If you’re looking for a last minute suggestion to make mom smile this Mother’s Day, you’ve come to the right place. Because here’s a way to beautify her backyard — and protect her from disease-spreading mosquitoes.
After all, what mom wants to spend her evenings swatting at skeeters, when she should be curled up in her favorite patio chair? So keep the bloodsuckers at bay with a planter that’s filled to the rim with natural, beautiful, mosquito-repelling plants.
Start with a big container — one that’s at least 24 inches in diameter should do the trick. Fill it up with potting soil, and then set in a few of the following plants:
- Citronella geranium
- Marigold “Lemon Gem”
- Lemon Grass
- Catnip
- Ageratum “Artist Purple”
- Lemon Thyme
Each of these plants will do the trick on its own, but the combination is lovely, and the aroma smells wonderful to you and me!
My hearty Container Plant Feast will keep Mom’s potted plants well fed and growing strong all season long:
Mix 1 tablespoon of 15-30-13 fertilizer, ½ teaspoon of corn syrup, ½ teaspoon of unflavored gelatin, ½ teaspoon of whiskey, and ¼ teaspoon of instant tea granules in a 1-gallon milk jug, filling the balance of the jug with water. Then add ½ cup of this mixture to every gallon of water you use to irrigate your container plants.
That’s all there is to it — now Mom can sit outside and relax as the sun sets without worrying about getting eaten alive.
Happy Mother’s Day!