Still-warm days paired with cooler humid nights create the ideal environment for powdery mildew, a fungal disease that rapidly spreads in September. And yes, if you spot leaves turning white in your yard right now, you do need to do something about it – and as part of our Garden ER series, we’re here with straightforward solutions to treat this season’s biggest backyard problems.

Powdery mildew is one of the most widespread plant diseases in the world and affects many trees, shrubs, perennial and annual plants. While this fungal disease rarely kills plants, because it coats the upper leaf surfaces, it restricts the leaves’ ability to absorb sunlight and so create energy. If the affected plant is producing veggies, that means a less bountiful crop; if it’s a fall bloomer, expect a shorter, lighter flowering period; and for all the rest, a plant starved of nutrients going into the winter is likely to be far less resilient.

Powdery mildew is easily sorted, however, so the prognosis is good. Come on into Garden ER and let’s diagnose and treat your plant patients suffering from powdery mildew.

Triage: What are the Symptoms of Powdery Mildew?

• Powdery mildew affects the tops of leaves, starting with small white or light gray spots that merge together to discolor the entire leaf. You might also see powdery mildew on stems and flowerbuds.
• The dry, dusty white powder on plant leaves looks like ash or fine flour, and it won’t brush off as it’s rooted into the leaf tissues.
• Different strains of the disease affect various species so powdery mildew can vary slightly from plant to plant.
• Fresh growth is particularly vulnerable to fungal infection so plants particularly at risk in September include roses, chrysanthemums, asters and dahlias, and squashes, pumpkins and peppers.
• Later in fall, you might see darker specks in the white dust and these are cleistothecia, tiny survival capsules that the fungus creates to hide out through winter.

Treatment: How to Care for Plants with Powdery Mildew

Diagnosis complete? Here’s exactly how to restore your plants back to full health.

1. Remove Heavily Infected Leaves

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease spread by microscopic wind-blown spores. While there’s typically a different strain for each plant species, so powdery mildew won’t spread from your dahlias to your winter squash, it will infect the rest of the plant and travel between plants of the same family. So, your first task is to use bypass pruners such as these Corona ComfortGET pruners from Lowe's to remove infected leaves and reduce the risk of transmission.

Put pruned leaves straight into a garbage bag and then into your trash cart, and not into your compost bin, as spores will survive the composting process. Rake up any fallen infected leaves too – a small handheld rake such as Fiskars Xact Hand Rake, available from Amazon, makes this easier.

Add keeping an eye on plants for signs of any more white spots developing to your list of September garden jobs, and keep removing leaves with fresh outbreaks.

2. Treat With a Natural Fungicidal Spray

There’s no need to use chemical sprays to kill this fungal disease. Instead, create a far less welcoming environment with a natural treatment that raises the pH level of the leaf surfaces, making it difficult for fungal spores to thrive. Organic sprays based on food-grade citric acid such as Grower’s Ally Fungicide Concentrate for Plants, available from Amazon, are effective, safe for use on cropping plants and unlike copper-based sprays, don’t accumulate in soil over time.

Another option is to make your own anti-fungal spray using baking soda, which is so effective that it’s recommended as a preventative by the US Department of Agriculture. Mix a heaped tablespoon of baking soda (available in good-value 8oz baking soda packs at Walmart) with a level teaspoon of vegetable oil, stir in a scant squirt of liquid dish soap and dilute in a gallon of water and transfer to a mister such as these 16oz spray bottles on Amazon.

Spray dry leaves early in the morning and repeat every 1-2 weeks.

3. Mulch the Soil

Finally, lay a 2-inch layer of mulch over the soil to create a physical barrier that stops fallen spores splashing up onto leaves in heavy rainfall. A mulch also helps to keep moisture in the soil, meaning you can water less often – and how you irrigate can leave plants more vulnerable to powdery mildew, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Use any mulch made of natural material such as homemade compost or a bagged organic product such as Miracle-Gro All Natural Mulch, available from The Home Depot.

Prescription: Banish Damp Pockets Where Spores Thrive

Going forwards, the very best way to protect your plants from powdery mildew is to increase airflow around them as this will keep leaves drier and less hospitable to fungal disease. Think about this when you next prune and snip accordingly. The less air movement and more shade there is in an environment – for example, if you have a rose climbing up a north-west-facing brick wall – the more you need to prune to ensure your plants don't sit damp.

Think about airflow when positioning and spacing plants, too. So, if this summer's zinnias are suffering from powdery mildew right now, sow them less densely next year. If you have lots of white zucchini leaves in your veg bed right now, give this crop a sunnier, breezier position next spring.

How you water your plants can also affect how damp the environment is. So, water the ground beneath your plants rather than the plant itself so leaves don’t get wet, and irrigate in early morning so any splashed foliage quickly dries.

Patient Notes: Review Mildew-Resistance

If you live in a zone with regularly warm, humid weather, it’s worth looking at plants that have been bred to have better resistance to powdery mildew, and consider a transplant. For example, there are modern black-eyed Susan varieties that are practically immune to fungal disease, while powdery mildew remains a common issue for older varieties. So, if you have a perennial plant that regularly succumbs, it’s worth replacing it with a more resistant cultivar.

Most of the insects that wreck a garden in May are already here in September tucked into old vines and leaf piles, waiting out the cold. They aren't hatching from nowhere come spring. Fall sanitation is one of the least glamorous jobs of the season, but probably the highest-return. So it's important to take steps to prevent spring pests now.

Targeting specifically to stop overwintering bugs in fall works better than chasing them in spring, mostly because they're sitting still and concentrated in a handful of predictable spots right now. The catch is that not every fall cleanup task helps keep away pests. Some of them clear out the beneficial insects that would have eaten problem pests for free.

Knowing which cleanup tasks to do now and which ones to leave alone is what separates a useful September from a needlessly busy one. Here are the pest prevention tasks you need to do now – and the one you can skip this September.

Pest Prevention Tasks to Do in September

The below list runs in order of highest need: vegetable beds first since that's where the worst offenders bed down, then fruit trees, then whatever plants are headed indoors before frost. Two unhurried weekends are all you need to complete these tasks in an average-sized yard.

1. Pull spent cucurbit vines.

Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) don't fly off anywhere for winter. The adults crawl under dead leaves, old vines, boards, scraps of plastic mulch, whatever is flat and sheltered near where they fed and they wait there until spring. Early fall is when they go looking for shelter, so now is the time to strike.

Clearing away spent squash and pumpkin plants now takes the invitation off the table to unwanted bugs. Weeds along the bed edges count, too. Don't just heap the garden waste at the fence line either. Till it under or run it through a hot compost pile to kill off any residual bugs.

2. Turn soil where borers overwinter.

Wilted squash vines back in July probably meant squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae) and the larvae that did caused this common problem are long gone from those vines by now. They exited, burrowed an inch or two (3-5 cm) down into the soil, and spun tough cocoons to sit out the cold.

Turning over that ground brings up the cocoons for weather and birds to get. Only bother in beds that had visible borer damage, though. There's no sense disturbing soil that was fine all season.

Home Depot carries a four-tine digging fork that works well for this purpose. The fork lifts and crumbles the top few inches of soil instead of slicing and flipping it like a shovel.

3. Clear fallen fruit under trees.

Fallen apples and pears are more than wasted fruit. Codling moth (Cydia pomonella) larvae ride down inside them, then crawl out to spin cocoons under loose bark or in the litter at the base of the tree. Mid-September into early October is exactly when that happens.

Getting the fallen fruit off the ground during that window intercepts a good share of next year's population of moths. Rake the leaves out from under the canopy while you're there. A rolling nut gatherer from Ace Hardware's garden aisle makes short work of a heavy drop year and saves your back.

