9 New Hampshire Native Herbal Plants That Control Garden Pests
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I still laugh about the foraging class I took with my kids when they were little.
I had signed us up for a homeschool foraging walk with visions of my children crouched in the grass, peering at plants, asking questions, becoming tiny naturalists.
What actually happened was that they spotted a cow barn across the field, and that was it.
Gone.
I spent the whole class basically alone, which turned out to be exactly what I needed.
Because I loved it.
The teacher ate things right in front of us — just reached down, identified a plant, popped it in his mouth.
Something about watching a real person do that, confidently and without drama, cracked something open for me. I went home and started seeing my yard differently.
That was the beginning of my interest in foraging, which then led to my interest in native plants.
And the more I’ve learned, the more I can’t separate the ecological value of these plants from their medicinal and food uses. They’re the same story.
So this post is for the gardeners who feel the same pull.
The ones who want their herb garden to work with the land, support the local ecosystem, and also stock a home apothecary grown from your very own apothecary garden.
Because in New Hampshire (and many New England places), those plants are already growing around us!
Table of Contents
Why Native Plants for Pest Control?
Before we get into the list, it’s worth understanding why natives do this so well.
Native plants have evolved alongside the insects, fungi, birds, and other flora of this specific place over thousands of years.
They’re not just adapted to our climate and soil — they’re woven into the local food web in ways that non-native plants simply aren’t.
When you plant natives, you’re not just adding a pretty flower. You’re restoring relationships.
You’re inviting the beneficial insects that keep pest populations in check. You’re feeding the birds that eat the caterpillars.
You’re supporting the whole system that, when healthy, does a lot of the pest control work for you.
And you don’t have to worry about these plants taking over or becoming invasive because, well, they belong here!
9 New Hampshire Native Plants That Control Pests AND Heal
1. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
I have to be honest — I had seen this shrub around New Hampshire my whole life and never once recognized it as witch hazel.
It wasn’t until I started paying closer attention to native plants that I put it together.
Pest control: Witch hazel doesn’t directly repel pests, but it acts as a host plant for beneficial insects including caterpillars and witch hazel moth larvae — and it’s a critical late-season nectar source, blooming in early to late fall when almost nothing else is flowering.
Those late-season pollinators and beneficial insects stick around and keep working in your garden long after summer plants have faded.
(One of the more unusual things about witch hazel: its flowers bloom at the same time as the fruit from the previous season, and after the leaves have already dropped. It’s a strange and beautiful plant.)
Medicinal uses: Witch hazel is one of those herbs you probably already have in your medicine cabinet in diluted commercial form — but the traditional preparation goes much deeper.
According to herbalist Andrew Chevallier’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Native Americans used poultices of witch hazel for tumors and inflammations, particularly of the eye, and used it internally for hemorrhaging and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Topically, it’s a powerful astringent useful for bruises, wounds, eczema, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. Bruised fresh leaves applied directly to insect bites or minor skin inflammation work beautifully.
So, the same plant supporting your garden’s beneficial insects is also your first-aid kit. How cool!
2. Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
If you’ve ever grown bee balm, you know it’s one of those plants that just takes over a corner of the garden, and you let it, because it’s too beautiful and useful to pull.
Pest control: Bee balm’s fragrant leaves contain thymol — the same compound found in thyme — which is a natural antiseptic and insect repellent effective against mosquitoes and other common pests.
At the same time, the vivid pink-red blooms are absolute magnets for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects all summer long.
Medicinal uses: Traditionally used by Native Americans for skin conditions and minor wounds. Chevallier notes that in 19th-century America, bee balm was considered a tonic for new mothers and a mild menstrual regulator.
A simple tea made from the leaves is also a pleasant way to support respiratory health during cold season.
3. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Wild bergamot is bee balm’s less vivid cousin. It’s less showy, equally useful, and arguably even better suited to NH summers.
Pest control: Like bee balm, wild bergamot contains thymol, and its essential oils deter certain insects while its strong oregano-like scent actively repels deer and rabbits.
The flower shape is interesting from an ecological standpoint — the nectar is specifically reserved for long-tongued insects like hummingbirds, native bees, and butterflies, which makes it a precision tool for attracting exactly the beneficial species you want.
Food and folk uses: The leaves, stems, and flowers of wild bergamot are all edible. Use the leaves like oregano in cooking, or steep them as a tea. It’s a genuinely useful kitchen herb hiding in plain sight.
4. Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
This one is less well known than the others and deserves more attention — especially for Zone 4/5 gardeners looking for early-season beneficial insect support.
Pest control: Golden Alexanders bloom early in spring, providing one of the first nectar sources of the season.
It’s an important host plant for the female mining bee and other beneficial insects, and its presence in the garden draws ladybugs and lacewings — both voracious predators of aphids and other soft-bodied pests.
Medicinal uses: Native Americans used poultices of this plant for inflamed skin and wounds, and it has a history of traditional use for headaches, fever, and female reproductive complaints.
