If you like to grow plants and you are having problems with pests, a good way to solve this problem is to grow plants that repel insects. Not only will you feel satisfied once you see your plants grow, but you will also be rewarded by beautiful flowers or greens that also help in warding off bugs.

But you can’t just go ahead and plant whatever comes to your fancy. It’s important to also consider what sort of pests you want to keep away as there are specific plants that work against certain types of pests.

In choosing plants, see what sorts of bugs are infesting your home or garden. Are you plagued by mosquitoes? Is the fly or tick population becoming uncontrollable? Are you troubled by ants or cockroaches? You should assess your needs first before choosing plants in order to get the types of plants that will be most effective at driving back the bugs that are plaguing your space.

Here are a few suggestions:

Osage Orange Tree

- This tree can be easily grown from a seed. To encourage germination, soak the seed in water for a week, making sure to change the water from time to time to avoid fermentation.

- The green colored fruits of the Osage tree are popularly known as hedge apples. These are not edible.

- To repel cockroaches, place fruits in areas where roaches are often found. Throw the fruits away once these turn brown. Hedge apples are also known to keep spiders and ants at bay.

Catnip

- You can plant catnip from seeds or purchase seedlings. Keep plant in a place where it will get partial to full sunlight.

- Catnip contains an essential oil, nepetalactone, which repels many kinds of insects. Roaches, mosquitoes, beetles, ants, aphids, as well as mice keep away from this plant.

- Catnip is also used to enhance the taste of coffee and tea.

Peppermint

- Purchase a mature peppermint plant and from there, you will be able to grow many more from its cuttings. Cut about a centimeter of sprig from the mature plant. Place in water for a couple of days and plant the cutting once roots have grown a bit long. Make sure that an established plant gets enough sun and a lot of water.

- Peppermint can deter a number of pests, including rodents, like rats and mice. It also keeps ants, fleas and ticks away.

Lavender

- It is quite a challenge to grow lavender as these plants have specific requirements. They need to be planted in gravelly or sandy soil with some loam; the soil must be alkaline (soil pH of 6.5 – 7.5); and the soil should also be well-drained. These plants have to be sheltered from very cold or very wet seasons. However, once established, these plants can tolerate extreme conditions well. These plants can be grown from seeds. You can also purchase potted lavender.

- Lavender is used in many areas. It’s an ingredient in perfumes, cosmetics, as well as food items. It’s a beautiful and fragrant plant.

- The plant is known to repel mice, ticks, moths, mosquitoes, and fleas.

Other highly recommended plants that can repel a variety of pests include flowering plants, like marigolds, nasturtiums, tansy, and geranium. Many herbs are also very effective pest repellents, such as anise, basil, chives, oregano, thyme, and garlic. The variety of options out there can really inspire you to create a garden that’s not just lovely, but also pest-free.

Source: Web Gardening Tips