4. Treat plants before bringing them indoors.

Any houseplants that summered outside picked up some pest passengers. Spider mites and aphids reproduce fast in warm, dry indoor air with nothing hunting them. By February, one overlooked mealybug colony might have worked its way across a whole windowsill.

Start the pest inspection now rather than on the night of the first frost warning when it's time to bring houseplants back indoors. Treatments need a couple of weeks, often more than one round. Check leaf undersides and the leaf joints. The soil surface matters, too. Slugs come up through drainage holes and settle into damp potting mix, so tip the pot and look underneath for hitchhikers.

Lowe's stocks a ready-to-use insecticidal soap for the soft-bodied pests, though a hard rinse with the hose knocks off a fair number first. Keep the returning plants away from your established houseplants for two to four weeks after moving them indoors.

The #1 Mistake to Avoid

The reflex after summer is to clear away any and all debris, but that’s actually a mistake. Raking the borders bare and putting the whole yard to bed looking well-swept can actually cause more pest problems than it solves. Don't totally clear out all the dead plants debris in your yard and garden. Leave some spots in where beneficial insects can overwinter.

Ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, syrphid flies, and parasitoid wasps overwinter in leaf litter, under loose bark, and in the stems left standing. These beneficial insects actually hunt problem pests like aphids and keep your spring garden pest-free, if you leave habitats for them in fall. Clear all of the debris and you lose out on those helpful bugs, while plenty of the pests you were targeting overwinter outside in the garden anyway.

Be thorough where the evidence of pests points: the vegetable beds, the ground under fruit trees, anything visibly diseased. Everywhere else, easing off is actually good pest control. Cutting back perennial plants to roughly 8 inches (20 cm) instead of to the crown leaves the hollow stems intact for beneficial insects sheltering in there.

A yard raked down to bare dirt in November tends to be a yard with no beneficial insects to help it come May. The diseased material is the one thing not to compost, though. A home compost heap often doesn't run hot enough to kill off the pathogens, so the trash is the safer destination for diseased plant matter.

September work is quiet work. Nobody photographs a cleared squash bed. But the payoff arrives eight months out when spring plants are free of unwanted pests.

Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is one of the most common lawn weeds, but it can be difficult to catch before it gets too big. This grass-like weed sneaks into lawns unnoticed and can eventually take over. It’s hard to get rid of once it takes hold, so catching it early and understanding why it’s in your yard in the first place is vital.

Crabgrass emerges in the spring when temperatures reach around 60°F. This common lawn weed then germinates and begins growing in your yard. It can ruin the look of a perfectly lush lawn and it can also signal other issues at play.

Here’s what crabgrass is trying to tell you about the health of your lawn. Plus, I’ll share tips to prevent crabgrass taking over your entire yard.

What Is Crabgrass?

Crabgrass is an annual grass-like weed that is common in lawns. It looks similar to turfgrass, but it is often lighter in color and grows in clumps that turn into patches across lawns. It thrives in full sun and is often found in areas with thin turfgrass or bare spots in the garden.

Crabgrass dies off as the summer ends, but can set large amounts of seeds from the tassel-like flowers it forms throughout the growing season. These become the next year’s weed infestation, so it’s important to deal with crabgrass before it sets seed.

Why Your Yard Is Covered in Crabgrass

Crabgrass, like many other common weeds, can signal other underlying problems in your lawn. Healthy lawns are less likely to be impacted by crabgrass. So weeds, as annoying as they are, can actually tell you important information about your lawn care routine and how to improve it.

1. Compacted Soil

Crabgrass is a common symptom of compacted soil. Too much foot traffic, heavy machinery from construction, a lack of aeration, and heavy clay soil can all contribute to this problem.

Aerating your lawn is an easy way to prevent and fix compacted soil in your yard. You can either hire a professional to do this necessary job for you or you can try it yourself. There are battery-powered aerators, like this one from Ryobi, that you can rent or buy. But if you have a small yard, you can just use a small manual aerator, like this bestselling aerator from Amazon.

2. Thinning Grass & Bare Patches

Thinning grass and bare patches of soil in your lawn are also prime breeding grounds for crabgrass. Thinning is often caused by too much shade, lack of overseeding, common lawn diseases and pests, and removing a large amount of weeds from your lawn.

Overseeding your lawn is a good way to fill in bare patches or areas of thinning turf. The type of lawn seed you need depends on your growing zone and the light conditions in your yard. But Home Depot has a wide selection of grass seed for every part of the country.

3. Mowing Too Much

Mowing your lawn too short or too frequently can also encourage crabgrass. If grass blades aren’t long enough to capture the required sunlight to grow a strong root system, this can encourage bully weeds like crabgrass to take over.

Follow the one-third rule when it comes to mowing your lawn. Only cut off one-third of the length of the blades to ensure your grass has enough surface area to get the required sunlight and to also shade out small weeds.

How short you mow your lawn should also change with the seasons. As heat rises and growth slows down towards the end of summer, it’s time to cut back on mowing.

4. Improper Fertilizing

Not fertilizing your lawn enough can cause turfgrass to weaken and crabgrass to take hold. However, overfertilizing is also detrimental to the health of your lawn and can encourage crabgrass and other weeds. Fertilizing during the heat of summer or too frequently can stress turfgrass and cause it to weaken, which gives weeds an advantage.

Use a fertilizer combined with a pre-emergent herbicide, like this one from Scotts, that not only feeds your lawn but prevents crabgrass as well. Feeding your lawn at the beginning of the season with a fertilizer like this sets up your lawn for healthy growth all summer.

Aphids are small, sap-sucking insects that can do significant damage, especially to tender new growth, when they infest in great numbers and are not managed. Aphids can cause curled, yellowed, or twisted leaves, stunted growth, and a sticky residue called honeydew that attracts ants and can lead to black mold.

While these are common garden pests, aphid control isn’t always straightforward. In fact, it’s easy to make mistakes that actually increase the chances that your plants will attract and support an aphid infestation.

Here, we share some typical mistakes you can learn from and avoid with tips that will actually help manage aphids as you see them.

1. Using Too Much Nitrogen Fertilizer

Nitrogen is great for encouraging lush, new, green growth on plants, but this can be an issue when it comes to aphids. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fertilize plants, but overdoing it, especially with nitrogen, can cause aphids to infest a plant, as they favor fresh growth.

When feeding plants, always choose an appropriate product and use a balanced fertilizer if you’re unsure. A gentle, balanced fertilizer like Jobe's Organics All Purpose Fertilizer from Amazon is a good choice for most applications. Follow the product instructions and resist the urge to use more than recommended or to feed more frequently.

2. Not Checking Plants Regularly

Any pest issue is best dealt with early. Aphids are particularly fast breeders, and a few individuals can multiply rapidly within days. Waiting too long to monitor plant health can lead to serious infestations and plant damage that could have been prevented.

Make checking plants a regular part of your routine, like while watering the garden. Look for aphids on new growth, growing tips, stems, and the undersides of leaves. In addition to the actual pests, look for signs they are present: sticky honeydew, ants, sooty mold, and curling, yellow, or distorted leaves. It’s especially important to regularly inspect plants during periods of active growth.

3. Letting Aphids Go Untreated

A small aphid population on a plant can multiply quickly and is much easier to manage than a big infestation. If you see any number of aphids on a plant, don’t wait to act.

Acting to manage a small group of aphids doesn’t mean you need to jump to the nuclear option. Starting early means you can use simple, safe methods of control. Start with a spray of water to knock them off the plant. Pay attention to stems and the undersides of leaves.

