5 Plants that Help Repel Mosquitoes Naturally

Love spending time in your yard during the summer but feel like you're a buffet for mosquitoes? See these 5 plants that help repel mosquitoes naturally!

I feel thankful to have grown up in that sweet spot of time to have been a young child when the world wasn't overly filled with technology, but got its big push in my teens. This meant we spent a lot of time outside in our nice backyard as a family sipping sweet tea on the swing and enjoying each others company.

However, in the hot and humid south, we often had visitors whose company I really didn't enjoy...mosquitoes. I loved being outside so much, but mosquitoes loved me just as much.

So much, in fact, that I sometimes looked like I had measles by the time I came inside! These days I'm trying to spend more time outside again, but I don't like dousing myself in sprays, especially since we have cats that like to rub against our legs and arms.

So, in my search for more natural mosquito repellents, I've started planting these 5 plants that help repel mosquitoes naturally around our deck!

1. Marigolds - I've always loved marigolds. To me they are just such a happy flower, with their flowers that last a long time with bright yellow and orange colors.

I've always planted them with my produce garden plants as they help protect against aphids and even rabbits, but I just recently found out they can repel mosquitoes, too.

2. Lemongrass or Mosquito Plant - If you've ever looked for mosquito repelling products, you've probably seen a variety of products with citronella in it, like candles.

For the longest time, I never even realized that citronella was actually an oil that comes from the lemongrass plant. There is also a plant called a mosquito plant that has a nice lemon scent like lemongrass.

Both plants work best if you crush some of the leaves when you're outside, as the lemony scent is what helps to repel the mosquitoes.

3. Peppermint - One of my favorite ways to cool down in the summer is with a nice tall glass of iced peppermint tea.

A lot of people only think of peppermint around the holidays, but it's a great flavor to implement year round with a peppermint plant in tea, desserts, drinks and more. The best part is, many bugs, including mosquitoes, don't like the smell and taste of peppermint.

4. Basil - Basil is my favorite herb to cook with and I even like putting the raw leaves into salads. I love that it can serve double duty by also helping to repel mosquitoes and other insects, like flies!

5. Catnip - If you come to Smart Savvy Living regularly, you probably already know we have cats.

Each and every one of them love their catnip so much that we have to hide packages of it and they'll actually lick their favorite Yeowww! Catnip Toys for several minutes at a time.

Our cats prefer dried catnip to the fresh plants, so we regularly dry some of the leaves. I totally don't mind having multiple catnip plants around our yard, though, because not only do the cats love it, but it also helps to repel mosquitoes, ants, aphids, Japanese beetles and even roaches.

A study has even said that Catnip is about 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET!

Do you have any other plants that help repel mosquitoes naturally?

Now that you can spend more time outside without getting eaten up by mosquitoes, check out these 5 family-friendly summer night activities!