Important caution: Golden Alexanders look very similar to wild parsnip, which is toxic and can cause serious skin burns on contact.
If you’re wildcrafting, make absolutely sure of your identification before harvesting.
When you’re growing it from a known nursery source in your own garden, you’re fine — but this is not a plant to forage casually.
5. New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Every fall, New England asters turn roadsides and meadows across NH into rivers of purple.
They’re one of the most important late-season plants in the northeastern ecosystem — and they belong in every permaculture garden.
Pest control: New England aster is not a direct pest repellent, but it supports such a wide diversity of beneficial insects — over 100 species of native bees alone — that its indirect pest control value is enormous.
A diverse, well-fed beneficial insect population is your best long-term garden defense.
Medicinal uses: Native Americans used New England aster in tea form and simply by chewing the plant to ease digestive discomfort.
The leaves are antimicrobial and have been used topically for wounds, skin ailments, and insect bites.
A simple leaf poultice is an easy first-aid use right from the garden.
6. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Let’s clear something up right away: goldenrod does not cause seasonal allergies.
It blooms at the same time as ragweed (which does), and because goldenrod’s blooms are bright yellow and showy, it takes the blame.
But goldenrod is pollinator-pollinated, not wind-pollinated. It’s actually completely innocent.
(This is one of my favorite plant myth corrections to share, because once people know, they stop pulling it out of their gardens.)
Pest control: Goldenrod is a crucial late-season nectar source, supporting a massive diversity of pollinators and beneficial predatory insects right through fall.
Like New England aster, its value is in building and sustaining a healthy, beneficial insect population across the whole season.
Medicinal uses: This is where goldenrod really shines as a medicine plant.
According to Chevallier, goldenrod is an antioxidant, diuretic, and astringent — a combination that makes it particularly effective for urinary tract health.
It’s been used for UTIs, nephritis, cystitis, and is thought to help flush kidney and bladder stones.
It also has remarkable antifungal properties, specifically against candida, the fungus responsible for vaginal yeast infections and thrush. And it’s useful for coughs, sore throats, nasal congestion, and diarrhea.
Use it as a tea for internal conditions or infused into a salve for topical use. This is one plant I make sure to have dried and in my apothecary every year.
7. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
You may already know milkweed as the monarch butterfly plant — and that’s reason enough to grow it. But its role in the garden ecosystem goes beyond hosting monarchs.
I’ve chosen Swamp milkweed over common milkweed for this list because swamp milkweed doesn’t spread as aggressively as common milkweed, which is often ideal for gardens.
Pest control: Swamp milkweed attracts ladybugs and lacewings, both of which are highly effective predators of aphids and other soft-bodied pests.
If you have aphid problems in your garden, getting milkweed established nearby is one of the best long-term solutions.
It’s also well suited to wetter areas of your property. It’s a lovely NH native that will thrive in spots where other plants struggle.
Medicinal uses: Swamp milkweed is not a plant with as many common household applications as others on this list, but its ecological value alone earns it a permanent place in any NH permaculture garden.
8. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Also called wild allspice, spicebush is one of those plants that delights you every time you come back to it.
It’s one of the earliest shrubs to bloom in spring in New Hampshire — those tiny yellow flowers appearing before almost anything else — and one of the first to feed early pollinators coming out of winter.
Pest control: Spicebush is a critical early-season nectar source and an important host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
Like the others on this list, its value lies in building a diverse, resilient beneficial insect population from early spring onward.
Most plants reproduce by root suckers, so once established, you’ll have a thriving patch. It grows 6–12 feet tall and wide, making it a good shrub layer plant in a food forest guild.
Food and medicinal uses: Spicebush has a rich history as both food and medicine.
The dried, powdered red berries can be used exactly like allspice. In fact, during the Revolutionary War, when spices were unavailable, spicebush berries were a common substitute.
The twigs and leaves make a pleasantly spicy tea.
Medicinally, a bark tea was traditionally used by Native Americans as a general tonic, for colds and fevers, and to promote sweating during illness.
The tea was also applied topically to ease the discomfort of arthritis, rashes, bruises, and itching. And it smells absolutely wonderful — crush a leaf, and you’ll see why it earned the name wild allspice.
Putting It Together: A New Hampshire Native Pest Control Guild
These nine plants work better together.
Think about layering them through your growing season so there’s always something blooming:
- Early spring: Spicebush, Golden Alexanders
- Summer: Bee Balm or Wild Bergamot, Swamp Milkweed
- Late season: Goldenrod, New England Aster, Witch Hazel
That’s a succession of beneficial insect support from the first thaw to the first hard frost — which means natural pest control across your entire growing season, not just in July when everything is blooming at once.
I’m working on incorporating several of these into my own guilds here in NH, though some are already naturally growing (they are native after all!).
If you’re interested, I go much deeper into how to design plant guilds in my Perfect Plant Guilds Framework.
If you’re thinking about your food forest or permaculture garden as a whole system, that’s a good place to start.
Want more ideas for herbs to plant in your garden? Check out these Favorite Medicinal Herbs.