The next step, if the force of water isn’t enough, is to use an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. These are relatively safe and have low toxicity compared to stronger pesticides. You can make your own DIY insecticidal soap or purchase Captain Jack's Insecticidal Soap from Walmart or your local garden center.

4. Ignoring Beneficial Insects

One of the best ways to manage aphid damage is to be proactive. Supporting a natural, native ecosystem in your garden ensures it is rich in beneficial insects, many of which prey on aphids. These include lacewings and parasitic wasps.

Gardeners too often reach for broad-spectrum insecticides for all types of infestations, which disrupts natural pest control. These products kill pests but also all kinds of beneficial insects. Instead of automatically reaching for pesticides, consider each issue separately and find specific ways to manage them that are least destructive.

How to Keep Aphids From Coming Back

If you’ve successfully managed an aphid infestation on your favorite plants, make sure you don’t slip back into bad habits. Follow these best practices to reduce the risk that aphids will become an issue in your garden in the future:

• Fertilize plants appropriately, using specific recommendations or balanced products according to label instructions.
• Add pest inspection to your regular rotation of garden chores, checking new growth, stems, and leaves each time you water, for instance.
• Encourage native and beneficial insects in your garden by growing native plants and avoiding broad-spectrum pesticides.
• Consider releasing beneficial predator insects, like ladybugs, to increase useful predation in your beds.
• Always act immediately when you see signs of aphids. Don’t wait for a few pests to turn into an unmanageable infestation that requires drastic control methods.

Healthy plants, good management practices, and regular time spent in the garden make it much easier to catch any type of pest problem, including aphids. On the other hand, seeing aphids doesn’t mean you’re bad at gardening. These are extremely common pests that even master gardeners see.

Follow these guidelines, and you might see aphids, but they don’t have to become a garden emergency.

We’ve all been there. One second you are having a great time with your family and friends. The next thing you know, you are swatting left and right. These pesky bugs can turn a nice evening into a nightmare, and I’m here to sort out what works and what’s just garden hype.

Mosquitoes aren’t just annoying. They’re actually a real health threat, carrying stuff like West Nile virus or Zika that can knock you flat, quickly. I, myself and plenty of friends have dealt with itchy bites that turned into fevers, and it’s no joke at all. These mosquito repellent plants might help, but they’re not a magic shield, by any means. Most do best as backyard mosquito control in beds or big pots where they can spread out. I’ve tested a few myself, and with the right know-how, you can cut down those bites. It’s all about setting realistic hopes!

Every yard’s a battleground against these biters, and shade or standing water can make it worse. If you’re looking for more tricks, check out backyard mosquito control to team up with your plants. Let’s get into what these green helpers can do!

Why Mosquito Repellent Plants Might Help (Or Not)

Mosquitoes are a pain, but can planting certain types actually keep them away? The idea’s been floating around forever. Some folks swear by a yard full of these plants to scare off skeeters, while others call it a stretch. Certain plant scents can throw off mosquito senses, but it’s not like a commercial bug spray.

You need to plant them in big clumps in the ground for the best shot, not just a lonely pot. Crushing leaves to rub on your skin or brewing a tincture to spritz can amp it up, though it’s more of a mild nudge than a knockout punch. I usually use it by rubbing marigold tincture on my arms at a cookout or any other outdoor fun. It cut the bites down a bit, but a good picaridin bug spray like this one from Amazon is much longer lasting.

The trick is using them right. Rubbing crushed leaves gives a quick scent burst, while a tincture (steep leaves in water or oil, strain, and spray) lasts longer but takes effort. Editor Emma Kendell made her own highly effective catnip mosquito spray!

Placement matters when using plants to repel skeeters. Plant them near seating areas or paths where you hang out, and refresh the rub or spray every couple hours. I’ve found it works better on calm days than when the wind’s blowing the scent away.

Top Mosquito-Repelling Plants and How to Use Them

Let’s talk plants that might give mosquitoes the boot. You can try them for yourself!

1. Citronella Grass

Citronella grass is that tall, lemony stuff you see in yards, loving USDA zones 9-11, especially down south. Crush its leaves and smear them on your skin for a faint citrus shield, or steep them into a spray tincture if you’re up for it. It flowers with feathery tops in summer, but it needs room in ground beds to really let that scent fly. I planted some near my patio, and it’s been a decent buffer.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds with their bright orange blooms fit zones 2-11 and can handle a pot or bed. Rubbing crushed petals on your skin works for a quick fix, and they flower all summer, pulling in good bugs too. I keep a pot by the back door and dab it on before stepping out.

3. Lavender

Lavender is a beauty, thriving in zones 5-9 with purple spikes blooming in late summer. Crush the flowers for a rub or whip up a light spray. It’s best in ground plots with good drainage. I’ve got some by the fence, and it adds a nice touch.

4. Basil

Basil is a kitchen star that handles zones 4-10, flowering with small white blooms if it bolts. Crush fresh leaves for a skin rub or mix into a tincture. This works best in ground beds where it can bush out. I grow it near the grill, and a quick crush before flipping burgers helps.

5. Catnip

Catnip is one that loves zones 3-9, flowers with little white blooms in summer and can be rubbed on skin or turned into a spray. It’s strong stuff. Cats love it, but mosquitoes hate it. I keep it in a ground bed away from my pets!

Other Yard Practices to Kick Mosquitoes Out

Plants alone won’t win the war. Other moves can team up with them. Clearing standing water from buckets or gutters is a must, since mosquitoes breed like crazy there. I dump mine out every few days, especially after rain. You can also create a "bucket of doom" that uses Mosquito Dunks from Amazon to prevent mosquito larvae from reaching maturity. Adding a fan on the patio stirs up air, which makes it a lot harder for them to land.

Some plants can lure mosquito predators like dragonflies or bats. They are hungry little creatures. I’ve got a small pond with water plants that draw dragonflies, and they snack on larvae like it’s their very last meal! I’d say that it is a good idea planting nectar-rich flowers like yarrow near your repellents can attract these helpers too. It’s not instant, but over time, it builds a natural defense. I’ve noticed fewer biters since adding that mix!

Mosquito repellent plants aren’t a miracle, but they sure can help you to lighten the load if you use them just right. Pair them with smart yard habits, and you might just enjoy those summer nights again.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you live in an area that gets wildfires, you take steps to keep fire away. You don’t burn your trash, you don’t let your kids play with matches, and you don’t install highly flammable plants in the landscape. We’ve all seen photos of flames racing through pine forests, even during the growing season.

As you work in the back yard this year, think about firescaping your lawn and garden. There are few absolutes in life, and there’s not a single plant that is 100 percent fireproof. But swapping out plants that burn easily with plants that don’t simply makes sense.

Let's explore which plants you should avoid and what plants to use instead.

Replacing Flammable Plants

Late summer and fall are good times to do some revisions in the garden to make your landscape less fire-prone. Although summer is a big fire season, autumn is too, as green leaves dry and fall, creating masses of flammable groundcover.

We’ve identified five of the plants you don’t want in your garden during wildfire season. But don’t think we’ll leave you with a bare landscape. We’ve found a great replacement for each flammable shrub you remove.

1. Pine Trees

This might not sit well with the kids, but it’s time to say goodbye to all those living Christmas trees – pine or spruce – that you’ve replanted in the yard. Most conifers have needles that contain oils and resins. Pine needles, bark, and wood contain volatile, sticky compounds that burn hot and fast. Firefighters are known to call these trees “fire food”, and they are definitely not the trees you want to have in the backyard as a wildfire approaches.

