I’m a gardening expert – how to keep pests away from your plants and make your garden more beautiful too

EVEN seasoned gardeners have trouble keeping pests off their lawn.

If your yard is being overrun with bugs, snails, snails, or any other critter, the secret to taking care of your yard might be to plant more flowers.

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According to the gardening experts at House Beautiful, there are certain plants you can add to your garden to keep pests at bay.

Dubbed “sacrificial plants,” companion plants are often hardier and attract pests that would normally wreak havoc on your garden.

“Herbivorous pests may be frustrating, but they play an important role in eco-friendly gardening and maintaining a healthy ecosystem,” the experts explained.

By using trap crops, you can control pests without introducing heavy pesticides or chemicals into your outdoor ecosystem.

You can experiment with placement and choice of plants depending on the flowers you need to protect and how your garden is laid out.

The experts said you can use sacrificial plants to delineate your garden, or you can plant them in groups a little farther from your showstopper flowers.

Variegated nasturtium is a popular trap plant as it looks beautiful in flower beds but also attracts aphids, a common enemy of many gardeners.

You can combine them with fields of lavender for exciting contrast and increased pest protection.

Lavender’s strong smell will deter many biting bugs, but pollinators will flock to the colorful herb.

Speaking of herbs, add chervil to your herb garden if snails are ruining your crops.

The delicate, feathery leaves will instead attract the attention of pests.

If you are growing vegetables, introduce marigolds before adding vegetables to the garden bed.

Flying insects like to eat marigolds and leave your vegetables alone.

And, according to experts, if you add sunflowers to your garden at least 70 days before you plant vegetables, no matter how far they are from your garden beds, the mature flowers will keep stink bugs and other pests away.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, if you want to protect your garden from pests, allow clumps of naturally occurring nettles to thrive.

A stinging nettle stand in your garden will attract aphids, the experts explained, so don’t rush to eradicate this weed when you see it.