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All Photo Credits in this post: Wikipedia unless otherwise stated
I love warmer weather, don't you!? Unfortunately, when entertaining in the warm outdoors, you can also become the main course of pesky insects! Blech. The most annoying for me personally are mosquitoes and flies. The following are some suggestions to repell those buggers so that your time outside is an enjoyable one. I hope you enjoy the post.
Plants
If you are a person who prefers to repell in a natural way, adding certain plants to your garden is an excellent way to go.
Mosquito-specific Repellers
Citronella
Citronella or lemongrass, is an attractive shrub that mosquitoes simply do not care for. What is great about this plant is that it also has medicinal value, including helping to aleive headaches, vomiting, and high blood pressure. It is also used as lemon flavoring in herbal tea.
Scented Geranium
Scented Geraniums differ from standard in that their scent comes from their leaves rather than their blossoms. In addition to deterring mosquitoes, scented geraniums' leaves copycat other flowers' aromas such as rose, apple, and mint; are edible, and often used to scent foods such as sugars and jellies.
Catmint
Catmint, which is more commonly known as catnip, is an excellent mosquito repeller that also repels deer, aphids, and other garden pests. They are drought-tolerant, and have long blooming periods that can span from Spring to Autumn. Catnip has medicinal purposes as well; often used for headaches, anxiety, and insomnia.
Rosemary
Rosemary is an aromatic shrub/herb often used in cooking. What is great about rosemary plants is that along with being aesthetically appealing, they are very hardy, and therefore thrive in both borders and in containers.
Rose-scented Monarda
Monarda is a lovely rose-scented plant known for being rich in geraniol. It is the geraniol which gives the plant its rose scent, and the extracted oil is often used as the active ingredient in some commercial mosquito repellents.
Flossflowers
Flossflower or Ageratum, are really appealing plants used mostly in classic flower beds or as border plants. Along with deterring mosquitoes, this pretty bloom is also deer resistant. What is wonderful about these plants is they are also available in pink, white, purple, lavender, as well as blue!
Marigold
Marigolds (Calendula) are aesthetically appealing plants commonly used in gardens. They are known for their strong, pungent odor, and for their use in cosmetics or as an herb in skin ointment treatments including eczema, scars, cracked skin, rashes, and other inflammations.
Horsemint
Horsemint, or Beebalm, is another genus of Monarda (monarda punctata) used for an array of medicinal purposes. Its scent is similar to thyme. Used in tea, it can help soothe flatulent colic, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and rheumatism. They make great border plants, and are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Fly-specific Repellers
Bay Leaves
Bay leaves have long been used in cooking soups, sauces, stews, and casseroles. In addition to repelling flies, bay leaves are a great source of Vitamins A and C, and are high in iron.
Fly and Mosquito Repellers
Tansy
Tansy is an excellent companion plant, because it works so well as a biological pest control. It repels flies, mosquitoes, ants, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and Japanese beetles.
Pennyroyal
This plant has a strong scent similar to spearmint. Typically utilized for its essential oils, pennyroyal is used in aromatherapy. The oil is extremely toxic if taken internally, so use with caution!
Basil
In addition to repelling both flies and mosquitoes, basil has many, many uses. It is known for its wonderful flavor and is commonly used in cooking. They make excellent border plants, can be used in baths as a soothing element. When steeped in tea, it can aid digestion. It can calm coughs, be used as an anti-inflammatory, and also relieves rheumatic and arthritic conditions. Also, basil is thought to cure insomnia.
Lavender
What can I say? I love lavender! It is a beautiful vibrant-colored plant that can add charm to your garden,
Photo: PDD
gathered,
Photo: PDD
dried and hung,
used in potpourri sachets,
as well as in soaps, shampoos, et cetera. Lavender can be used for aiding restlessness, insomnia, headaches and migraines, toothaches and joint pain.
Other Methods
If reconfiguring the garden isn't for you, consider placing a large fan to ward off mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are weak fliers, and a good strong breeze from a fan will keep them away. Of course, you can always use the tried-and-true method: douse yourself with deet. :)
I hope these tips have been helpful!
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