The Long-Blooming Flower People Are Planting To Repel Ticks (And If It Actually Works)

The arrival of summer means that it's tick season, so gardeners are busy looking for ways to repel these disease-carrying insects to keep their family safe from the harmful effects of tick bites. In the quest to find natural solutions to keep ticks away from your outdoor environment, you might be wondering if there are any plants you can grow that might effectively repel these pests. You may have heard that there's one long-blooming flower people are planting in an effort to repel ticks naturally, and that is the beautiful geranium. Geraniums are long-time garden favorites and so easy to grow, but while you can use some essential oils to keep various pests at bay, are the plants themselves any good at repelling ticks?

Geranium oil, which is widely used in aromatherapy and cosmetics, is extracted from the richly scented rose geranium (Pelargonium graveolens). The reason for the claim that geraniums will repel ticks is that these plants contain a compound known as geraniol. This is used in commercially produced pesticides, which are applied to the skin, primarily those marketed as mosquito and tick repellents. While there's limited evidence that supports the fact that geraniol is effective, according to a report by the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health, certain laboratory and field studies conducted by the manufacturer of geraniol-based repellents found that these products, which also contain isopropyl and ethanol, were just as effective as DEET in repelling ticks.

While it would be nice to think that doing something as simple as planting a few geraniums around your yard would help to keep your outdoor areas free from ticks, sadly, this is unlikely to be all that successful. You see, even though the plants contain geraniol, this needs to be extracted and distilled to form a decent concentration of the compound to be effective. In fact, there's very little, if any, scientific evidence that supports the fact that the plants themselves will deter pests such as ticks. 

When growing those lovely geraniums in your garden, the aroma emitted by the plants is simply not strong enough to repel insects such as ticks and mosquitoes. The leaves of the plants actually have to be crushed in order to release the oils. As a better solution to keep you and your family safe, it's always wise to follow expert advice on how to prepare for ticks and deal with them in your yard. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons why you should plant geraniums in your garden. They are very attractive, and the scented foliage of many pelargonium cultivars is simply delightful when you happen to brush past the plants. Just keep in mind that the leaves are toxic to pets, including dogs, cats, and horses.