In South Florida, summer is here practically all year long. With a tropical, humid climate comes plenty of pesky mosquitoes and bothersome insects right outside your doorstep. But is your fresh garden creating your mosquito problem or solving it?
Your landscape may be the culprit, which is why it’s crucial to consider what plants repel mosquitoes and which plants attract them. Our experts at Landscaping by Steve Blaum can help you figure out just that.
Mosquito-Attracting Plants
One of the most popular yet most mosquito-attracting plants in South Florida are bromeliads, which are ornamental plants that are attractive and easy to maintain. However, certain types of bromeliads, such as tank bromeliads, can hold water between their leaves.
The space between the leaves makes a great place for mosquitoes to breed as the eggs hatch when water is present. After a few days, they become adult mosquitoes that can bite people and spread diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika.
While bromeliads may look beautiful, they can be mosquito nest resorts that pose threats to the health of your family and your landscape. Other plants that attract mosquitoes are mainly those containing nectar and honey dew because both male and female mosquitoes feed on it.
Most plants with flowers contain nectar; therefore, if you are a flower lover and have placed flowers throughout your modern tropical landscape in Miami, it’s best to place plants that will repel the mosquitoes attracted to your flowers.
Also, you mustn’t leave any standing water anywhere around your house. Just like nectar in plants and flowers attracts mosquitoes, so does water. Without it, mosquitos cannot breed and create offspring. Some plants that attract mosquitos include bamboo, taro, papyrus, water lilies, water hyacinths, and water lettuce.
Mosquito Repellent Plants
What plants repel mosquitoes? Fortunately, plenty of mosquito repellent plants can add to your modern tropical landscape in Miami and the South Florida area. Here are just a few of them!
- Lavender The relaxing smell, as well as its pretty looks, can make a great addition to your garden. Best of all, bugs hate lavender. This plant repels fleas, moths, and mosquitoes, and it can add a pop of color to your porch! Take some lavender from your garden and hang it in bunches near entry points to your home, and you can deter pests from flying inside.
- Wormwood This plant has a unique look of velvet as well as a beautiful silver-green color. While wormwood plants are attractive to us, they’re definitely not appealing to pests. Planting wormwood helps deter the presence of flies, mosquitos, moths, ants, and even mice.
- Marigolds Not only are these plants gorgeous but also they carry a distinct scent that keeps mosquitos away. The best place to put these plants is near entry points for mosquitoes, like your home’s doors and windows or along porch steps. Marigolds contain pyrethrum, a compound used in many repellents and sometimes referred to as nature’s insecticide. These strong fragrant flowers are popular edging plants for vegetable gardens so that pests don’t feast on your food.
- Sweet Basil The leaves on this plant contain an oil called estragole that’s toxic to mosquito larvae. Because mosquito eggs hatch in water, the best place to plant basil is near a water source. This will control the mosquito population in the area and prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.
How Landscaping by Steve Blaum Can Help: Modern Tropical Landscaping Miami
If you want to know what plants repel mosquitoes that best fit with your garden, we highly recommend discussing with a professional so they can develop a tailor-made plan just for your modern tropical landscaping in Miami.
At Landscaping by Steve Blaum, the most important part of our process is sitting down with you, the customer. This meeting ensures we know exactly what you expect from your architectural landscape design, and it takes into consideration aspects such as the climate, soil quality, groundwater drainage, and topography of the area.
You may not feel familiar with all those specialized terms. However, that is what we are here for—to serve as the middleman between discussing options in simple terms and working with our team to bring it to life. Our professionals will be able to consider all the scenarios to design the most functional, beautiful, and mosquito-free landscape for your home.
Contact our Landscaping by Steve Blaum team today, we’ll map out the perfect landscape for keeping those mosquitoes at bay!
