!
There are a wide variety of mosquitos and these perfumed arrays may help deter some of those pesky buzzers more than others. Also, the effectiveness of these plants will likely vary depending on the quantities used. You may want to consider pairing them with citronella candles for enhanced natural summer ambiance and effectiveness.
Good luck, J.C., and thanks for asking a master gardener.
Have a gardening dilemma? Please send questions, along with your name/initials and community, to the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association at AskAMasterGardener@wmmga.org. One question will be answered per week. wmmga.org