Harmful pests find these five fragrant, attractive ground covers unappealing, offering a natural and aesthetically pleasing solution to tick issues.
In an effort to maintain a healthy and pest-free outdoor space, many homeowners are turning to natural solutions to deter ticks. These small, eight-legged creatures are known for lurking in long grass and wild areas with dense vegetation, and can carry harmful bacteria, including Lyme disease. Here's how to grow some of the best tick-repellent ground cover plants:
## Choosing the Right Plants
Several plants are known for their tick-repelling properties, including wormwood, catmint, creeping thyme, santolina, and lavender. While all these plants can contribute to a pest-unfriendly environment, some are more effective than others.
Catmint (Nepeta cataria) is one of the most effective tick-repelling plants, thanks to nepetalactone. Creeping thyme (Thymus serphyllum) contains chemical compounds thymol and carvacrol, which are known to repel ticks and other pests. Lavender and santolina, while not as prominently discussed for tick repellency, can still be valuable additions due to their strong scents. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), while less commonly discussed for tick repellency compared to others like catmint and thyme, is a silver-leaved plant that contains a bitter compound unappealing to ticks and their hosts.
## Growing Tips
### Catmint
- Plant catmint in zones 3-9, ideally in sunny spots with free-draining soil. - Deadhead and chop back during summer for a second bloom.
### Creeping Thyme
- Creeping thyme prefers zones 4-9, and does best in sunny spots with afternoon shade in hot climates. - This plant can tolerate dry conditions but benefits from occasional watering in very hot summers.
### Lavender and Santolina
- Both lavender and santolina prefer well-drained soil and full sun. - Prune regularly to encourage bushy growth and prevent woody stems.
### Wormwood
- Wormwood tolerates poor soil but prefers full sun and well-drained conditions. - Prune regularly to control its spread.
## General Yard Practices
To maximise the effectiveness of these plants, regular mowing is essential to prevent ticks from thriving in tall grass. Maintaining landscaping by keeping your yard free of clutter and debris can also help deter small animals that ticks feed on. Creating a balanced environment by mixing tick-repellent plants with other beneficial plants can help create a diverse ecosystem.
By following these practices, you can create a tick-repellent and beautiful chemical-free yard. During summer, santolina produces yellow blooms, adding a pop of long-lasting color to borders through July and August. Creeping thyme is one of the best pet-friendly ground cover plants.
More people are seeking natural planting solutions instead of using harmful chemicals to repel ticks. Live society garlic plants can be ordered now via Nature Hills. Society garlic, or Tulbaghia violacea, is a good option for keeping ticks at bay, as it produces a strong aroma that ticks hate.
It is estimated that more than 500,000 new cases of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are contracted each year in the US, and rising. French lavender, Lavendula stoechas, and English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, are varieties of lavender that offer remarkable floral scent and are effective at repelling ticks.
Sources: [1] Gardening Know How. (2021). Growing Creeping Thyme. [online] Available at:
Incorporating home-and-garden practices to deter ticks, adding tick-repellent ground cover plants like catmint, creeping thyme, lavender, santolina, and wormwood can be advantageous. To grow these plants effectively, catmint thrives best in sunny spots with free-draining soil in zones 3-9. Creeping thyme prefers zones 4-9, doing well in sunny locations with afternoon shade in hot climates. Lavender and santolina need well-drained soil and full sun, while wormwood tolerates poor soil but prefers full sun and well-drained conditions.
