Imagine using a wonderful smelling bowl of lightly crushed leaves and flower petals as not only an attractive decoration, but as a chemical free homemade insect repellent. You can grow all of the ingredients in pots, or splurge with a little creativity, but the end result is a safe and effective way to keep the bugs away! Avoiding harsh and unpleasant odors from potentially harmful commercial products is a tremendous reason to try natural insect repellents, as if being inexpensive and beautiful weren’t already enough.Roses, rosemary, and eucalyptus are natural insect repellents. In fact, you probably have garlic, bay leaves, and possibly cloves and cayenne pepper in your kitchen. These are all plants that offer protection from ants and flying insects, such as mosquitoes. Lemongrass is a natural source of citronella. For small or enclosed uses, these should be sufficient for a bug-free afternoon. But let’s also look at a couple of natural heavy-hitters in insect repellents, marigolds and mint. And keep in mind that most garden plants have preferred neighbors.