Pines (Pinus spp.) tend to have low-hanging branches. These act as “fire ladders” to bring ground fires up and into the crowns of the trees. The other problem with these conifers is that they drop dead needles to the ground below them. While pine needles are considered good mulch for acid-loving plants, they are also highly flammable. These dry mats of needles catch fire easily and serve as great fuel for surface fires.

Finally, there are those cool cones. In France, people collect pine cones to use to start the wood fires in their stoves, which is to say that pine cones burn readily too. And in the wild, the burning cones can explode, sending glowing embers flying long distances in the breeze.

Plant Instead: Coast Redwood

Now not everyone can grow coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), but if you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 7-9 in a climate that has mild wet winters and deep-soil moisture, this is your best substitute for pine trees or any conifer. While pines and spruce trees have flammable resins in their needles and bark, redwoods do not. They have developed thick, tannin-rich bark and high moisture content that resist fire. You can grow your own redwood with this kit from Tractor Supply.

2. Rosemary

Many of my friends plant rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) to use for cooking, but I am not among them. I planted a few rosemary bushes for the gorgeous and unexpected indigo flowers and because these herbs never seem to need human attention. In fact, rosemary seems to resent it if you give it water, which makes sense given its native environment in the toasty, dry Mediterranean region of Europe.

But I’ve learned that rosemary (and lavender for that matter) contain oils that are super flammable. Those oils are why they have such a strong, appealing smell. That means that large aromatic bushes can ignite in record time during periods of drought or extreme heat. They are highly combustible.

Plant Instead: Bush Germander

Bush germander (Teucrium fruticans) is a similar, tough plant with aromatic leaves as well as blue summer flowers, and it’s native to the Mediterranean region as well. But this plant is a spreading evergreen shrub in the mint family, containing no volatile oils. That means it doesn’t burn easily. It grows to 3 feet (1 m) tall and twice that wide, offering arching, soft shoots and shiny leaves. Like rosemary, bush germander likes a full sun location, tolerates poor soil, and requires little water.

3. Juniper

Junipers (Juniperus spp.) have short green needles that are tightly crowded on the twigs. Some varieties are tall shrubs, but many forms of juniper make good ground cover plants in hot, sunny sites.

But they might be the most flammable of garden plants, having a very high content of volatile resins and oils. They also hold onto their dead inner needles inside the dense crown and this accumulation can ignite rapidly and burn with high-heat flames that can ignite structures in the vicinity. They are sometimes called “gasoline bushes” by firefighters. They ignite so explosively that they should be eliminated from any garden in a zone with a high wildfire risk.

Plant Instead: Coyote Brush

Coyote brush, also called coyote bush, looks a bit like juniper. It’s a hardy evergreen shrub that grows in a variety of dry areas ranging from sand dunes to dry mountain slopes. Like juniper, coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis) comes in upright, shrubby forms and low, spreading forms. No variety has resins and many, like dwarf variety Twin Peaks, are wonderfully dense and fire-resistant groundcover. Coyote brush seeds can be purchased from Sleepy Cat Natives on Etsy.

4. Bamboo

Many people plant bamboo in the landscape as a screen or hedge, but is it a fire hazard? Yes it is.

Seeing bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) on this flammable list may surprise you, since a live bamboo cane is virtually impossible to burn. An individual live cane will have high silica and water content, making it hard to burn. But the cane quickly loses its moisture during dry, hot, windy weather. And bamboo forms tight clumps of compact clusters of stems that collect dead material, dry leaf litter, fine twig fuel, and dead interior stalks. This creates a serious fire hazard during times of drought and heat.

Plant Instead: Fern Podocarpus

Fern Podocarpus, also known as fern pine, is a great alternative to flammable bamboo. Like bamboo, it can grow quite tall - to 50 feet (16m) - but can be kept smaller with regular pruning. It has narrow, soft leaves that have a high moisture content and does not accumulate dead inner leaves. Unlike bamboo, Podocarpus (Podocarpus gracilior or Afrocarpus gracilior) lacks explosive, heavy resins or volatile oils that feed fast-moving crown fires. Fern pines can be purchased from TropicalPlantsFL on Etsy.

5. Pampas Grass

Pampas grass is a tall, popular ornamental grass native to South America. It is known for its gigantic clumps and large, pale, feathery plumes. It can grow taller than the gardener, thrives in full sun, and is widely used in landscaping. But it is known as a fire enabler, thanks to its low moisture content, and volatile oils. Even its growth pattern makes it dangerous in fire-territory, since its airy vertical growth is flammable, easy to ignite, and can become fire torches.

Plant Instead: Pink Muhly Grass

If you are taking out pampas grass, you’ll want to replace it with a safer, fire-smart option that still gives you a vertical accent and soft texture. We suggest pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). It grows in clumps to 3 feet (1 m) tall, offering soft, airy pink flowers. The blooms are lovely, often compared to clouds or plumes. This is a low-ignition, high-moisture perennial that - like pampas grass - grows in full sun locations, but doesn’t present a fire danger. Pink muhly grass can be shipped straight to your door from Garden Goods Direct.

Have you ever heard of box tree moths? I hadn’t until my sister’s boxwood shrubs suddenly looked like they had been fried to a crisp. The box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is an invasive species of insect that is spreading throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and destroys boxwood shrubs.

An infestation can turn lush boxwood shrubs into twigs in a matter of weeks. Early detection and treatment is key to getting rid of boxwood moths and protecting your shrubs from future damage.

Simple cultural and biological controls like cutting back infested shrubs and applying a Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki spray, available on Amazon, can help stop the infestation. Keep reading to learn more about box tree moths and how to protect your boxwoods from this very hungry caterpillar.

What is a Box Tree Moth?

Box tree moths (BTM) are a species of moth whose larvae (caterpillars) can strip a healthy boxwood shrub (Buxus spp.) of all its leaves and kill it in a few weeks. These garden pests are native to Asia but have spread quickly through Europe and have now made it to the United States and Canada. As of 2021, the USDA has confirmed box tree moths in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Adult box tree moths generally have white wings with brown borders, but they are mostly active at night and hard to spot. The larvae of box tree moths are lime-green caterpillars with black stripes, white spots and a shiny black head. These shrub pests are about an inch in length and are the only type of pest that will fully defoliate boxwood shrubs.

Box tree moth damage starts with missing parts of leaves and progresses into “curlicue” damage to leaves where there is just the central vein of the leaf left which turns brown. Eventually, the shrub looks like a crispy, brown skeleton of itself. You might see webbing and small caterpillars amongst leaves and twigs and sawdust-like frass (excrement) on or around the infested shrubs.

Unfortunately, BTM can overwinter easily and survive temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 C). It is important to spot the infestation and begin treatment as soon as possible to prevent them from overwintering and spreading further next spring when they wake up.

How Do You Get Rid of Boxwood Moths?

Now that you have determined you have a box tree moth infestation, it is time to get to work treating it. It is a good idea to contact your local extension office and report the infestation, too, as this is a newly arrived invasive species and tracking is important.

Cultural Controls

Trimming boxwoods back as much as possible will remove damaged branches and the BTM caterpillars and pupae. It is very important that you place any affected plant material into two trash bags and dispose of it in the trash. Double-bagging will help prevent these boxwood shrub pests from escaping and damaging other shrubs.

Do not compost affected leaves and branches and don’t leave it in the street for the city to pick up. This will allow BTM caterpillars to spread.

Remove leaves, yard debris, and mulch from under the affected boxwood shrubs to reduce the places the caterpillars can overwinter.

Biological Controls

Luckily, one of the best methods of treatment is easily found at your local garden center. Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki is a naturally occurring bacterium found in soil that targets leaf-chewing caterpillars like box tree moth larvae. Beneficial insects, humans, and pets are unaffected by it and you can even find it on Amazon. Simply spray it on the leaves of your infested boxwoods and the bacterium kills the larvae as soon as they ingest it.

