According to my weather forecaster, because of the unusually mild winter, we're in for a mosquito and rodent filled summer. Rather than hide inside or surround yourself with DEET and Citronella candles, why not try making your own repellent? These string gardens are so beautiful and sweet-smelling that no one will guess their real purpose.
Kokedama is a kind of Japonese gardening that is essentially bonsai grown in ball form, covered in moss and living outside of a pot. Design*Sponge's version uses rosemary and lavender, which both have mosquito-repelling properties and are pet friendly. The finished product costs about $50 and not only looks lovely, but smells good and keeps you itch free, too!
• Read More: Flowers Under $50: Mosquito-Free Garden Party at Design*Sponge
MORE MOSQUITO-REPELLING IDEAS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Mosquito Repellents for the Home
• How to Make Your Own DIY Mosquito Repellent Device
• Natural Mosquito Repellent
• A Simple Fan is Your Best Mosquito Repellent
• 5 Tips For a Mosquito-Free Summer
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I think hanging planters look better/cleaner while serving the same purpose - these look kind of scary. I couldn't sit at that table - I'd be too paranoid that a big clump of wet moss would plop into my iced tea,
They'd have to be watered twice a day in Florida...
I like this idea of using plants to deter those nasty bugs.
I love it. THey look very festive--I live in the NW also, so the large green orgnic matter-ness of it would just fit right into our backyard...we could hang them off a Doug Fir.
Lovely, but I don't know where you live that your wimpy mosquitoes would be repelled by a few herbs.
Smoke from our chiminea, however, does seem to do a good job if seat yourself downwind!
I had a deck full of rosemary and lavender just because I loved the aroma. It never deterred my Maryland mosquitoes from biting. I do like the look of these, however.
Maybe if you crush the herbs and rub them all over yourself, it might deter the mosquitos. But I've got a lot of these in my yard, and even when gardening right next to them, I get eaten alive. More realistic steps to take include using mosquito dunks in any type of standing water (I'm looking at you, rain barrel and container water garden) and using chemical mosquito repellants. For serious outdoor work, I reluctantly spray myself down with something. For a short walk outside, I use the Off clip-on device that uses a fan to waft repellent around me in a cloud (which seems a little better to me than dousing myself directly in it).
I would like to know where I can find these wimpy mosquitoes that are scared of a few potted plants. My mosquitoes are so hardy that they will fly through smoke to come bite me.
Whenever I see balls of soil or air plants hanging on strings, I feel like they should be part of the set dressing for a derelict spaceship -- they just look like strange, alien growths to me. Can't you just see an Alien alien coming to eat your face?
The mosquitoes up here in NH barely flinch at the chemical sprays. They laugh at the natural plants and herbs.