![House Plants That Repel Spiders : [ A Complete List ]](https://www.floradelaterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/image-of-house-plants.jpg)
Even a tiny spider walking on your body can make your skin feel creepy. Right?
While some insects like spiders are necessary for the environment as they control the population of plants destroying bugs in the ecosystem, it doesn’t mean having spiders crawling over yourself! Hence, it’s better to fend off them.
However, using chemicals for the same isn’t a good choice as such chemicals are toxic and harmful for kids and aged people.
Instead, you can grow any of the following unique plants indoors or outdoors to repel these insects.
These plants are primarily aromatic and effective in repelling insects like spiders without causing discomfort to humans.
Plus, these plants include some lovely plants like mint, basil, lavender, etc. So, you don’t need to worry whether the aroma will be strong or intolerant. So, let’s understand more about these plants.
House plants that repel spiders
The following are the top 17 sweetly aromatic plants highly capable of repelling spiders you should grow.
1. Lemon balm
Lemon balm or Melissa officinalis is a member of the mint family. It’s one of those mint plants capable of repelling insects, spiders, mosquitos, fruit flies, etc.
It’s easy to grow, and its gentle run over your body gives it long-lasting protection from spiders as they dislike its delightfully fresh smell, which you’ll like, though.
Lemon balm is a perennial herb that goes off during winters but grows back in the spring. If you are growing lemon balm indoors or outdoors, prune it regularly to get a plant worth 24″-36″ tall.
2. Basil
Basil is another most commonly found and grown herb that finds its primary use in the kitchen. Besides, the aroma of basil is something most disliked by spiders and other insects.
If well-harvested, you can get enough basil for the summers; it’s the ideal sowing season.
There are tons of basil varieties you can grow; however, basil needs lots of sunlight to grow. Hence, it would help if you seeded the basil seeds under the full spectrum of light.
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3. Rosemary
If not basil or lemon balm, you can consider growing rosemary in your backyard. Again, besides an essential ingredient in eatables, rosemary is good at repelling insects like fleas and spiders.
If grown above 20°F, the rosemary plant can live for years. Plus, you can either buy a new plant or propagate one from the cuttings of the same.
In either case, you will have to transfer the plant outdoors after a few years of care indoors as rosemary can convert into thick bushes.
4. Lavender
In terms of appearance and smell, lavender is the best! It’s one of the top preferences of practically everyone except spiders! A few things go in favor of lavender, and these include its tolerance towards drought and shade.
That is, it’s one of those plants that can do well even under drought conditions and lack of proper sunlight.
However, since lavender seeds are slow to germinate and may hardly flower in the first year, you should purchase a lavender transplant. Once its flowers mark their arrival, the whole plant can convert to a wilderness in no time.
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5. Lemon Verbena
Out of all those herbs having a lemony fragrance, the fragrance of lemon verbena is on top of all. It’s another common culinary herb as well as an insect repellent.
Though lemon verbena has a short lifespan, it can live for over 2-years if protected from freezing during winters.
It would help if you grew the herb in a bigger pot to acknowledge its rapid growth rate. Ideally speaking, it’s best to grow the plant during summers or spring when a full spectrum of sunlight is available to the plant.
Remember that plants grown in the shade are more likely to be less aromatic than those grown in bright sunshine.
Additionally, it’s a tad challenging to grow a lemon verbena from seeds. Hence, go for propagation or purchase a whole plant.
6. Lemon bush
Though lemon bush or lemon eucalyptus is a tree, it can also grow inside small containers.
Summers are the best time to grow a lemon bush, and its citrusy, lemony fragrance well keeps the insects and spiders at bay.
You can either grow the plant indoors in a container or an entire tree if you experience warmth for most of the year. Due to its slow germination process of 2-3 months, you should go ahead with a seedling to transplant.
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7. Lemongrass
An essential ingredient in Asian cuisines, lemongrass appears as grass and has a strong citrus scent strong enough to shoo away the spiders.
It loves hot environments and can grow about 24″ to 36″ in height when provided with ample sunlight.
However, the same growth isn’t possible in winters or small pots. You can either grow lemongrass from seeds or purchase a whole plant.
8. Citronella
Appearance-wise, citronella resembles lemongrass or a big parsley plant. Just like other plants in this list, citronella is also frost tender.
It means you will have to bring the plant indoors if it’s frosty outdoors. The plant is suitable for both mosquitoes and spiders due to its citrusy smell.
