We are redoing our back yard and it has had a tendency to be over-run w/ mosquitoes. We are creating several 'gardens" and thought it might be helpful to include some plants that deter mosquitos a bit...

Answer #1 · Gardenality.com's Answer · This is a good question Patti. We have a problem with mosquitoes at our home from late spring through late summer. We plant every kind of plant we can find that contains "citronella." These are plants that usually have a strong citrus fragrance to their foliage such as, lemon scented geranium, citronella grass, lemon balm, and lemon thyme. I think this helps to repel mosquitoes to an extent, but we still have mosquitoes so I'm not sure these plants are really that effective. That being said, where we have the majority of these plants is on our back deck planted in containers and it seems that there aren't as many mosquitoes there as in other areas out in the landscape.

You can also take preventative measures by making sure there is no standing water anywhere in containers or in the landscape/ garden. Mosquitoes lay there larvae in standing pools of water. If you have a garden pond, make sure you have a fountain or a waterfall that will serve to keep the top of the water always moving. Mosquitoes will not lay their larvae in moving water. If you have a bird bath(s) make sure to empty them completely every day and add fresh water.

Other than these remedies, there are the electric bug zappers that work quite well to reduce population. There are also chemical foggers, but I hate spraying anything toxic in the air. We've found several organic products/ lotions that can be applied to the skin that work quite well as a repellent. We also had bought and tried using these little gadgets with fans that are clipped on your belt or a pocket that emit a repellent, but I quit using the thing when I found that the substance that was emitted wasn't organic.

These are all the things I've tried. Hope this was helpful.)