You want your garden to be full of bright colors, enticing scents, and beautiful flowers. What you don’t want it to be full of is bugs. Luckily, there are a lot of flowers you can plant that act as natural Orlando, Florida pest control.

Alliums

More commonly recognized as chives, leeks, garlic, scallions, onions, and shallots, can help keep slugs, flies, and worms away from your plants. Only plant alliums if your home is pet-free as they can be extremely toxic to pets.

Basil

It’s great to always have basil on hand. It smells good and takes a bowl of spaghetti up a notch. Your garden also benefits from having basil! Basil contains an oil that kills mosquito eggs.

Catnip

Catnip contains nepetalactone, which repels bugs. Just be careful! That same chemical attracts cats.

Chrysanthemums

Commonly known as mums, chrysanthemums contain pyrethrins, which can be found in many commercial insect repellents.

Lavender

Slide some fresh lavender under your pillow at night and you’ll be able to fall asleep in an instant! The same smell that lulls us to sleep also repels flies, mosquitoes, and moths.

Lemongrass

Citronella, which produces a slight citrus scent, helps repel flies, ticks, ants, and gnats. This plant loves the sun, so make sure to find a bright patch of sunlight for it!

Marigolds

These sun-loving plants help keep mosquitoes and aphids away from your yard.

Mint

Mint is known to repel biting insects. Just make sure to plant it in a pot; mint can spread, quickly taking over your garden.

Petunias

Not only do these flowers look beautiful, but they also repel aphids, beetles, and squash bugs. Plant them in a sunny spot, such as near your vegetable garden.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a double-edged sword in your garden; it will both repel mosquitoes and protect your vegetables from an infestation.

The first line of defense against a pest invasion is always prevention. To fully protect yourself from pests, consider a comprehensive Orlando pest control prevention plan.