Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - February 08, 2010
From: Arlington, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Best of Smarty, Pests
Title: Need bug repelling plants in Arlington, VA
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
What kind of plants are best bug repellents, and need little or no maintenance. I'm a city girl and don't like bugs (spiders)ANSWER:
Dear Miss Muffet,
You may be relieved to learn that spiders eat "bugs." In fact, most of their diet consists of insects. The report that they favor curds and whey is an urban myth that has been perpetuated by Mother Goose among others. There are also insects (digger wasps) that carry off spiders in order to provision their nests so that their developing larvae can have something to eat. So you might say its a bug eat bug world out there.
There are numerous plants that are said to be insect repellent, and some of the active ingredients, e.g. pyrethrins, are extracted and used as insecticides. The short list below contains some of the more often mentioned insect repellent plants, however, they are non-natives and there are no entries for them in our Native Plant Database.
Marigolds (Calendula officinalis) (Images)
Lavender (Lavandula sp) (Images)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) (Images)
Citronella (Cymbopopgon nardus) (Images)
Basil (Ocimum basillicum) Images
Believing that "the best defense is a good offense", Mr. Smarty Plants is suggesting three plants which occur in your state that might help keep the bugs at bay; Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytrap), Pitcherplant Sarracenia flava (yellow pitcherplant), and Sundew plant Drosera brevifolia (dwarf sundew).
From the Image Gallery
More Best of Smarty Questions
Growing Native Plants in Juniper litter from Wimberley, TX
October 04, 2010 - Junipers create an environment under their canopy that prohibits growth of other plants. I have a virgin lot that has been cleared of many juniper but has remaining heavy natural leaf mold containing...
view the full question and answer
Gardening advice for Ontario, Canada
April 20, 2011 - HI there. I see most of the readers are in CA, I am in Ontario Canada. I am in need of some advice on a nice flowering all year round garden for both sun/partial sun/shade garden. Some for direct sun ...
view the full question and answer
Is common yarrow a Texas native?
October 16, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Is common yarrow Achillea millefolium a Texas native? Please enlighten me.
view the full question and answer
Advantages of using native plants
March 28, 2015 - Hello. My question is not about a specific plant but a more general question about natives. I am writing a research paper and am interested in finding seminal research that explains why we should us...
view the full question and answer
Smell barrier around chicken pen in Austin
April 23, 2011 - What are some shade to part-shade loving, aromatic plants (akin to Lavender or Jasmine) that will do well in Central TX? I'm trying to plant things around my chicken pen that'll create a smell barri...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |