While eliminating Japanese beetles can be challenging, one of the things you can do is to grow plants that deter Japanese beetles or plants that don’t attract Japanese beetles. Either of these options will allow you to have a garden that will not become an annual smorgasbord for Japanese beetles.
Plants That Deter Japanese Beetles
While it may seem amazing, there are actually plants Japanese beetles avoid. The typical kind of plant that will help to drive away Japanese beetles will be strong smelling and may taste bad to the insect. Some plants that deter Japanese beetles are:
Garlic Rue Tansy Catnip Chives White chrysanthemum Leeks Onions Marigolds White Geranium Larkspur
Growing plants Japanese beetles avoid around plants that they like can help to keep Japanese beetles away from your beloved plants.
Plants That Don’t Attract Japanese Beetles
Another option is to grow Japanese beetle resistant plants. These are plants that simply don’t interest Japanese beetles that much. Be warned though, even plants that don’t attract Japanese beetles can occasionally suffer from minor Japanese beetle damage. The nice thing about these plants though is that the Japanese beetles will quickly lose interest in them as they are not as tasty to them as some other plants are. Japanese beetle resistant plants include:
American elder American sweetgum Begonias Black oak Boxelder Boxwood Caladiums Common lilac Common pear Dusty miller Euonymus Flowering dogwood Forsythia Green ash Holly Hydrangeas Junipers Magnolia Persimmon Pines Red maple Red mulberry Red oak Scarlet oak Shagbark hickory Silver maple Tulip tree White ash White oak White poplar
Japanese beetles can be frustrating, but they do not have to ruin a garden. Careful planting of plants that deter Japanese beetles or plants that don’t attract Japanese beetles can help you to have a more beetle free yard. Replacing plants Japanese beetles attack with plants Japanese beetles avoid will make life much easier for you and your garden.