If you have treated your boxwoods and they don’t bounce back next spring, it might be a good idea to swap out your shrubs for native shrubs that are similar but more resistant to pests and diseases like a ‘Soft Touch’ holly shrub or Tater Tot thuja shrub from Fast Growing Trees.

Frequently Asked Questions

As if life isn’t hard enough, you open your mailbox to find a violation notice from your Homeowners Association (HOA). You scan it quickly and learn that the powers-that-be have determined that there are weeds in your lawn that violate your community's landscaping guidelines.

Can the HOA do this? The simple answer is: maybe, if they have spelled out the rule clearly and unambiguously in the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs). But there are many circumstances that can provide a strong defense.

I’ll walk you through some of the basics about how to landscape in an HOA and what the association can and can’t do about weeds in your yard. Plus, I’ll share tips to keep you out of trouble.

I cover more questions like this in my Gardening Lawyer series, drawing on my experience as both a gardener and former attorney.

Understanding HOA Rules

A homeowners association is an organization in a planned community, condo, or subdivision that makes and enforces rules for properties. It’s often called an HOA. The HOA is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of common areas and shared spaces in the community, and each unit pays a regular fee to cover these fees.

The HOA gets its authority from the written contract every owner of the association signs as they move into the community called the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. These are the rules and regulations that govern the group. The HOA does not enforce state law or federal law – it only has authority to enforce the CC&Rs.

Can an HOA Fine You for Weeds?

One of the primary responsibilities of the HOA is to maintain the landscape of the community so that it is pleasing and uniform. To achieve that, CC&Rs often include provisions to maintain “attractive” yards or to prohibit “ugly” vegetation. In many cases, the rules prohibit weeds or noxious weeds.

These laws can be enforced to the extent the language is clear and explicit and the regulations are not selectively enforced. But state laws can impact the enforcement of CC&Rs, since many state laws require that an HOA member be sent a formal written warning as well as a chance to remedy the issue within a timeframe before a fine is charged. Hearings and appeals are generally part of the procedure as well before the fine is final.

What Is a Weed?

The basic problem with this type of regulation is that the term “weed” has no specific definition or any botanical category. Generally, a weed is defined as any plant growing in a place where it is not wanted. That means that even high-value crops, flowers, or native species can be classified as weeds if they grow where humans do not want them.

I’ve seen this in my own neighborhood. In my area of San Francisco, the soil is basically sand. That’s because the area is within a mile of the Pacific Ocean. It started out as sand dunes and remained that way for the first few chapters in the history of San Francisco. As the population increased, houses were built on the dunes closer and closer to the ocean.

Our entire yard is sand and only a few flowering plants grow on it without adding lots of bags of soil. One such plant is the nasturtium. This tough, self-seeding, vining annual lit up the backyard with bright orange blossoms when we moved in.

Neighbors had the same experience, but many didn’t like the nasturtiums and labeled them as weeds. I cultivated them and consider them one of the best flowering plants in the garden even today. Another “weed” I cultivate is pokeweed. Plus, birds absolutely love their spikes of berries.

How to Defend Your Weeds

If you are ready for a fight, then plant what you want and get ready to defend yourself against a landscape violation. Here are three strong defenses you can take to court.

1. Vagueness

Is it too vague if CC&Rs prohibit weeds? Generally, no. Courts tend to find that terms like "weeds" provide adequate notice to property owners because there is a general understanding of the meaning. However, subjective terms like “ugly” vegetation or “unsightly” plants may not be specific enough to be enforced.

2. Drought

When a state is suffering from drought, water conservation can be a legal defense to weed violations. When there are water restrictions in effect, homeowners in states like California and Arizona are permitted to allow native plants to grow, including those considered weeds and to allow lawns to go dormant.

3. Native Species Defense

To get around the vagueness of the term weeds, HOAs sometimes list plants that will be considered weeds. These lists often include native species, since they are not considered as valuable as cultivated plants.

But we now know that native plants have advantages that fancy plants may not offer. For one, native plants support local pollinators, birds, and ecosystems. If you plant beneficial native species, you may be out of sync with your HOA rules.

But some states and cities – especially in the West – now recognize native plant yards as compliant with landscaping standards and do not permit fines for this kind of HOA violation.

Tips to Stay Out of Trouble

If your life is complicated enough, you’ll want to take steps to avoid landscaping issues with your HOA. Follow these three steps to stay out of trouble.

1. Read the CC&Rs

The CC&Rs are one of those documents – like insurance policies and rental car agreements – that people tend to sign without reading. But if you want to avoid landscaping conflicts with the HOA, take the time to read them. What exactly does the document prohibit? If it is “weeds” or “noxious weeds,” then how are those terms defined?

2. Ask Your HOA

Don’t be reluctant to run your questions about landscaping requirements by HOA officials. If the CC&Rs don’t define the terms, consider raising the question at an HOA meeting, and volunteer to be part of a committee to consider defining terms.

3. Present Your Case

If you want your backyard to be full of native wildflowers instead of hybrid roses, build a case and take it to the HOA meeting. Explain the role of native plants in a thriving ecosystem and show slides of native flowering plants to show other homeowners how attractive they can be. If necessary, call in someone from your local botanical garden to talk about the benefits of native species.

Essential Weeding Tools

Moles and voles can be confused because of the similarity of their names, but they aren’t similar animals. Unfortunately, for many gardeners though, they are both pesky little creatures that can create damage in the lawn and landscaping.

Luckily, identifying the animals digging holes and damaging plants is quite easy with these two. Moles are underground insectivores and voles are small rodents who do their work above ground. If you have ever walked through your yard and felt the ground suddenly give way under your foot, that is from a mole. Seeing narrow little tracks carved through your lawn or groundcover indicates voles.

Let’s dig in and see what differentiates moles and voles and what you can do to keep them at bay.

Moles

Moles are insect-eating mammals who burrow underground and can a mess of your lawn. Their tunnels are easy to roll an ankle in and their mole hills make for unsightly lumps of dirt all over the yard.

Moles are 6-8 inches (15.2-20.3 cm) long and have velvety gray fur. Their large front feet have claws that make digging a breeze, and they have very small eyes and ears. They love to eat earthworms, so even if your lawn is free of other bugs, moles can still be present. When the weather is hot, earthworms and other insects go deeper underground and the moles will follow them. This might make you think you have gotten rid of them, but then they pop up again as the weather cools!

There are some humane ways to get rid of moles like creating a trap with a coffee can, but unfortunately, the only foolproof way to fully get rid of them is to kill them. Talk with your local extension office or a local pest control company for help. However, moles don’t usually do any lasting damage to your lawn and they play a vital role in our ecosystem, so maybe a little pile of dirt isn’t so bad, after all.

Voles

Voles, on the other hand, can do some minor damage to plants, trees, and turf. Voles are stout, little rodents that resemble mice, though they have much shorter legs and tails. Their bodies are typically 3.5-5 inches (8.9-12.7 cm) long and they like to chew paths through grass and groundcover to make their travel easier.

If you have voles, you will see a 2-inch wide pathway going around the yard. Gnawed trunks on trees and shrubs, and chewed stems and leaves on other plants are also giveaways. You might spot them eating spilled seeds from your bird feeders, too.

Mowing your lawn regularly, edging grass around structures and log piles, and keeping on top of weeding will help to reduce vole populations in your yard. Cleaning up that bird seed under your feeder or using a bird seed catch tray like this one from Amazon will help prevent them from coming around looking for a free snack.