9. Mint
Though there are tons of varieties of mint you can read about or plant; no one can match the legacy of the parent mint plant.
Being a locally found plant, you can either grow it indoors in a container or outdoors to allow it to spread in your entire garden.
You can either spread its leaves around the entire home or put on scents with mint fragrance to ward off the insects. If you can’t grow mint, you can also use mint essential oil instead.
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10. Chrysanthemums
Also called mums, chrysanthemums are another great insect-repelling plant with a special compound called pyrethrins.
Note that pyrethrins are the critical compound in most natural pesticides. Mum is a sun-loving plant; however, too much sunlight can ward off its flowers which are the main component of the plant.
It is because not leaves but their flowers act towards insect repellent. That’s why any flower seems to be dying out, remove that flower and encourage the growth of the remaining flowers.
11. Onion
If you already have a garden and are worried about a regular attack from the red spiders or spider mites, try growing onion plants in the garden. Since onions have a strong smell, it tends to repel the insects or even spiders.
12. Marigold
Marigold is another awesome-looking indoor and outdoor plant suitable for multiple purposes. For example, besides keeping away lice, mosquitoes, and other pests from your garden and home, it’s also suitable for decorative purposes.
You can either grow marigold in the garden or a container to store indoors. They thrive in almost all conditions, and sufficient bright sunlight is what this plant wants.
13. Dill
Yes, I know there is no specific smell or aroma associated with dill; however, it belongs to the celery family.
Due to this, dill is suitable for culinary purposes and for repelling insects, mosquitoes, or spiders. Appearance-wise, dill appears as a very thin grassroots.
14. Chives
Chives are another great addition to your garden for insect repellent function. One of the main reasons chives form an ideal choice over others is their ability to grow anywhere.
To keep them alive and thrive, you have to ensure enough sunlight and water around them. Plus, chives are purple, due to which you can plant a portion of the same indoors for decor.
With its slight onion and garlic flavor, it’s edible, and you can use it in your cooking right away. Note that chives have natural insect repelling properties.
15. Dwarf Citrus Tree (Citrus sinensis)
Like their counterparts, i.e., full citrus trees, these dwarf citrus trees are also usable as an insect repellent.
It is a better option for those who don’t live in a sub-tropical climate. Its average height is approximately 10-11 feet, and the quality of fruits remains the same.
To grow a dwarf citrus tree, you need ample sunlight and sufficient water content in the soil.
Be it indoors or outdoors; you can grow this plant anywhere. Make sure that the soil is moist enough but not watery to prevent the roots from decaying.
16. Osage Orange
Osage orange is also famous by the name hedge apple tree. It can thrive into a full-size tree or a large shrub.
Osage orange is suitable for places that receive a large population of spiders and not a few. It is worth noting that it does not have any insect repelling property.
The fruit that grows over it emits an oily compound that smells like any other citrus fruit. Hence, it’s the fruit that does all the work here.
If you plan to grow one in your garden, the ideal time is around April to early June. To use the fruit, just cut it into half and place it anywhere that receives spiders and relax.
17. Petunia
You may consider petunia a decorative plant; however, you can’t miss its insect repelling properties. It’s available in a plethora of colors like pink, purple, red, yellow, and white.
Since petunia flowers are highly delicate, you need to offer it ultimate protection from water splashes. Due to this, it’s better to water them once a week.
There are two prominent types of petunia – Grandiflora petunia and multiflora petunia.
While the former offers larger flowers for hanging inside the containers, the latter is suitable for outdoor growing as its leaves don’t need any protection from water.
Another notable difference is that the Grandiflora petunia is less abundant in flowers than the highly abundant multiflora.
These are common dual-functioning indoor and outdoor plants for repelling insects like lice, spiders, mosquitoes, etc. All these are easy to grow and maintain.
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Conclusion
Spiders and other insects may prove beneficial to the ecosystem as they maintain a balance of bugs.
However, you can’t ignore the fact that the same insects are harmful in one way or another to human beings, especially kids.
Talking particularly about spiders, some are poisonous, and their bites can lead to diseases like West Nile virus, rocky mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease, etc.
It’s always better to ward off insects or spiders either through a chemical or plants. The plants discussed above are the best in this business and can also serve other purposes like cooking, decorating, etc.
Lastly, only the above plants aren’t the only ones to eliminate spiders from the surroundings, but several other trees can also be the same.