18 Plants That Repel Insects

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Plants that repel insects are often used for natural pest control through companion planting, the practice of growing different plants together to achieve specific results based largely on anecdotal evidence. Like humans, insects have their preferred foods, and they usually find these foods by scent. You can make it harder for insects to locate the buffet by mixing in plants that will confuse their sense of smell, such as planting onions between cabbages. This means you won’t be able to plant in tidy rows and large blocks of a single vegetable, but it doesn’t take a lot to have an effect.

Plants with pungent scents are among the most effective insect deterrents, and many of these are herbs, so the plants have two purposes. In addition, some deterrent plants also attract beneficial insects you want in the garden. This is another type of companion planting that is proving to have great use for gardeners.

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Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
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Basil repels asparagus beetle, carrot fly, flies, mosquitoes, and whitefly. It’s the scent that deters the insects, so gently touching the leaves to release their oils as you walk by improves its effectiveness. Annual.
- USDA Growing Zones: Annual. hardy zones 10-11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained soil
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Borage (Borago officinalis)
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Borage repels imported cabbageworm and tomato hornworm. It also attracts beneficial insects and pollinators, such as native bumblebees. Allow it to self-sow, and you will always have some in your garden. Prefers cooler temperatures.
- USDA Growing Zones: Annual plant
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained soil
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
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Calendula, or pot marigold, repels asparagus beetle, nematodes, and tomato hornworm. It also attracts beneficial insects, so this edible flower is useful throughout your garden.
- USDA Growing Zones: Typically grown as an annual. Hardy zones9 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained soil
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Catmint (Nepeta)
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Catmint repels aphids, cabbage looper, Colorado potato beetle, cucumber beetle, flea beetle, Japanese beetle, and, squash bugs. The one drawback with catnip is that some varieties can be aggressive spreaders and quickly take over large parts of the garden. Perennial.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained soil
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Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
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Chives will repel aphids and Japanese beetles. Be sure to harvest your chives, because it will spread quickly if you allow it to go to seed. Even the beautiful flowers are edible.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Rich, moist soil
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Dill (Anethum graveolens)
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Dill is excellent for repelling cabbage moths and spider mites. Dill is also a good plant for attracting beneficial insects, such as parasitic wasps that lay eggs in tomato hornworms, and is a host plant for black swallowtail butterflies. You will lose a little dill while the larvae feed, but they are not around for long, and the butterflies are lovely. Biennial, hardy to 25 degrees F.
- USDA Growing Zones: Biennial plant
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Loose, well-drained soil
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Garlic (Allium sativum)
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Garlic repels aphids, cabbage moths, codling moths, Mexican bean beetles, peach borer, Japanese beetles, as well as rabbits. Planting garlic under roses to repel Japanese beetles is a classic companion planting technique. Annual.
- USDA Growing Zones: 2-10 (varies by type)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Fertile, well-drained soil
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Hyssop (Agastache rupestris)
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Beautiful, fragrant hyssop repels cabbage moths. Hyssop is an excellent companion for all sorts of cole crops since they are all attacked by cabbage moth larvae. Perennial.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full to part shade
- Soil Needs: Well-drained soil
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Mint (Mentha)
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The scent of mint repels aphids, cabbage moths, flea beetles, squash bugs, whiteflies, and even ants. To prevent this aggressive grower from taking over your vegetable garden, you can simply lay sprigs of mint among the plants you want to protect, but the sprigs must be replaced often. Or plant pots of mint and place among the veggies to keep the plant contained.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, slightly acidic soil
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Onions (allium cepa)
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Onions repel aphids, cabbage looper, carrot flies, Colorado potato beetle, and rabbits. The combination of carrots and onions has done well in testing. Annual.
- USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Loamy, well-drained soil
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Oregano (Origanum)
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Oregano repels cabbage moths. However, it can be difficult to interplant because it is a spreading perennial. You could try laying freshly cut springs near your cole crops, but they will need to be replaced frequently. Plant in pots and place throughout garden beds instead. Perennial.
- USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 10
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Light, sandy, loamy soil
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Parsley (Petroselinum)
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Parsley repels asparagus beetles. As with basil, you’ll need to be gentle when you crush the leaves to release the scent. Allow to flower to attract parasitic wasps.
- USDA Growing Zones: Biennial, hardy in zones 3-9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, well-drained soil
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Radish (Raphanus sativus)
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Radish plants repel cabbage maggot, squash bugs, cucumber beetles. For the best effect, you will need to seed three or four radishes in each cucumber hill and leave them there to mature while the cucumber plants are growing.
- USDA Growing Zones: Annual plant
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Soil Needs: Rich, sandy, loamy soil
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Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
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Rosemary repels cabbage moths, carrot flies, Mexican bean beetles, slugs and snails. Although rosemary is not hardy in all zones, you can usually buy small plants inexpensively at the start of the season, and you can always bring them indoors for the winter, as houseplants. Perennial
- USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 11 (or grow as annual)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Sandy soil
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Sage (Salvia officinalis)
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Sage repels cabbage moths and carrot flies. Sage is a perennial plant and can be hard to intercrop but is still useful along the border. Common sage works best as a deterrent.
- USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained soil
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Savory (Satureja hortensis)
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Savory repels Mexican bean beetles. Summer savory works better than winter savory and is easier to interplant because it is generally grown as an annual.
- USDA Growing Zones: Summer Savory: Annual; Winter Savory: Perennial 5 to 11
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Rich, loose, sandy soil
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Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
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Thyme plants repel cabbage moths, corn earworm, and tomato hornworm. Most thyme plants are low-growing and double as ground covers in the garden. Although they spread, they are slower to fill out than many other perennial herbs.
- USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained soil
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Wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana)
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Useful wormwood repels ants, cabbage loopers, cabbage maggots, carrot flies, codling moths, flea beetles, and whiteflies. It also seems to deter mice. Place pots near your entryway or in garden beds to keep pests out. Perennial.
- USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Needs: Well-drained soil