A garden should always be a place of well-being. However, intrusive wasps can seriously disrupt the late summer peace and quiet. With clever planting you can keep the annoying insects away - and at the same time increase the visual and atmospheric feel-good factor of your garden.
Which plants help against wasps in the garden?
Plants that effectively repel wasps include basil, lavender, lemon verbena, frankincense, thyme, oregano and lemon balm. They give off unpleasant smells for wasps, but at the same time they are attractive and useful for humans.
What wasps don't like
Wasps have a very keen sense of smell. This means that they smell sweet sources of food from far away, which all too often spoils our relaxed eating of ice cream or plum cake outdoors. But there is also a positive side to this: the insects also perceive smells that are unpleasant for them, just as intensely as they do treats. And these include some garden plants that are rather pleasant to our noses. These include, for example:
- Basil
- Lavender
- Lemon Verbena
- Frankincense plant
Basil
Basil has a good reputation when it comes to repelling wasps. Experience has shown that wasps find its fresh, herbaceous-sweet smell repulsive. For most of us, this is completely incomprehensible - because in the world of human taste, royal herb has established itself as a highly valued herb for centuries.
The annual herb is best kept in a pot - and that makes it particularly suitable as an acute wasp repellent at the garden table. A basil pot can simply be placed in the middle of the table, where it can develop its effect in place. At the same time, it is an attractive table decoration and offers a seasoning option that couldn't be fresher.
Mediterranean herbs
Wasps generally find ethereal, herbaceous smells repulsive. Other herbs from Mediterranean cuisine such as thyme or oregano can also have a repelling effect. Of course, a mix of everything is ideal.
To keep wasps away, it is recommended, for example, to create a spacious herb bed with Mediterranean herbs near the terrace or another garden seating area. Planting with classic Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary can also be a wonderful addition to your kitchen.
Lavender is of course one of the Mediterranean plants. With its ethereal, dry, bitterly sweet scent, it is completely unattractive to wasps. But even more so for us humans. Because it not only frames beds and terraces in a romantic way, but also smells very pleasant to our noses. It can also be used in many ways: for clothing bags, for refining jams or oils or for soothing medicinal teas.
Citry scented plants
Another smell that wasps don't like is citrus. The lemon verbena exudes a very intense lemony-ethereal scent and also looks good in the Mediterranean herb bed. Lemon balm, which has a slightly weaker scent, can also contribute to the repelling effect. Both lemon herbs make wonderfully refreshing house teas and refine sweet dishes in an exquisite way.
Frankincense plant
The frankincense plant has nothing to do with real frankincense, but it gives off a very similar, intense smell. In addition to its role as an ornamental foliage plant, it is also often used against annoying insects - in addition to wasps, it also repels mosquitoes.
