Do Lilacs Repel Flies?

Growing Lilacs

• Hardy lilac flowers may be grown all over the United States, except in some very warm, southern areas that do not offer the cold winters the plants need. The plants are low-maintenance, needing little more than regular pruning to remain healthy and bring flowers of purple, white, pink and blue to the garden. The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is the most common lilac plant in the U.S.

Pest Repellent

• Lilacs do repel some pests, but they are much larger than flies. Both deer and rabbits find lilac flowers unpleasant, and will neither eat nor approach the plants if they can be avoided. Deer and rabbits are very damaging in vegetable gardens. Plant lilac flowers near vegetable beds and other areas of the garden you want to protect from these voracious, damaging eaters. Insect pests like flies are much smaller in size than other wildlife, but they can be extremely damaging and even fatal to garden plants.

Repelling Flies

• Lilacs do not repel flies, but other garden plants will keep them at bay. Nasturtiums, which grow in warm color tones of orange and red, are effective at keeping white flies away. Grown together, onions and carrots repel rust flies. Flies are small in size, but very damaging to plants. White flies and rust flies feed on plant nutrients, damaging flowers, fruits and foliage as they do so.

Lilac Pests

• Lilacs are prone to attack by some pests, but not flies. Borers and scales, two damaging insect pests, are drawn to lilac plants. The lilac borer, also known as the ash borer, feeds on the sap inside leaves and may be fatal to lilac plants. Oystershell scale, also known as armored scale, also feed heavily on lilac plants. Lilacs are not susceptible to attack from garden flies.