Here is the honest answer: no living plant sitting in a pot will keep mosquitoes off your patio by itself. The plants with real repellent compounds, such as citronella grass, lemongrass, catnip, lemon eucalyptus, lavender and basil, only release enough of them when the leaves are crushed or the oils are extracted, and even then protection is short-lived. The so-called “mosquito plant,” a citronella-scented geranium, has performed poorly in the tests that have looked at it. Plants can still help a little as part of a plan, especially if you crush leaves and rub them on your skin, but the things that really cut bites are removing standing water, using a fan on the patio and wearing an EPA-registered repellent. This guide sorts the popular bug repellent plants by how well they actually work and shows how to use them sensibly.
Part of our Pest Control guide →
In this guide
Key Takeaways
- Intact plants release too little scent to repel mosquitoes from more than a few inches away.
- Crushed leaves of catnip, lemongrass, citronella grass and lemon thyme give brief, modest protection on skin, typically much shorter than commercial repellents.
- Citronella-scented geraniums (“mosquito plants”) and marigolds have little evidence behind them as repellents.
- Oil of lemon eucalyptus, a refined plant-derived product, is an EPA-registered repellent; the plant itself is not.
- The most effective yard controls are eliminating standing water, a patio fan and EPA-registered repellents.
Why Most Mosquito Repellent Plants Disappoint
Mosquitoes find you mainly by tracking carbon dioxide from your breath, body heat and skin odors. Plant oils such as citronellal, geraniol, linalool and nepetalactone can interfere with that, which is why many commercial repellents are built from plant chemistry. But a growing plant keeps most of those oils locked in its leaves. The faint scent you notice when you brush past a citronella clump disperses within inches, and a breeze or a few feet of distance erases it. To get any effect, you need the oil on your skin or concentrated in the air around you, and even then it fades quickly as it evaporates.
That does not make these plants useless. They are attractive, many are edible or aromatic herbs, and crushing a few leaves in an emergency is better than nothing. Just do not plant a ring of marigolds and expect to sit out at dusk in July without bites.
Mosquito Repellent Plants Rated
| Plant | Active compounds | Growing plant repels? | Crushed leaves on skin | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catnip (Nepeta cataria) | Nepetalactone | No | Modest, short-lived | Most promising herb, lab evidence is strongest |
| Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus) | Citronellal, geraniol | No | Modest, very short-lived | Source of citronella oil; plant alone is weak |
| Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) | Citral, geraniol | No | Modest, short-lived | Useful in the kitchen; minor repellent value |
| Lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora) | Citronellal; refined into PMD | No | Weak as raw leaves | Refined oil (OLE/PMD) is an EPA-registered repellent |
| Lemon thyme, lemon balm | Citronellal, citral | No | Weak to modest | Pleasant; minor effect |
| Lavender | Linalool | No | Weak | Beautiful, but little real protection |
| Basil, rosemary, mint | Various aromatic oils | No | Weak | Grow them for the kitchen |
| Marigolds | Pyrethrum-like compounds (low) | No | Not used | Little evidence against mosquitoes |
| Citronella-scented geranium (“mosquito plant”) | Citronellol, geraniol (low) | No | Weak | Performed poorly in published tests |
The Plants Worth Growing (With Realistic Expectations)
Catnip
Nepetalactone, the compound that excites cats, has shown strong repellency against mosquitoes in laboratory studies, which makes catnip the most interesting repellent herb. In the garden, catnip is a tough perennial in zones 3 to 9 that grows 2 to 3 feet tall in full sun and poor soil. Crush a handful of leaves and rub them on exposed skin for short-term protection. Be aware that it attracts neighborhood cats, and it self-seeds freely. Our guide on how to grow catnip covers planting and keeping it tidy.
Citronella grass and lemongrass
These two clumping tropical grasses look similar and are often confused. True citronella grass is the source of the oil used in commercial citronella candles and sprays. Lemongrass is the culinary species. Both are perennial only in zones 10 and 11 and are grown as annuals or overwintered in pots elsewhere. They need full sun, regular water and warm weather to bulk up to 3 to 5 feet tall. As living plants they do little to deter mosquitoes, but crushed blades rubbed on skin offer a small, brief effect, and lemongrass earns its place in any kitchen garden. See how to grow lemongrass.
Lemon eucalyptus
Lemon-scented gum is a fast-growing tree in zones 9 to 11 and a fragrant container plant elsewhere. Its refined oil, sold as oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD, is one of the plant-based active ingredients registered by the EPA as an effective mosquito repellent. The key word is refined: raw leaves or homemade infusions do not deliver the same concentration, and the CDC advises against using OLE products on children under three.
Lavender, lemon balm, basil and other herbs
These aromatic herbs contain oils with some repellent properties, but at levels too low to matter as living plants. Grow them because they are useful, fragrant and pollinator friendly. If you want to experiment, plant them in containers right next to seating so you can brush and crush leaves as you sit.
