Question
Hello Charlotte,

My front door has become a mosquito hangout. You have made a reference to using plants to control mosquitos. Which specific plants do you use and do these plants fare well in containers.

Thank you in advance for any help you may give.  

Answer
Hi Jason.
Look carefully aroud the door area, and under the house there.
I would bet you have some standing water around there.
The plant i use is labeled mosquite plant in the nursery.
It is a variety of geranium.
I am not sure exactly which variety.
I have been buying these plants for years, and where I have them, we don't have mosquitoes, but the National Gardening Association says they don't offer much.
I disagree, especially when you shake the bejeebers out of the plant and that scent fills the air.
I looked up mosquito plants in the National Gardening Assoc site, and here is what it say about it.
It offers information on a couple of plants that do more.

the Mosquito Plant: Let the Buyer Beware
by Suzanne DeJohn
The shelves at the local nurseries are stocked with "mosquito plants," sometimes called "citrosa," that are reputed to repel mosquitoes. "Buy these plants and your deck/porch/home will be mosquito-free!" Fact or fiction?

As far back as 1996, studies showed that the citrosa plant, Pelargonium citrosum 'Van Leenii', had no discernable mosquito-repelling qualities. Still, almost a decade later the plants are still being marketed as effective controls.

According to a 1997 article in HerbalGram, a publication of the American Botanical Council, although the promotional literature claims that citrosa has been genetically engineered to produce citronella oil, chemical analysis has shown that the plant contains only a trace amount, less than 1 percent. And, based on the results of the study, "the authors conclude that citrosa should not be marketed as a mosquito repellent."

Even real citronella, a 6-foot-tall tropical plant that is the source of the citronella in citronella candles, isn't an effective repellent sitting in a pot. The leaves must be crushed to release the essential oils. Some studies have shown that crushed citrosa leaves do offer a degree of short-term mosquito-repelling qualities, on the order of 30 to 40 percent that of DEET, but there are other plants with even better numbers. For example, crushed lemon thyme (Thymus X citriodorus) offered 62 percent the protection of DEET. And lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) contains a much greater quantity of citronella, on the order of 400 times as much, as the citrosa plant. Plus, lemon thyme and lemon balm are less expensive and easier to grow.

If you want to test the repellent properties of citrosa or any of these other plants by rubbing the crushed leaves on your skin, be sure to test them out on a small spot first. Rub the crushed leaves several times a day on your inner forearm or another area of tender skin and watch for a reaction; the essential oils have been known to cause rashes on some people. If, after a day or two, the skin looks fine, feel free to use it elsewhere on your body and see if it works!

You could also rub this on your clothing, if your skin is sensitive to it.
I use lavender because it is relaxing, and helps me get a good night's sleep. I also like the scent of it, so I got some lavender body spray, from Yvesrochet.com, and since i started wearing that, and the lavender body powder and shower gel, they don't bite me.
I have been mosquito bait all my life, and they will be biting everyone else, and when I have that on, they leave me alone.
I also grow lavender.
That may be doing as much the mosquito plants, I also have some lemon thyme in a pot on the deck.
Charlotte