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Using Plants to Prevent Pests

Wednesday, June 5, 2019
by The Hat Team

This time of year, many of us enjoy spending time outside in our yards. Whether we are playing, dining, doing yardwork or simply relaxing, our time outdoors can be ruined by nasty pests.  There are many remedies for getting rid of annoying insects, but if you are looking for natural ways to do the job, here are several plants you can put in your yard that will repel unwanted insects.  While they will not guarantee an insect free environment, they will help!

BASIL

Basil repels house flies and mosquitoes.  Use containers for planting basil by your house doors or in any outdoor areas where you like to relax and entertain.  It will serve more than one purpose because you can also use the fresh basil in your cooking!

LAVENDER

This pretty plant repels moths, fleas, mosquitoes and flies.  Its pleasing, sweet fragrance appeals to humans, but the bugs hate it! You can place bouquets inside your home to keep flies away.  Outdoors, plant it in sunny areas or near the entryways of your house to keep those areas pest free.  Check out the Everything Lavender website to find out how you can use lavender oil to make your own mosquito repellent.

LEMONGRASS

Lemongrass contains the natural oil, citronella, which is commonly found in candles that are used to keep mosquitoes away.  Ornamental lemongrass can grow up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide in one season.  It is an annual that does well in a pot or in the ground in sunny, well-drained locations.  Its aromatic, narrow leaves can be used in chicken and pork dishes and to flavor soups and salad dressings.  Many Asian recipes call for lemongrass.

MINT

Another plant that mosquitoes don’t like.  It’s best grown in pots rather than in the ground because it spreads aggressively.  Once established in a garden, it can be difficult to remove.  The leaves can be used to flavor minty iced tea. Containers of mint strategically placed in the garden or on the patio will assist in keeping nearby plants insect free. Fresh Mint Iced Tea

ALLIUMS

If you have a vegetable garden, beautiful, tall alliums will help keep insects out of it.  Considered a broad-spectrum natural insecticide, plants in the Allium family repel several insects that plague vegetable gardens, including slugs, aphids, carrot flies and cabbage worms.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

The ingredient in chrysanthemums that makes them so effective as an insect repellent is pyrethrum.  Roaches, ants, Japanese beetles, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, spider mites, harlequin bugs and root-knot nematodes all will avoid chrysanthemums.  Pyrethrum is used in America’s most commonly available home and garden insecticide sprays. You can make your own bug spray using chrysanthemum oil, but make sure you know the risks of using it first. Uses of Chrysanthemum Oil

PETUNIAS

These whimsical beauties repel aphids, tomato hornworms, asparagus beetles, leafhoppers and squash bugs.  Some people think of them as “nature’s pesticide”.  Popular because of their availability in a variety of bright colors, they require minimal maintenance and can be grown in numerous locations including beds, containers and hanging baskets.

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, let Sandra Nickel and her Hat Team of Professionals assist you with all your real estate needs!  Call them today at 334-834-1500!

Photo credits: Pinterest

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April Showers Bring May Flowers

Wednesday, May 1, 2019
by The Hat Team

Spring seems to fly by so fast. Especially in years when the temperatures stay cool longer.  Before you know it the end of April is here and you haven’t even started your spring planting.  But even if you miss the early spring planting period, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a yard full of fragrant, colorful flowers in late spring and through the summer. There are several types of plants that grow in the U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8-10 that thrive in the summer months when planted in April.  And luckily, Montgomery falls right within those zones! Plant Hardiness Zone Map - Alabama

Here is a handy list of plants that are ideal for planting in late spring:

Bare Root Perennials

These plants are perfect for April planting because they are fast growers and will fill your landscape with radiant color during the summer.  Bare root perennials are sold by nurseries and online catalogs after they have grown for a year and had their growth trimmed to about an inch above the crown.  When purchased they are ready to be transplanted outdoors after removing soil from the roots.  Some examples of bare root perennials are: Daylily Plants, Astilbe, Clematis

Daylilies

Photo Credit: burpee.com

Annuals

There are several, easy to grow, summer-blooming annuals that can be planted in April. Sunflowers are quite sturdy and don’t require a lot of attention once planted.  They will thrive in a variety of soil conditions and they include short ones that grow a few feet tall, to tall plants that can grow to be 8 feet and taller.  Cosmos are easy to grow flowering plants as well and provide brightly colored blooms for your garden.

Sunflowers

Photo Credit: pexels.com

Flowering Shrubs and Citrus

Choose drought-tolerant shrubs to plant in April and they will do well through the summer.  Ceanothus, otherwise known as the California Lilac, produce blossoms of delicate, tiny blue and purple flowers.  Because there are so many, the entire bush looks like it is blue or purple.  Another good bush to plant in April is the Common Flannel Bush.  Also a California native, this bush produces vibrant yellow flowers that bloom all at once.  Rosemary Bushes have fragrant leaves that can be used for cooking and little blue or purple flowers for color.  Citrus Trees come in many varieties that have sweetly scented blooms.

California Lilac

Photo Credit: pinterest.com

So, if you didn’t get a chance to plant flowers in early spring, it’s not too late to add a garden full of vivid colors to your landscape!

If you are in the market to buy or sell a home, let Sandra Nickel and her Hat Team of professionals assist you with all your real estate needs!  Call them today at 334-834-1500!

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Selecting Plants and Flowers for Home Garden

Wednesday, May 31, 2017
by The Hat Team

Many of us select plants for the garden at our Montgomery, AL home based on their visual effect—color, height, size of blooms, etc. And so we should, as the sight of our plantings should be pleasing to our sense of sight. As we plan our garden, however, we should also be aware of the other four senses—and include plants which appeal to each of them.

SMELL: Aromatherapy is a powerful practice. With nothing more than a simple scent, the brain can be triggered to remember long forgotten memories, emotions, and feelings. With that being said, it is important to carefully select the flowers you want in the garden of your Montgomery, AL home. With a few simple choices, you can create your own "memory lane' or relaxing oasis. In terms of fragrance, it’s hard to beat roses or lavender. Wisteria and jasmine are scented climbers which can really enhance the sensory pleasure of a garden, and amaryllis belladonna and spirea both add pleasant scents.

SOUND: Few of us associate the sense of sound with our garden, but the rustling of long grasses and the chirping of birds add a much-appreciated dimension. To attract songbirds, use fruit-bearing understory trees like dogwoods and service berries and shrubs such as viburnums and hollies and introduce low growing perennials and dwarf shrubs like creeping juniper and cotoneaster. You can also plant vines, ground covers, and sunflowers to increase chirping and tweeting.

TOUCH: Texture in garden design refers to the surface quality of the plant. Plant textures range from delicate and fine to coarse and bold. The feel of the foliage in your Montgomery, AL home’s garden is not the only element of texture, however, as the texture can change with the play of light and shadow and even with viewing distance. Plants with thread-like leaves call out to be touched, so consider adding cosmos, baby's breath, asters, and grasses. In addition, iris and lamb’s ear will each provide softer tactile experiences.

TASTE: The world of herbs is nearly without limits. Think about basil, chives, rosemary, chamomile, cilantro, mint, and parsley, to name just a few tasty garden additions. Consider, too low bush blueberries or ligonberries. Lesser known, but equally valuable as salad additions are the flowers of the hibiscus shrub, columbine, and daylilies.

Some of the plants you have selected for your garden will serve more than one purpose and will appeal to more than one sense, so be sure to sniff, feel, taste, listen to, and view each of them!

Courtesy of Montgomery AL Real Estate Expert Sandra Nickel.   

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