Now that you know which one you are dealing with, you can get to work to make your garden a little less friendly, for pests that it is!

Wasps are called social stinging insects, but that doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy their company in your backyard or garden. The term "wasp” includes both yellowjackets and hornets, and – as somebody who has interacted with both of these types of wasps in my yard in France – I can tell you that neither are desirable neighbors.

You are far more likely to have yellowjackets than hornets in the US, no matter where you reside. That’s because true hornets are rare in this country and yellowjackets are common, often living in nests underground. Though much smaller than hornets, yellowjackets are more aggressive and can zip out of a tiny hole in the ground and sting you multiple times.

So how do you know if a small hole in your yard is a hidden nest and how do you prevent yellowjackets from nesting in your yard? Here's how to tell if holes in your yard are the entrances to yellowjacket nests and what to do if they are.

Is That Hole a Yellowjacket Nest?

If you wander about your landscape looking for holes in your yard, you are sure to find more than a few. Yellowjackets nest underground and enter and exit by a small hole, usually about the size of a nickel.

But of course not every nickel-sized hole in the soil is going to be the revolving door to a wasp’s nest. A small hole might be a hole from an animal like a rodent. It could also be where you took out that stake from last year.

If the hole has piles of dirt, small rocks, or dead grass clippings around the entrance, that is more likely to hold yellowjackets. But there is one sure way of figuring out if a hole is one to watch out for.

Stand a solid distance away and watch the area during a warm summer afternoon. If you see a constant parade of small yellow-bodied wasps flying in and out of the hole, you’ve got yourself a yellowjacket problem.

How to Get Rid of Yellowjacket Nests

You can take steps to keep yellowjackets from choosing to live chez vous, like filling in old rodent holes you locate, keeping your garden free from garbage or yard debris, and cleaning every trace of food from your grill and picnic area.

But that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be free of these stinging insects. So if you note a nest location in the yard, here are some ideas for avoiding and safely battling yellowjackets in your yard.

1. Don’t use kamikaze tactics.

People may tell you to evict in-ground wasps by sticking a hose down the hole into the nest or some such, but it’s really not a great idea. Experts suggest that you don’t confront the wasps at all on your own.

Although they are not generally aggressive (e.g. they aren’t likely to swarm up and attack you while you are sunbathing), they will defend themselves if they feel attacked and defend their nest if you approach.

I got attacked once when I was weed-whacking in the area of a nest. One sting hurts and, unlike bees, a yellowjacket can sting multiple times. Call in experts if the nest is in a really bad location and must be moved for your family’s safety. Or you can try a yellowjacket trap like this one from Amazon.

2. Remove items that attract yellowjackets.

Yellowjackets don’t always just happen by. They are attracted into your yard for a variety of different reasons. By reducing or eliminating items that attract pests from your yard, you reduce your chances of having them nearby.

The things that attract yellowjackets include many different kinds of human food, especially anything with sugar in it, but also things like meat and fruit. Always clean up promptly and thoroughly after picnics and cookouts to wasp-proof your yard. This includes scrubbing down the grill and picnic table. Also, pick up and dispose of all fallen fruit since rotting fruit is full of sugars.

3. Secure garbage in bins.

Wasps are also attracted to garbage and compost. Sacks of garbage and open compost heaps may be sufficient to lure the yellowjackets to your property. This is especially true if your family consumes sugary beverages in cans, like sodas or even beer that end up in open garbage bins.

Put these temptations in bins instead of heaps. Get garbage cans with lids that attach firmly and instruct every member of your family to be sure the lids are fully shut every time.

Instead of an open compost heap, get a contained compost bin like this tumbler from Home Depot and keep it closed unless you are putting things in it. Many items that end up in the compost are sugary or juicy and therefore attractive to yellowjackets.

4. Provide an alternative habitat.

Yellowjackets sting, yes, but in many ways these wasps are beneficial insects. They eat (and get rid of) many other pests like unwanted caterpillars and aphids. Plus, they do some pollinating when they forage for nectar. If you can coexist with them, plant fall-blooming, nectar-rich perennials on the far side of your property to lure them yellowjackets from your patio.

What other flowers attract yellowjackets? Since they are especially hungry for plant nectary during late summer and autumn, pick flowers that appear in autumn. There are several fall-blooming flowers with shallow or open clusters that will appeal to yellowjackets. These include goldenrod, asters, catmint, salvia, yarrow, and sedum, which you can get from Nature Hills Nursery.

Lovely summer weather is the perfect time for kids to enjoy the outdoors and let their imaginations run wild. I still look back fondly on the days I'd spend in my local park as a kid, making up pretend games with my brothers and seeing how high we could get from the ground on the swing set.

However, it would always be a shame when the play area was covered in bird poop. I used to bring kitchen towels along with me to put onto the seats of the swings to avoid sitting on it, or I'd just play somewhere else and accept defeat.

Attracting birds to your backyard is a worthy endeavor but sometimes they seem to poop in all the worst places! (If they have already done their business, check out our guide to cleaning bird poop). And if you're wondering why that seems to be, you've come to the right place. I talked to Bob Mulvihill from the National Aviary to learn why kids playsets are a magnet for bird poop as well as how it can be prevented. Here's what he had to share.

Why Do Birds Poop on Kids' Playsets?

If a bird needs to poop, they are going to poop anywhere, but there's a particular reason why the likes of kids' playsets end up pooped on more often than open spaces: they offer birds the perfect spot to perch.

As Bob explains: "Birds of all kinds naturally like to perch up off the ground to get a better view of their surroundings, and if there isn’t a rock, tree, bush, or fence post close by, but there is a swing set or scattered lawn toys, they will use those as perches instead."

Even if garden birds aren't perching there specifically to poop, after enjoying their time admiring the view from on top of your kids' playsets they might need to go before flying away.

There are a number of kid-friendly ways to make the likes of swing sets less appealing to perch on. However preventative measures such as bird spikes, which are commonly used in cities to stop pigeons from landing on buildings, are a rather dangerous option.

Child-Friendly Ways to Prevent Birds From Pooping on Playsets

You can't entirely prevent birds from ever being able to poop on your kids' playsets unless you put them away or fully cover them up when they're not in use. However, there are many methods out there to make kids' playsets less appealing to land on, which will significantly decrease the chance of birds perching on them while they do their business.

Bob recommends using a mixture of "plastic owls, reflective strips and wind spinners" to deter birds from the area. Seeing objects that are shiny or moving, as well as birds of prey, will make feathery friends think twice about where they land. You can find mylar reflective ribbon on Amazon. Though Bob also noted it's important to switch up what you're using as over time the bird visiting your yard will get used to the deterrents and ignore them.

Two other options Bob recommended are using bird repellent sprays like the Nature Stop Bird Repellent Spray from Amazon as well as ultrasonic bird repellers like this Solar Ultrasonic Repellent Device from Amazon.

The sprays contain natural essential oils that are harmless to humans but irritating to birds. Meanwhile the ultrasonic repellers emit a frequency of noise that birds don't enjoy hearing that humans won't be able to notice.

How to Clean Bird Poop Off of Your Playsets

It's best to remove any bird poop from your playsets before applying repellents so they can best adhere to the surface.

If the bird poop is still wet you can simply wipe it off using a cloth and a mixture of warm water and soap. But if you're dealing with stubborn dried patches of bird poop, laying a damp cloth on top of it to soften it can be really helpful in making it easier to wipe away.

You can also add some white vinegar into your cleaning water to sterilize the surface too if you wish. Don't forget to give metal surfaces like swing poles a wipe down with a dry cloth after you're finished cleaning to help prevent the development of rust!

