Garden Tip: I was in one of the national chains looking around this evening, and I saw the “mosquito plant” or “citronella” plant for sale. Claims are that it repels mosquitoes. In reality, my personal observation is that it does nothing of the sort. Some of the worst outbreaks of mosquitoes that I’ve seen in backyards were hovering around this plant. It’s a pretty plant (a strongly scented true geranium), and it does have a fair similarity to the citronella aroma, but it’s not even the source of citronella oil. That comes from a type of lemongrass. So buy it if you like it. Just don’t expect to be mosquito-free because you have it.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 02:40:33 +0000