Plants that help control ticks « MasterPLAN Outdoor Living

Did you know there are plants that help keep ticks and other parasites away from your family and pets?

Ticks can carry diseases, such as Lyme disease, which can affect both people and pets. Ticks live on plants while they wait for an attractive warm-blooded host to wander by. Like all parasites, they like some plants more than others, and seem to hate some plants with a strong scent. You can help deter ticks and other pests in your backyard by planting these fragrant anti-tick plants, which also help keep other pests at bay.

Garlic

Planting garlic in your garden helps keep many pests away, including ticks and fleas. You can sprinkle crushed garlic cloves around the edge of your garden to keep ticks from coming in.

Mint

Mint is a great herb that can be used in cooking and in drinks. It also deters ticks, fleas and other insects. Grow it in between other plants in your garden to keeps bugs at bay, and give your entire backyard a fresh, clean scent.

Rosemary

Rosemary is an evergreen herb, also great for cooking. It has a lovely smell to people, but ticks and fleas hate it.

Rue

Rue is also an evergreen herb, with metallic, blue, feathery leaves. It has disinfectant and insecticidal properties for keeping flies, mosquitoes, ticks and fleas away. Planting it with other plants also helps keep beetles and slugs from your garden.

Wormwood

Wormwood has been traditionally used to repel insects including ticks, fleas and moths, for centuries. It’s a bitter herb that can be used to make a tea. It grows to a height of about three feet and has gray-green foliage with yellow flowers in the summer.

Fleabane Daisy

With a name like “fleabane,” you know this flower hates fleas. It’s a tall flower that repels not only fleas, but ticks, gnats, flies and mosquitoes.

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 pets away.

For help in deciding which plants are right for your home and garden, contact the experts at MasterPLAN Landscape Design & Installation.