Eight plants have earned a real reputation for keeping mosquitoes at a distance: citronella grass, lemon balm, basil, mint, lavender, marigolds, bee balm, and scented geraniums. Every one of them works the same basic way, by releasing aromatic oils that scramble a mosquito’s ability to smell you. 

Plant them near your patio, brush against them on your way to the grill, and your yard becomes a much less inviting hunting ground. Now let’s get into which ones deserve a spot in your garden and where they’ll do the most good.

Why Mosquitoes Hate These Plants

A mosquito finds you by scent. Your breath, your skin, the carbon dioxide trailing off you on a July evening, all of it acts like a dinner bell. Mosquito repelling plants fight back with strong scents of their own. Their essential oils cloud the air around your seating area, and suddenly that dinner bell gets a lot harder to hear.

One honest note before the list. A living plant releases far less oil than the concentrated versions in citronella candles or bug spray, so crushing leaves between your fingers and rubbing the fragrance around your patio releases much more of the good stuff.

The Four You Can Cook With

Citronella Grass

The most famous name in mosquito control, and the source of the citronella oil in nearly every repellent product on the shelf. This fast growing annual reaches five to six feet in a single summer, loves full sun, and makes a dramatic focal point in beds or large containers. In our Texas climate, it thrives right up until the first hard freeze.

Lemon Balm

A perennial herb from the mint family with a bright citrus smell that mosquitoes want nothing to do with. Toss a few leaves into iced tea for a refreshing drink, then crush a handful and enjoy the fragrance. One warning, it will spread readily, so give it a container unless you want a lemon balm empire.

Basil

The rare plant that repels mosquitoes while sitting three feet from your tomatoes waiting to become dinner. Basil throws off its scent without any crushing required, which makes this culinary herb one of the hardest workers in vegetable gardens. Full sun, steady water, endless caprese.

Mint

That cool, unmistakable smell we love is exactly what mosquitoes and plenty of other insects avoid. Like its cousin lemon balm, mint spreads aggressively through the ground, so keep it in pots on the patio where its fragrance guards your seating and its runners stay contained.