Attracting the right company

by Ross Harris

How many times have you noticed that it’s not just you who likes the plants in your landscape? We’re not talking about your pets, your neighbors, or your other family members. No, we’re talking about other less-than-savory pests. Fleas, rabbits, whiteflies, moths, ants, flies, mice, rodents, and other insects can be attracted to the plants around your home. 

    Generally, these common pests are not wanted around homes. But did you know that you can use landscaping to keep these critters, creepers, and crawlers away from your home? It’s true! That’s what we’re here to help with. We want you to know which plants keep pests away, and which plants can attract beneficial insects.

    Pests are called such for a reason. They’re pests. They pester. See the connection? Depending on the pests you have invading your landscape, you’ll want any of these pest repelling plants:

    Basil repels flies, and is best when kept around your kitchen, by a window sill, or even on your porch.

    Catnip repels mosquitos, but it does so at a cost. You may have guessed it. It is a major attraction for neighborhood cats. Depending on your personality this could be a good thing, or if you’ve ever seen a cat’s reaction to catnip video on YouTube, it could be a hilarious thing.

    Artemesia (as well as sagebrush and wormwood) are powerful plants that repel 4 pests at once. Those repelled include ants, whiteflies, moths, and mice. 

    Marigolds are useful for repelling insects in general, and they look good. Not a bad deal.

    Garlic plants are useful for repelling rabbits, and other insects. Rabbits are cute, and cuddly, but they can do a lot of damage to a landscape. Best to keep them away.

    Spearmint is another plant that repels multiple pests at once. Ants, fleas, moths, and rodents dislike this plant. 

    Now that we know some plants that repel pests, let’s look at the plants that attract beneficial insects:

    Bachelor’s Buttons plants attract lacewings, ladybugs, as well as beneficial wasps.

    Sweet Alyssum plants attract flower flies, which are a predator of many other harmful pests. 

    The Borage plant is useful for attracting lacewing insects, which are known predators of aphids, and other pests.

    Anise Hyssop attracts butterflies and bees. Always useful company to have around when pollination is a priority of yours. Do use caution if you are allergic to bees.

    Golden Marguerite attracts lacewings, ladybugs, and flower flies.

    Ornamental Grasses are useful not only for their aesthetic, but for the way they attract ladybugs, and ground beetles. 

    This list is not comprehensive, but it’s a place to start!

    Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

    For more tips:

    monumentaloutdoor.com

    monumentallawnandoutdoorblog.wordpress.com

Pruning can give your plants new life!

Pruning Pro Tips:

            Do you ever wonder if you are pruning those plants of yours with the right goals in mind? Do you ever wonder if you are actually hurting the plant you are pruning? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Pruning is instrumental in keeping a handle on the growth of your trees, and shrubs. It also repairs damage to the plant by removing the damaged portion. If you want your plants to come roaring back to life, a good pruning should do the trick.

If you don’t already have plants in your yard, then a quality landscaper can save you a lot of time and energy by carefully selecting plants that don’t need frequent pruning.

Pruning your trees, shrubs, and other plants should meet any of these goals:

1. Attractive and balanced shape. Your plants need to look good inside and out.

2. Better flowering. Plants reproduce better when they’re cared for.

3. Keep growth under control. Plants will run wild if you let them.

4. Remove diseased portions. Removing a diseased piece of the plant might save the whole plant in the long run.

You can also keep people and property safe by removing these diseased limbs.

5. For selective growth. If you keep the tops of your hedges trimmed, you can encourage  fuller growth from the base.

6. Traffic control. You can direct, or even correct the growth of some shade trees when you prune.

Simple pruning projects can generally be done any time of the year. Major projects should be done in early Spring before the new growth begins. Flowering plants should be pruned after the blooms fall, as late pruning may lead to loss of volume next season. If your plants get injured (vandalism, weather), try and prune the damaged areas as soon as possible.

Pro tips: prune on dry days when the limbs and twigs are dry for clean cuts. After you trim the diseased plants, disinfect your tools to prevent transferring the infection to healthy plants. The safer you are to the bark tissue around your plants, the less likely disease and insects will enter. Avoid pruning in below freezing temperature. Late fall, or early winter pruning can keep wounds open and infected until Spring. Lastly, make sure you’re using the right tools. It’ll save you time and money!

For more great tips:

http://www.totallandscapecare.com/tips-to-proper-pruning/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=04-11-2014&utm_campaign=TLC&ust_id=a0ffcf2e12&*

http://www.lawndoctor.com/tree_and_shrub_care.html

Photo credit:

http://web.idiggreenacres.com/Portals/175596/images/rose%20pruning1.jpg

Thank you for reading!  Have a blessed day!