The Garden of Weeden: Mosquitoes Be Gone!

Nothing ruins a peaceful summer evening faster than that high-pitched eeeeeeeeeeeee near your ear at 8:47 PM while you’re trying to enjoy sweet tea on the porch. One minute you’re living your best “country sunset” life… the next minute you’re slapping your own neck like you’re auditioning for a Pentecostal tambourine choir.

When the grandbabies are outside? Oh, it becomes personal.

Apparently, mosquitoes aren’t fans of certain smells, which makes me wonder if they’re secretly tiny flying food critics. According to nature lovers, gardeners, and folks who swear by essential oils over modern medicine, there are several scents that mosquitoes absolutely hate.

The “Get Off My Lawn” Plant Lineup

Citronella – The celebrity of mosquito repellents. Strong lemony smell. Mosquitoes act like it’s expired tuna fish.

Lavender – Smells relaxing to us, but apparently confuses mosquitoes like they walked into a Bath & Body Works against their will.

Peppermint – Refreshing for humans. Offensive to bloodsuckers.

Catnip – Ironically attracts cats while repelling mosquitoes. Nature remains weird.

Geraniol – Found in citronella and roses. Fancy name. Strong reputation.

Basil – Good on pizza. Better for keeping mosquitoes from turning your ankle into an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Rosemary – Smells amazing on grilled chicken and supposedly keeps bugs away too.

Mint – Fresh scent with bonus points because it grows like it’s trying to take over the entire garden.

And then there are these honorable mentions:

• Marigolds
• Lemon Balm
• Sage
• Bee Balm

Basically, if your garden smells like an herbal tea aisle, mosquitoes may decide to bother somebody else. Before we all start bathing in peppermint oil and planting lavender like it’s the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, there are a few practical things that help too:

• Dump standing water from buckets, flower pots, old tires, bird baths, and forgotten kid toys.
• Keep grass trimmed.
• Run fans on porches and patios — mosquitoes fly about as well as a drunk moth in strong wind.
• Burn citronella candles during evening gatherings.
• Consider a screened sitting area if mosquitoes treat your backyard like a resort destination.
• Avoid watering late in the evening if possible.
• Encourage dragonflies and bats — nature’s unpaid mosquito exterminators.
• Wear lighter colored clothing outdoors at dusk.

And if all else fails… assign one family member as the sacrificial mosquito magnet. Every family has one.

Now I don’t know if planting basil and rosemary alone will create some invisible force field around the patio. But I do know this:  A yard full of fragrant herbs, flowers, pollinators, grandkids laughing, and fewer mosquito bites sounds like a pretty good summer setup to me.

If mosquitoes hate the smell of my garden this year, that may be the greatest compliment my plants have ever received.