Shop Bird Deterrents

Are you looking for an effective, natural, and chemical-free way to protect your plants from pests this summer? If so, you've got to try diatomaceous earth.

It may be a mouthful to say, but it's actually very simple. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a naturally occurring powder made of fossilized microscopic aquatic organisms called diatoms, hence the name. To humans and pets, it feels like a soft, fine dust. But to any non-flying garden pest – cutworms, beetles, ants, slugs, aphids, and more – it acts like a razor field. The sharp particles coat the pest's exoskeleton, absorbing its waxy outer protective layer and causing it to dehydrate, killing it quickly. It's totally natural, and totally effective.

There are a few different diatomaceous earth products on the market, and getting the right one for the job is important if you want it to work. Let's take a look at the main ways you might want to use DE, and the product best suited to each.

The Best Starter Package

If you're new to the world of diatomaceous earth and want to protect your plants easily and effectively, this kit from Harris is where to start. This 10 lb bag is food grade diatomaceous earth, which means you can use it on edibles and around children and pets. It's also OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed, which means it's totally compliant with organic gardening practices. And at 10 pounds, it's going to last you a long, long time.

This kit comes with a bulb applicator, which lets you puff a fine, even layer of dust onto small, hard-to-reach spots like the undersides of leaves and branch nodes, where larvae tend to hide out.

For Precision Jobs

If you're growing in containers, hanging baskets, or window boxes, you don't really need a ten pound bag of diatomaceous earth. And if you're using it near windows or doors, you definitely don't want a big cloud of powder billowing around.

That's why this powder duster is perfect. It holds a small amount of DE, but it delivers it exactly where it needs to be – around container rims, along raised bed perimeters, even up high! It has extendible nozzle attachments that reach up to four feet (1.2 m), earning it its "ground to gutter" slogan.

For Indoor/Outdoor Use

It's true that we're focusing on garden pests, but what if you want to bring your garden indoors? After all, houseplants are just as prone to pests as their outdoor cousins. This diatomaceous earth is formulated, tested, and EPA-registered for both indoor and outdoor use. It's odorless, non-staining, and free of synthetic chemicals, so you can use it indoors without worrying. Whether you have aphids on your plants or ants in your kitchen, there's no need to go and buy a whole new product. This one has you covered inside and out.

For Large-Scale Coverage

If you're dealing with a widespread outbreak in your garden or lawn, or just have a lot of ground to cover, squeeze bottles and bulb applicators aren't going to cut it. This 10 lb bag will get the job done. Made by the folks at diatomaceousearth.com, who certainly seem to know their product. (They actually recommend mixing it into your food, but I'm only here to give gardening advice, so I'm not going to weigh in on that).

Here’s a typical scenario. You worked hard to create a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy in the summer. You set up an area to enjoy the evening in the garden only to hear a buzzing in your ear. Next, you’re slapping your neck, your arm, and running inside to avoid the mosquitoes that are plaguing your yard and garden.

Mosquitoes can absolutely ruin your outdoor peace. Not only are they a nuisance, but they are also a health risk, carrying diseases that can harm both humans and pets. Successful backyard mosquito control includes several key elements, including proper plant choice.

You might not have realized it, but there are some types of plants that actually attract mosquitoes. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to make your outdoor space less welcoming, even if you already grow some of these plants. Here are a few of the most common culprits that could be harboring mosquitoes in your yard and what to do if you grow them.

1. Bromeliads

Bromeliads are colorful air plants that lend a tropical feel to the garden. They can grow outdoors year-round in warm climates or as houseplants that you move outside in summer in cooler climates.

Either way, if you have them in your garden, these delightful plants create cups of standing water, which is how they survive without soil. But the water, unfortunately, can become an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. They look for still water like this to lay eggs, which can hatch in a matter of days.

There is a solution, though. Add a little oil or dish soap to the standing water to break the surface tension, so mosquitoes can’t land on it.

2. Dense Ground Covers

Ground cover plants play a very useful role in the garden, creating lawns of green where grass won’t grow or where you don’t care to mow. Many ground covers do their job well, creating dense mats of low-growing plants: pachysandra, spurge, deadnettle, and sweet woodruff, just to name a few.

But these ground covers create an ideal environment for mosquitoes who love shade, cool temperatures, and moisture. You might even get standing water under these plants that helps skeeters breed.

To manage mosquitoes in these areas, trim the plants with a string trimmer to improve airflow – here's a list of our experts' top tested trimmer tools – and inspect regularly for standing water that should be drained. Rake out any leaf litter that gets trapped under the plants, as mosquitoes love this kind of environment, too.

3. Bamboo

Bamboo can be a fun plant to grow. It’s easy, forgiving, and grows very quickly to create privacy borders and living fences. But your bamboo plants might be harboring a secret: standing water in the hollow stems that attracts mosquitoes and protects their eggs and larvae. Additionally, bamboo grows quite densely in moist conditions that mosquitoes love.

Thin out crowded bamboo canes to reduce localized moisture and improve airflow. Keep the area around the canes clear, too, by weeding and raking up fallen debris.

Remove damaged canes regularly, as these are more likely to contain standing water. When you trim canes, cut them at an angle to help water drain out. Use a sharp, clean pair of loppers, like these ones from Fiskars, to make easy cuts.

4. Hostas

Hostas are extremely popular bedding plants for several reasons. They’re easy to grow, thrive even in the deepest shade, and come in a variety of sizes and shades of green. But the issue, when it comes to mosquitoes, is that these beloved plants create the perfect environment for unwanted pests under their broad, overlapping leaves.

Although mass plantings of hostas look nice, you can minimize the ideal mosquito conditions by spacing them out. Allow for a little airflow between each plant. Also, be sure to regularly rake out debris from under the leaves.

5. Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses have become very popular in landscaping because they are generally easy to grow, offer a unique texture and look, and offer visual interest year-round. Unfortunately, when grown close together, these grasses can attract and harbor mosquitoes.

The dense growth of closely packed grasses creates areas of shade, stagnant areas, and moisture that mosquitoes love. Also, the dense grass makes it more difficult for natural predators of mosquitoes, like birds or dragonflies, to find and eat the pests.

Avoid planting ornamental grasses too close together and thin out those you already have. Trim away dead growth as it develops – a handheld hedge trimmer like this one from Amazon makes it easy – and divide mature clumps every few years. It also helps to plant ornamental grasses in areas where a breeze naturally passes through them.

6. Overgrown Shrubs

Any shrub can become a haven for mosquitoes if it becomes overgrown. Some types of shrubs are especially likely to create dense cover that provides these pests with the moisture and cool temperatures they love: boxwoods, hollies, viburnums, for instance.

The easy fix is to keep your shrubs trimmed. Prune them every year to open the canopy. Remove interior branches to reduce density. Clean up the area under shrubs to remove mosquito-harboring debris.

While certain plants tend to be very attractive to mosquitoes, you don’t have to avoid them altogether. Typically, it’s more the environment than the plant itself that causes the issue, so you can take steps to enjoy these plants while eliminating pests. Trim regularly, space plants adequately, check for and remove standing water, and you can naturally get rid of mosquitoes in your yard.

Shop Mosquito-Repelling Essentials

Can you use flour to deter garden pests? That's the question everyone's asking at the moment, thanks to some pretty bold claims on social media.

Honestly, every week it feels like the online masses find a new kitchen staple that's apparently destined to become the next miracle gardening hack. I've seen cinnamon, banana peels, coffee grounds and baking soda all have their moment in the spotlight. Now, though, it's the turn of plain old flour.

