11 Plants Japanese Beetles Hate

In active areas, Japanese beetles swoop in for four to six weeks during the summer, feeding on more than 300 plants from fruits and vegetables to ornamentals. While mature trees and shrubs are less likely to suffer beyond aesthetic and fruit damage, young plants may fall victim to their voracious appetites. Adult Japanese beetles feed on leaves, buds, flowers, and fruits, while their grubs forage beneath the soil surface on grass roots.

Luckily, there are a few plants Japanese beetles hate. These are plants they avoid due to toxicity or unappealing features like thick leaves.

Additional options are those that deter the insects with repellent or masking qualities. They may have essential oils that put off beetle feeding, or a scent that covers a more desirable neighboring plant. These companions serve to dissuade pests from the area and may help limit damage.

With such a broad palette, incorporating plants Japanese beetles hate may help create a barrier to those they frequent, or at least keep some untouched by their feeding.

Jewel Blend Nasturtium

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Plains Coreopsis

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Common Chives

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Geranium

	botanical name Pelargonium x hortorum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 9-11

Zonal geraniums top our list of plants Japanese beetles hate, with a toxicity in their petals that renders bugs motionless for hours after they feed. Flowers contain the toxic compound quiscolic acid that causes the beetles to drop to the ground and lie on their backs. The temporary paralysis leaves them vulnerable to predators, dehydration, and to gardeners who can easily pick them for removal.

Geraniums are durable annuals (or perennials in frost-free zones, where they grow outdoors all year) that flower all summer. The rich, color-saturated flowers and rounded leaves of the common garden geranium are classic favorites, whether cherry red, coral, magenta, or white. Thick stems hold the showy bloom clusters above leafy branches. 

To keep the easy-care blooms coming, pinch off spent flower clusters at the stem’s base to promote faster reflowering. Experiment with garden geraniums as companions to shrubs and perennials that beetles favor.

Geraniums overwinter in a protected area in climates with cold winters. Move containers inside, or try them bareroot in a sheltered space. 

Lilac

	botanical name Syringa vulgaris
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 8-16’
	hardiness zones 3-7

Lilacs enchant with their massive panicle bloom clusters and intensely sweet fragrance, but Japanese beetles disagree. They lure bumblebees and other pollinators with their rich nectar, while dissuading the hard-backed insects. They aren’t a preferred food source for the beetles, whether due to fragrance or visual cues.

There are hundreds of lilac cultivars ready to delight cool climate gardens. With single or double blooms in creamy white, rose, and purple, a single stem fills the room with perfumed beauty. To encourage reblooming and bud set, deadhead faded flowers.

Lilacs rely on cold winters to develop buds, and don’t thrive in climates with high heat and humidity. In warm zones, look for those bred for improved heat tolerance for the best chance of success.

Chrysanthemum

	botanical name Chrysanthemum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Hardy garden mums are longtime favorites for their floriferous autumnal display and easy care. In addition to their ornament, they have natural defenses that may deter pests like Japanese beetles.

Chrysanthemums have aromatic foliage that contains essential oils. While their blooms attract beneficials like ladybugs, hoverflies, and lacewings, their aromatic toxins may make the surrounding area less attractive to invaders.

Go ahead and plant more perennial mums this fall or spring, as repellent qualities are best in numbers. Cold-hardy, they grow and flower vigorously for years of recurrent color. Chrysanthemums grow best in moist, organically rich soils. Pinch fresh stems two or three times in spring and early summer to promote a leafy habit and uniform budding.

Boxwood

	botanical name Buxus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-15’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Like lilacs, boxwoods are woody shrubs that aren’t a preferred food source for Japanese beetles. Japanese beetles hate the plants because of their small, leathery leaves that are tough to chew. If they do browse the shrubs, they’ll likely move onto a softer selection in short order.

Boxwoods are handsome evergreens and a staple in foundations, borders, and as hedges. The structural evergreens and their petite, glossy, deep green leaves and dense branching are versatile in the garden. They never go out of style, complementing formal or informal arrangements alike.

Favorite varieties include ‘Green Mountain’ and ‘Green Velvet.’ ‘Green Mountain’ features a naturally pyramidal shape and grows to five feet. The vigorous hybrids retain their fresh green color all year. For a mounding cultivar, look to ‘Green Velvet’ that holds at about three feet tall.

Nasturtium

	botanical name Tropaeolum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-20’
	hardiness zones 9-12

With peppery flowers and foliage, nasturtium masks the scent of more desirable host plants. A nasturtium companion planting boosts pest control and draws pollinators, as they beckon beneficial insects, including parasitic wasps.

