Insect-Deterrent Plants

There is nothing more disgusting than walking into an invisible spider web in the mornings while walking the dog. I goose-step down the sidewalk with hopes that my hand (more like the stick extending my reach) will catch them before the wispy, silken spun webs hit me in the face and throw me onto the ground in embarrassing convulsions and gagging sounds.

But as much as I can't stand spiders, they do offer the world a great service ... even to us bug-hating gardeners. The mosquitoes this year haven't been as abundant in my garden, but the ones swooping around are like small bats (and this bat-mosquito population hasn't even pretended to be thrown off by the lavender that grows abundantly in my garden). The aphids on my gardenias, yet again, are ignoring the threatening glares from the ladybugs and have rendered us incapable of cutting blooms to bring inside. And swarms of Japanese beetles have taken over my mother's roses.

So, I did a little research to find out how I could assist Mother Nature in keeping my garden to my chemical-free, squeamish standards and found a great book, Tips for the Lazy Gardener, by Linda Tilgner.

• Asters - deter most insects
• Basil - deters flies and mosquitoes
• Chrysanthemum - deters most insects
• Geranium - deters most insects
• Marigold - deters most garden pests
• Mint - deters ants
• Petunia - deters most beans (Yikes! I think I noted this incorrectly)
• Rue - deters Japanese beetles
• Tansy - deters flying insects and Japanese beetles

Have you got any suggestions to add to the list?