Grow this excellent mosquito repellent as a centrepiece on your patio table, or plant a drift of basil in the garden bed.
Both insect-repelling and a culinary herb, basil is easy to grow from seed or transplants. There are many varieties of basil—and they all repel insects—so choose the variety that best suits your needs. Try 'Thai Magic' for use in Southeast Asian dishes or 'Spicy Globe' for a tabletop container.
2. Mint
Rodents will also be far away with the help of a plant. Mint varieties, such as peppermint, can deter rodents in your home. Pests, such as mosquitoes, ants, flies; and other rodents, such as mice and rats, will be no more with this plant lying around. Mint can be in the form of crushed leaves, oils, sprays, or even mint gum to shoo them away for good.
Tip: To deter ants without a mess, leave mint tea bags in areas where they’re active.
3. Pennyroyal
A form of mint, pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) can be grown as herbal ‘lawn’ in a sunny to lightly shaded spot. The leaves exude a pleasant minty scent and are repellent to fleas and mosquitoes. Small mauve flowers often appear during the warmer months.
Plant pennyroyal between flagstones to deter ants and soften the look of hard surfaces in a lawn-less area. They will grow like crazy and need constant cutting back, but ants hate it and will move on.
4. Rosemary
Not only is rosemary a fantastic herb in your favourite lamb dishes. But its strong scent can override the aroma of other plants, which confuses and deters insects such as the carrot fly, whitefly, moths and even silverfish. Thus, making rosemary a favourite and popular pick in vegetable gardens.
Tip: The next time you're having a barbie in your backyard, keep mosquitoes away by putting fresh rosemary or sage on the barbecue coals.
5. Pyrethrum daisy
Pyrethrum daisy (Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium), are harvested for their unique properties – the flowers contain a high level of natural insecticide that is used in household sprays and garden products.
Often grown as ornamentals, pyrethrum daisies are easy to grow – all they really need is plenty of sun and a splash of water when the rain stays away.
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5 plants that repel mosquitoes