In addition to its repellent qualities, nasturtium features tubular blossoms that are large and showy, and a favorite of hummingbirds. The edible leaves and flowers make a pretty seasonal garnish. Nasturtium grows quickly from seed and tolerates partial shade and dry conditions once established.

Nasturtium performs best in climates with moderate summers that aren’t too hot. Grow them as cool-season annuals in spring or fall in high-heat areas.

Chives

	botanical name Allium schoenoprasum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1’
	hardiness zones 4-8

Japanese beetles hate these plants due to their sulfur compounds and strong fragrance. This includes other alliums like onions, ornamental alliums, garlic, and more. Among the group, chives make an easy companion to interplant among both vegetables and ornamentals, including roses. Frost-tolerant, they’re also one of the easiest vegetables to grow. 

Chives pop up early in spring and perennialize for years with edible blades and blooms. Lavender flowers emerge in spring and early summer, attracting pollinators and other insects.

The low-maintenance, drought-tolerant vegetables perform best in moist, well-draining soils. Chives fade in hot climates with high humidity, where they’ll grow best with cooling afternoon shade protection.

Garlic

	botanical name Allium sativum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 12-24”
	hardiness zones 4-9

Add garlic to the arrangement of tasty plants Japanese beetles hate. The easy-to-grow bulbs take up little space as they rest over fall and winter for spring growth. Plant seed garlic in September in cold climates. Wait until October or November in warm zones to let temperatures cool down.

Depending on your climate, you’ll want to select the best from hardneck or softneck types. Hardnecks have a robust true garlic flavor, are easy to peel, and require a chill period. They do best in cold climates. Softneck varieties are generally smaller and work well across both cold and hot climates.

Catnip

	botanical name Nepeta cataria
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Felines appreciate the essential oils of catnip, and it makes a tasty herbal tea, but Japanese beetles do not enjoy its essence. Try interplanting the herb as a deterrent and mask. The soft green leaves and masses of white or lavender flowers in early to mid-summer draw other insects. 

Catnip can get leggy as the season progresses, and reseeds aggressively in optimal conditions. Deadhead fading flowers to prevent reseeding, and pinch stems (or harvest regularly) to keep a tidy form.

Experiment with catmint, too, as a beetle-deterrant and a durable, ornamental perennial with similar chemical compounds and fuzzy, aromatic foliage. A haze of soft purple tubular flowers covers the mounding plants in early summer. Just as leaves are distasteful to insects like aphids and squash bugs, they also resist deer and rabbits.

Coreopsis

	botanical name Coreopsis spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Coreopsis, with species with threadlike foliage or thick leaves, is a plant Japanese beetles hate. The North American native wildflower features an extended flowering season, one of the first to show color in early spring and among the last to fade in fall. 

In sunny yellow, the ray-petaled perennial is a prime nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies, and beneficials. Songbirds forage on the seeds through winter.

Lance-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) has hallmark golden ray petals with yellow centers on slender stems. The drought-tolerant perennial is clump-forming, with a pincushion of basal leaves.

Plains coreopsis (C. tinctoria) has yellow petals with deep red highlights and brown button discs. Though considered an annual, a single plant may flower for two to three years. The easy native self-seeds to expand the colony. 

Magnolia

	botanical name Magnolia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 15-60’
	hardiness zones 4-9

For a woody tree that resists Popillia japonica, try magnolia. With papery, thick leaves and waxy petals, they materials are a lot to chew through.

Magnolia species native to North America include sweetbay (M. virginiana) and southern magnolia (M. grandiflora). The easy-to-maintain trees are lovely in the landscape, with creamy white blooms, a lemony scent, and handsome foliage.

Sweetbay is a multi-trunked specimen tree with silvery green leaves and vanilla-scented flowers. The species is smaller than some of its relatives and fits a variety of garden sizes. M. grandiflora grows large and broad with a full skirt. Glossy leaves and massive cupped blooms are signatures of summer.

Southern magnolia leaves have brown undersides that turn velvety in cold weather. Seed pods follow the blooms and their red fruits to extend the interest.

Redbud

	botanical name Cercis canadensis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 20-30’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Eastern redbuds have internal properties that are unappealing to the shelled insects. The understory trees are native to eastern North America and feature waxy, heart-shaped leaves. One of the first to flower after winter, light pink to deep magenta fringed flowers line bare branches before leaves emerge.