Keep Flies Out Of Your Home With These Handy Plants
By KAILEN SKEWIS
Ornamental Onion
Plant ornamental onion (Allium caeruleum) to attract pollinators with its blooms, yet deter flies who are repulsed by the scent of its stems, leaves, and blossoms.
These purple flowers are tall and unique-looking plants related to garlic, chives, and onions. They are adaptable to a range of soil types and easy to grow.
A weedy perennial from the daisy family, tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a fast-growing and self-seeding flower that successfully wards off a variety of pests, including flies.
Although tansy enjoys being grown in moist and humus-laden soil, it would be in a gardener’s best interest to keep tansy in drier soil to keep it from spreading too quickly.
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) is an herb that produces an essential oil capable of stimulating hair growth, alleviating pain, reducing stress, and repelling flies.
When you plant a small rosemary bush or keep it in a container indoors, provide it with plenty of sunlight and make sure that its soil is draining properly to see the best growth.
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is among the most well-known bug-deterrent plants and proven to ward off house flies and stable flies, along with mosquitoes.
Flies don’t like the ornamental grass’ essential oils. These oils emit an odor that repels the insects and even disguises the smell of sweeter species nearby.
Lemon thyme (Thymus citriodorus) keeps flies away with its citrusy scent. If lemongrass is too large or not cold-hardy enough for your area, use lemon thyme.
Lemon thyme is much better suited to cooler USDA growing zones, and it stays much smaller than the ornamental grass. It also blooms with pretty pale lilac flowers in the summer.