9 Natural Pest-Fighting Flowers To Plant In Your Garden

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Over time most gardeners learn which flowers to plant around the garden with the properties that invite beneficial insects or repel insects naturally.

Planting flowers for natural pest control reduces pesticide use but also your workload.

9 natural pest flowersPin

Fewer pesticides equal more good bugs to control bad bugs, such as the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), aphids, tomato hornworms, flea beetles, parasitic wasps, and other insect pests.

A bed of beautiful flowers is perhaps one of the simplest ways you can get to add more aesthetic value to your home.


This will remain the fact provided that the right selection of the flowers is made taking into consideration the aspects such as variety or the intended architectural beauty.

Flowers, however, do pose one “problem” – their beautiful scents do attract many insects, and most of these tend to be pests. These bugs eat the leaves, suck them dry of nutrients, cause diseases such as powdery mildew, and bring enormous plant damage.

These bugs eat the leaves, suck them dry of nutrients, cause diseases such as powdery mildew, and bring enormous plant damage.

Applying pesticides, insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, and other chemical controls, on the other hand, would be a non-ecological approach as these will devalue the current trend that most homes are usually after – the “going green” living concept.

More biological control for keeping the invading pests is by perhaps planting some natural pesticide plants and flowers. Some of these pest control flowers include:

Marigolds

This is perhaps one of the most preferred landscaping flowers used in many homes as well as real estate projects.

Bright orange marigold in sunlight.Pin
Photo Credit: Instagram @miracles_of_garden

The beauty of marigold plant and flowers is that it is very effective in repelling invading insects, and the advantage is that a home decorated with this beautiful flower will get to have its much-needed aesthetic value without ever seeing any sign of an invading pest.

Other flowers are usually effective in repelling small-sized pests. Marigold is, however, an exception as it can repel as well as kill whiteflies and nematodes – which are among the most common invading pests. Learn more about Dahlia plant pests.

Marigold flowers are available in different varieties which do come as either scented or unscented.

Though this flower can drive away many invading bugs, it will do little to keep away snails and get rid of spider mites as the scent is actually appealing to these kinds of bugs.



Planting unscented marigold flowers is perhaps the only way for homeowners who would like to keep off the spiders and snails.

Chrysanthemums

These flowers are very appealing in that they do comprise flower heads that do exist in white, yellow, or pink colors.

Vibrant orange and red mums in bloom.Pin
Photo Credit: Instagram @countrylivinguk

They do attract many butterflies, and for homeowners who would want the magical colors that these insects do add in, chrysanthemums would be a wonderful option.

In fact, one of the aspects which make chrysanthemums to be highly effective pest-fighting flowers is that they contain a highly active ingredient which is to make pesticides for killing and repelling beetles.

Besides their effectiveness at repelling insects, these flowers do grow very quickly, and this implies that their intended benefits can be felt within just a short time span.

Dahlias

The beautiful thing about Dahlia flowers is that they do exist in a wide variety of shapes and colors, thus making them a very popular option among flower gardeners.

Blooming pink dahlias with a shed backdrop.Pin
Photo Credit: Instagram @simplytalldahlias

The other really impressive bit about Dahlia flowers is that they do work great when it comes to repelling some of the common invading pests.

Vibrant pink dahlias in bloomPin
Photo Credit: Instagram @polepolepenguin

They can repel nematodes while at the same time ensuring that they get to serve their other purpose – keeping a highly beautiful and useful look in the home garden.

Sunflowers

Homeowners in need of really large flowers will surely pick on sunflowers.

Their other benefit is that they will surely deliver the intended beauty aspect while at the same time serving their ecological function – acting as a pollinator base mostly for butterflies.

Most of the time, the butterflies aren’t that many, and this relatively small number will definitely help to add some beauty to the flower garden. Sunflowers, too, are good at repelling pests, especially aphids.

Petunias

petunia flowersPin

There are pests that are highly destructive and, within just a short time can destroy all the flowers grown in the vegetable garden – aphids, hornworms, cabbage worms, asparagus beetles, and leafhopper bugs.

These pests do bore the essential parts of the flowers, making them less attractive to rid them of. Most homeowners will, in most instances, consider using pesticides and insecticide sprays.

Petunia flowers and plants are excellent at repelling these kinds of pests as their juicy matter is strongly scented.

Related: 30 Bad Garden Insects and Pests Attacking Your Plants

To utilize this yellow jacket repellent, simply soak cotton pads with the oil and strategically place them around the exterior of your home. Target areas where wasps like to build their nests and places where you have discovered their nests in the past. (..)

Borage

Besides being really attractive, the other upside of borage flowers is that they only attract the right kind of insects – bees which do serve the ecological function of acting as pollinators.

Borage flowers do grow very tall and do have some little scratchy hairs all over their bodies. Perhaps this is one factor that explains why these flowers are highly effective in fighting pests like cabbage worms and hornworms.

Their sprawling nature implies that they can cover the whole garden within no time, thus ensuring that the invading pests are kept at a safe distance from even nearing the flower garden.

Blue borage flowers with hairy stems.Pin
Photo Credit: Instagram @craigcastree

Lavender Flowers

Besides being beautiful, the other useful thing about these flowers is that they will attract beautiful insects to the flower garden.

The other really good thing is that they can repel moths, whiteflies, and fleas while at the same time; their rapid growth (not so invasive) does ensure that they cover the flower garden just at the right time.

Putting flowering Lavender in the garden is a really beautiful idea in that their act of attracting pollinating insects helps to add much to ecological sustainability. Lavender flowers also do give out some scented aroma which is very effective in driving away mosquitoes.

Owning a little vegetable garden at your home? The more you should be prepared for an even more pest-invasive environment.

The reason why vegetables tend to attract many pests is that they do act as nutrients source, and their presence will do little to prevent the food-hungry pests from streaming in.

You may have that little time to weed the garden, but when it comes to regularly applying any required natural organic pesticides for plants – that will of course a highly daunting task.

Vegetables attract pests like larvae, caterpillars, beetles, aphids, squash bugs, and all kinds of plants you can think of. These pests do pose an unsightly look to any flower garden. They invade and perhaps this is the last thing you would want for your home.

basket of lavender flowersPin

The best garden pest control in this kind of situation is by perhaps planting the above flowers and others like Nasturtiums and Four O’ Clocks (a favorite of Japanese Beetles) around your vegetable garden. 

This process is called companion planting. Other natural ways for pest management include the use of neem oil and diatomaceous earth.

To have more information on organic pest controls at home gardens, check out the video below:

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