Plants that help Protect your Backyard from Ticks

Posted March 19, 2020 in General, Landscape Maintenance, Plant and Tree

According to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 73,610 tick-borne disease cases in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2016. Last year alone, New Jersey health officials reported that over 5,000 cases of Lyme Disease were diagnosed in the state. With the growing number of tick-borne diseases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you are probably seeking ways to limit your exposure to these deadly insects. If you don’t know how to make your yard less attractive to ticks, then you will probably spend your time worrying about how you will protect your family, friends, and pets from these disease-carrying creatures when gathering in your backyard.

At MasterPLAN Outdoor Living, we believe that you deserve an attractive backyard that limits your exposure to ticks, and we don’t think you should be forced to use toxic chemicals to repel them. This is why we put together this list of plants that will act as a natural repellent to keep ticks and other pests out of your backyard:

GARLIC

Adding garlic to your garden will help repel pests like ticks and fleas. If you don’t want to maintain a garlic plant in your garden, you can also sprinkle crushed garlic cloves around the edge of your garden to repel ticks and fleas.

MINT

Mint can be a great addition to recipes or cocktails and will also give your entire backyard a fresh, clean scent! Adding mint to your garden can also help repel ticks, fleas, and other insects.  Consider growing your mint between other plants in your garden to keep bugs at bay. An important tip for Mint: consider keeping mint in containers around highly-active areas so it does not take over your garden!  

ROSEMARY

Rosemary is a staple for many recipes, has been known to be used as a healing plant since it is a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6, and requires very little maintenance. The plant requires sunlight, good drainage and ample air circulation to thrive and keep you protected from ticks and other pests.   While humans love the smell of this evergreen herb, ticks, mosquitos, and fleas hate it!

RUE

Another evergreen herb that can aid in keeping harmful pests out of your backyard is Rue. With its metallic, blue, feathery leaves, Rue has disinfectant and insecticidal properties that will help protect your backyard from flies, mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, beetles, and slugs.

WORMWOOD

Wormwood is a bitter herb that is known for its distinctive aroma, herbaceous flavor, and purported health benefits. But did you also know it can help protect your backyard from insects like ticks, fleas, and moths? Wormwood can be grown in full sun in most zones, grows to a height of about three feet, and features gray-green foliage with yellow flowers in the summer.

FLEABANE DAISY

This tall flower is from the daisy family and repels fleas, ticks, gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. It easily adapts to most soils and tends to be a pretty low-maintenance plant.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

More than just a pretty flower, chrysanthemums deter fleas and ticks from your backyard.  Place them randomly around your other plants, or on the edge of your property, to help keep pests including roaches, bedbugs, silverfish, lice and more away.

PENNYROYAL

Pennyroyal, a small but fragrant member of the mint family, is a shady ground cover with lilac flowers while deterring ticks, fleas, ants, aphids and cabbage maggots. The dried leaves of pennyroyal can be ground in a blender to make a powder that can be rubbed on pets. Pennyroyal can cause miscarriages in people and pets, so do not use if a member of the household is expecting little ones.

MEXICAN MARIGOLD

Mexican marigolds have bright yellow flowers and a pungent scent that can deter many pests, including deer and ticks. Plant them at the edge of your garden to keep pests away.


At MasterPLAN, we know that you want to safely spend time in your backyard with your family, friends, and pets! But we understand how worried you are about keeping your loved ones safe from deadly insects like ticks. You are not alone!

This is precisely why MasterPLAN has helped hundreds of Pennsylvania and New Jersey homeowners -just like you- transform their backyards into remarkable outdoor living spaces complete with plants that help protect your loved ones from ticks and other pesky insects.

Here’s how we do it:

Call – Schedule your design meeting

Collaborate – We will collaborate to design your perfect backyard and select all the important details

Construction– Once you approve your design, let MasterPLAN do all the heavy lifting to complete your build! We will handle all communication with your township or municipality, develop your plans, obtain your building permits, manage any and all engineering, and schedule your inspections.

Celebrate- You will raise a toast to your transformed home and the new life that will come from it!

With these four easy steps, you will transform your backyard into an outdoor living space that maximizes your property value, allows you to experience an uncommon pride in homeownership, and makes your backyard a magnet to life’s important moments!

CALL US TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR DESIGN MEETING!

(610) 628-2480

In the meantime, sign up for our Design Tips and Tricks to learn more about how you can avoid wasting time, money, and space by designing your backyard transformation before we build it!

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