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Perennials in pots
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Posted: May/10/2008 5:43 AM PST
I am going to plant lavendar, and either salvia or anise hyssop in pots. What type of soil to I use? Garden soil or potting soil? I read that if you rub the leaves of anise hyssop on your skin it will repel skeeters. Will just the plant being on the patio help repel them? Also, will any of these things poison the dogs if ingested in large quantities? I am not sure that I entirely trust them. |
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Posted: May/10/2008 7:51 AM PST
I would use potting soil to pot them. I don't know about the anise hyssop repelling jsu by being there- do let me know if it does! We get skeeters that'll suck small children dry. As for toxicity- the ASPCA and Humane Societies have toxic plant lists on their websites. Very informative! |
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Posted: May/11/2008 4:35 AM PST
I don't know aobut hyssop being poisonous, it was never on my list of things to learn, but worth checking out. As for mosquitoes, I am intensely allergic - get huge welts, so here are some thoughts: mosquito plants repel just from their scent, and the scent in not entirely unpleasant. If you treat them like a flowring plant and fertilize, I have seen them put out lovely flowers, too. My MIL just sent a stroy about spritzing lysol around patio areas to repel the pests, too, but I haven't tried that. I did put up bat houses with the intention of attracting bats that eat tons of mosquitoes in a day, but so far no residents. You might not like bats, but I've never been too skeeved by them unless they tangled in my hair, which they never have!  As for soil in your perennials, I tend to use good stuff - Miracle grow moisture control, since I am terrible at watering regularly. This year I'm putting cedar mulch on top of all my containers for moisture control - there are lots of mulch types to use to suit your fancy. |
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Posted: May/11/2008 5:09 AM PST
Yeah, I am a bad waterer too - I never remember to get the stuff with the moisture crystals in it. I would prefer not to attract bats, but thanks for the tip. I have never heard of mosquito plant - I wonder if they have it locally here. Since I have the seedling, I think I am going to put some hyssop in a pot on the outside table to try first. The dogs (so far) have been leaving plants on the table alone.
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Posted: May/11/2008 5:34 AM PST
A mosquito plant is nothing more than a pelargonium, a scented geranium. I used to be mad about pelargoniums and had a huge variety, the mosquito plant included. It didn't help with our mosquitoes. If you ever smelled a scented geranium, they all have the same underlying scent. For example, a rose-scented geranium sort of smells like a rose, but it has that pelargonium scent, too. That's what it smelled like, a rose-scented pelargonium without the rose. |
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Posted: May/11/2008 6:26 AM PST
What type of salvia are you using, Mo? I had a nice white and coral one in a pot last summer--I think it was salvia greggi. I don't see any sign of it coming back. I thought it would overwinter in my zone on our front porch. My licorice plants, verbena, and a petunia survived the winter in pots. Maybe it just needs some hot temps to wake up. |
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Posted: May/11/2008 6:59 AM PST
It's purple and white I grew from seed. I am going to put them all in the ground I think anyway. I can't trust the beasts too much!! |
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