plants repel insects

Lucky for us, there are garden plants that naturally send bad bugs packing. These insect-repelling plants generally have strong odours and oils that are offensive to some mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs.

It's the little things sometimes. And seeing my plants (🌱) grow makes my heart happy. The fact this smells delicious helps too, of course. (😏) Any other green thumb edible favorites out there? Aside from my basil plant, I'm in love with my Meyer lemon tree too (🍋🌳). It's actually started to fruit...! ⇣ #basilplant #windowgarden #freshherbs

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.

Mint

Instagram post by 🌵Dita Lubis 🌿 * Aug 14, 2017 at 2:12am UTC

Rodents will also be far away with the help of a plant. Mint plants, 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.

Lavender

So my mother-in-law gave me this lavender plant & not only do I love it & the way it looks in my home, but it smells ah-maze-ing! But the BEST part is, it's only 2.99 at Kroger right now! I couldn't make this up if I tried! 🌿 now all I have to do is keep it alive! 😝 . . . #lavender #homelove #furnituredesign #krogerdeals #krogering #plant #herbs #plantlover #greenthumb #spring #shiplap #lavendarplant #fresh #homedecor #farmhouse #farmhouselove #farmhousedecor #farmersmarket #mybhg #love #inspo #earth #follow #weekend #memorialdayweekend #memorialday #inpiration #cottagestyle #interior123 #instagood

Lavender has a charming scent we all know and love—except for some insects, that is. Mosquitoes, moths, and flies tend to stay away from lavender plants in general, but the most effective way to keep them away is to rub the plant on your skin and nearby surfaces to release the oils.

Garlic

This garlic is growing slow and steady! It's been an interesting experiment using scraps as house plants. #garlicplant #garlicshoots #plantstrong

A great companion plant for many food crops, garlic can repel several insect pests. Plant it near plants in the cabbage family, as well as carrots and tomatoes. Garlic is planted from individual cloves purchased at the garden centre. Plant the cloves in fall, and shoots will emerge from the soil the following spring.

Lemon Thyme

Having fresh herbs to hand from the garden rocks, especially as they're different to the ones I normally use. #homegrownherbs #freshherbs #lemonthyme #foodiesbcn #foodlover

A creeping herb with a bright citrus fragrance, lemon thyme releases oils that repel many kinds of bugs. Use lemon thyme as a groundcover and enjoy its insect-repelling properties every time you tread on it. Lemon thyme grows well in full sun and well-drained soil. It is drought-tolerant and easy to grow from transplants purchased at the garden centre.

A popular culinary herb, lemon thyme has the best flavour before the plant flowers.

This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens US.