The Plants That Don’t Work
The most heavily marketed “mosquito plant” is a scented pelargonium sold as citronella geranium or ‘Citrosa’. It smells like citronella when crushed, but it contains little actual citronella oil, and published tests of the growing plant found it did not reduce mosquito landings. Marigolds are often recommended as mosquito repellents, but the evidence is mainly about soil nematodes and some garden insects, not mosquitoes. Both are fine ornamental plants. Neither is a bug shield.
Be skeptical, too, of claims that a single plant repels flies, ticks, gnats and mosquitoes all at once. Different insects respond to different cues, and garden plants rarely produce enough of any compound to drive away pests at a distance.
What Actually Keeps Mosquitoes Off Your Patio
1. Remove standing water every week
Mosquitoes can go from egg to biting adult in about a week in warm weather, and they breed in as little as a bottle cap of water. Walk the yard weekly and empty or flush saucers, buckets, toys, tarps, clogged gutters, tire swings and birdbaths. Treat water you cannot empty, such as rain barrels and ornamental ponds, with Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) dunks, which kill mosquito larvae without harming fish, pets or birds. Our guide to getting rid of mosquitoes in your yard has a full checklist.
2. Put a fan on the patio
Mosquitoes are weak fliers. A box fan or outdoor ceiling fan aimed across the seating area disrupts their flight and disperses the carbon dioxide and body odors they follow. It is one of the cheapest and most effective tools for an evening on the deck.
3. Use an EPA-registered repellent
Products containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or PMD, or 2-undecanone are registered by the EPA as effective against mosquitoes. If you prefer a plant-derived option, choose an OLE or PMD product rather than crushed leaves. Treat clothing with permethrin for hikes and gardening in heavy mosquito areas.
4. Trim shady hiding spots and consider traps
Adult mosquitoes rest during the day in tall grass, dense shrubs and shady, damp areas. Keep grass mowed and thin out overgrown shrubs near patios. Traps that use carbon dioxide, heat or attractant lures can lower local numbers over time when placed away from where people sit; our roundup of the best mosquito traps compares the main types. For persistent problems, a licensed pest control company can treat resting areas with targeted sprays. Our pest control guide covers when and how to hire one.
Garden Habits That Breed Mosquitoes
Ironically, the way a garden is kept often matters more than which plants are in it. Several common gardening habits create perfect mosquito nurseries:
- Plant saucers and cachepots: water that sits under pots for more than a few days can hatch larvae. Empty saucers after watering, or fill them with gravel.
- Bromeliads and other cupped plants: water held in leaf bases can breed mosquitoes in warm climates. Flush the cups with a hose weekly.
- Uncovered rain barrels: fit tight lids and fine mesh screens over inlets, or treat with Bti.
- Overwatering: puddles in low spots of beds and lawns that last more than three or four days are enough. Water deeply but less often, and fix drainage.
- Still ponds without fish: a small water feature with a pump, a fountain or mosquito-eating fish rarely breeds mosquitoes; a stagnant tub does. See our tips for mosquitoes in a pond.
- Leaf-clogged gutters: they hold water for days after rain, right next to windows and doors.
Encouraging natural predators helps too. Dragonflies, damselflies, frogs, toads and many birds eat mosquitoes or their larvae. A garden with a healthy, moving water feature, native plants and no broad-spectrum insecticide sprays supports more of these allies. Bats also eat flying insects, though mosquitoes make up only a small part of their diet, so do not count on a bat house alone.
A Practical Patio Plan
If you enjoy the idea of a fragrant, “bug-friendly” patio, combine plants with the measures that work. Grow catnip, lemongrass and lemon thyme in large pots at the edges of the seating area so you can brush and crush the leaves. Add a quiet outdoor fan, empty every saucer after watering, drop a Bti dunk into the birdbath or rain barrel, and keep an EPA-registered repellent on the table for dusk. That combination gives you herbs for the kitchen, a pleasant scent, and far fewer bites than plants alone could ever deliver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do citronella plants really repel mosquitoes?
Not as growing plants. Citronella grass produces the oil used in repellents, but the living plant releases too little to protect you. The citronella-scented geranium sold as a “mosquito plant” contains even less and performed poorly in tests.
What is the best plant to keep mosquitoes away?
Catnip has the strongest evidence among common garden plants, but only when the leaves are crushed and the oil applied. No plant reliably keeps mosquitoes away from an area just by growing there.
Do marigolds keep mosquitoes away?
There is little evidence that they do. Marigolds may help with some soil pests and garden insects, but they are not an effective mosquito repellent around patios or windows.
Can I rub plant leaves on my skin to repel mosquitoes?
Crushed catnip, lemongrass, citronella grass or lemon thyme can give modest, short protection, usually far less than commercial products. Test a small patch first, since some people react to plant oils.
Do any plants repel flies and other bugs?
Strong-scented herbs such as basil, mint and lavender are often said to deter flies, but evidence is limited and effects are small. Fans, screens and good sanitation are much more effective against flies and gnats.