Video after video has shown gardeners dusting it over their plants, with some even sprinkling it across flower beds, claiming it keeps pests away without using chemicals. All of which sounds... well, highly unlikely. Then again, stranger garden hacks have turned out to contain at least a tiny grain of truth.

So naturally, I did what I always do when the internet starts making bold gardening claims. I turned to my husband, who just so happens to be an RHS-trained professional gardener with over two decades of experience under his toolbelt.

Can You Use Flour To Deter Garden Pests?

My moment of curiosity happened halfway through an episode of Taskmaster (you know how it is), which meant I paused the TV, asked whether I should start throwing flour around the garden, and was met with the sort of long sigh that suggested I had committed a cardinal sin by interrupting Greg Davies.

Once my husband had accepted that the episode wasn't restarting until he'd answered my question, though, he admitted the internet wasn't completely wrong.

"There's a grain of truth to it," he told me. "But it's one of those hacks that's been stretched so far online that people think it's a miracle cure, when really it only has a very limited use."

According to my husband, plain all-purpose flour can sometimes help against small, soft-bodied pests like aphids, cabbage loppers, and some mites.

"The flour isn't poisoning anything," he explained. "It's purely mechanical. When tiny insects feed on leaves coated with flour, the starch mixes with moisture from their mouthparts and digestive system, creating a sticky paste that makes feeding much more difficult."

Eyes flickering between me and the paused television, he rolled his eyes as he realized I needed more. "It's a similar idea to using food-grade diatomaceous earth as a physical barrier rather than a chemical pesticide," he added.

The important word there? Sometimes.

"It's only really effective as a very light dusting in dry weather," he said. "As soon as it gets damp, most of the benefits disappear."

And this is where his enthusiasm disappeared completely, as my husband pointed out that flour is (whether we'd happily chow down on it ourselves or not) food. "If you're scattering it around your garden, don't be surprised if mice, rats or other hungry visitors decide you've laid out a free buffet," he warned

Warming to his theme of 'don't you dare use flour to deter garden pests in our yard, Kayleigh', he moved onto the not-so-little issue of the weather.

"If flour gets wet, it it turns into glue," he said. "You end up with this sticky paste coating the leaves, trapping moisture against the plant. And that's exactly the sort of environment fungal diseases love."

My husband also pointed out that flour washes away surprisingly quickly, which means you'd need to keep reapplying it after rain or even heavy dew.

"And if you get a bit overenthusiastic," he added, "you can end up coating the leaves so heavily that you're blocking sunlight and making it harder for the plant to photosynthesize. That's hardly helping, is it?"

So if you can't use flour to deter garden pests, what should you use instead? Well, his answer came without hesitation: food-grade diatomaceous earth.

"It works on the same basic principle, as it's a physical barrier rather than a poison, but it doesn't become a sticky mess or invite rodents into the garden," he said promisingly.

Shop Essentials for Deterring Garden Pests:

For gardeners dealing with aphids, he also recommends starting with the gentlest solutions first, such as a strong jet of water, encouraging beneficial insects like ladybugs, or simply tolerating small numbers of pests where possible.

As is so often the case with gardening hacks, the viral version isn't completely made up, but it usually leaves out the important part. In this case, flour can have a small (albeit temporary effect) on certain pests under very specific conditions, but it's far from the miracle cure social media sometimes makes it out to be

Personally, I think I'll save the flour for baking... and let my husband get back to Taskmaster in peace.

No gardener wants to need a hazmat suit to handle the spray they’re using for their tomatoes, especially when you’re going to be eating them. Lucky for us, organic pest control has come a really long way! Now, there are products available that are effective, widely available, and gentle enough to use on your veggies right up until the day you want to harvest them.

Whether you're battling aphids on your roses, slugs on your lettuce, deer in your vegetable patch, or something crawling where it shouldn't be, there's an organic solution for it. For a broader overview of your options, check out our guide to natural pest control in an organic garden before you shop.

Below are six products that actually deliver on their promise.

Show of hands: who likes mosquitoes? If you raised your hand, I don't know how to help you. If, like me, you're always on the lookout for a new way to get them far away from you and your backyard, you'll want to read this.

There's a lot of buzz (get it?) recently around coffee and its possible mosquito-repelling properties. But where does it all come from? And is there any actual science behind it? Let's take a dive into this unusual method of backyard mosquito control.

How to Repel Mosquitos with Coffee

If you do some digging around the internet, you'll quickly find that the best way to repel mosquitos with coffee is to burn the spent grounds. (I've noticed coffee companies are especially eager to tell you this, so read into that what you will).

Here are the steps:

1. After brewing, spread grounds into a thin layer on a sheet of aluminum foil.
2. Leave the foil in the sun for a day to allow the grounds to dry out completely. (Make sure it's out of the wind!)
3. Scoop a few spoonfuls of dry grounds into a fireproof bowl. You can get one on Amazon, or just make a simple one out of foil.
4. Place the bowl near where you'll be spending time, preferably upwind.
5. Using a match or lighter, light the grounds in the center of the saucer.
6. Allow the grounds to smolder, sit back, and enjoy your mosquito-free outdoor space.

Does This Actually Work?

It's not at all hard to do this routine. The question is, does it do anything? In a word... maybe.

There has been some research to support the use of coffee grounds to repel mosquitoes, but it's a little dubious. According to this study published in 2015, water with a high concentration of coffee in it does deter female mosquitoes from laying eggs. Here's what the study has to say:

"Oviposition responses were extremely low when ovicups holding highly concentrated extract (HCE) of coffee were the only oviposition sites... Larval eclosion occurred at lower rates among eggs that matured in a coffee environment, especially among those that were maintained on HCE-moistened substrates."

In other words, female mosquitoes will actively avoid laying eggs in water containing coffee, and eggs that are laid in coffee are less likely to hatch. That seems promising, doesn't it? It is promising... if you want to cut down on overall mosquito populations. Unfortunately, it won't do anything to drive away the ones that already live in your yard.

If you do want to take a bite out of future mosquito generations, there are much more effective ways to do it than leaving out cups of coffee all over the garden. The best thing you can do is buy a pack of mosquito dunks for less than $10 on Amazon. Mosquito dunks work on a similar but fundamentally different principle to the coffee extract used in the study above. They're made with the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTi), which targets mosquito larvae and kills them before they get a chance to take off and buzz in your ear.

To get the most out of your mosquito dunks, use them to make a mosquito bucket of doom.

Should You Burn Coffee Grounds to Repel Mosquitoes?

So what about burning coffee grounds? Does it do anything at all? It might, but the truth is it's going to have just about as much effect as burning anything else. Smoke masks human odors, and it makes the air harder to breathe, so mosquitoes (and pretty much all bugs) steer clear of it. To that end, it's more about the smell you like the most. If you love the smell of burning coffee in the morning, then have at it! Otherwise, maybe stick to the citronella candles.

Other Forms of Mosquito Control

You don’t want to be swatting flies constantly, but you also don’t want your patio to look like a bug research facility. The standard arsenal, i.e., zappers, sticky traps, and chemical sprays, is just not attractive, and that means gardeners are often forced to choose between enjoying their outdoor space and protecting it.

Luckily, you don’t have to make that choice, as there are 3 patio features that pull double duty so you barely notice the pest control side of things. For more on the most common flying pests you're likely to be dealing with this summer, check out our guide to the most common garden pests before you shop.

1. Pest-Repellent Container Plants

The easiest and prettiest solution to annoying bugs on a patio is also the most overlooked: the right plants, positioned in the right place, can act as a natural deterrent without a single spray or chemical in sight. Mosquitoes, flies, and wasps fly through their environment mostly by scent, and there are some plants with a smell that actively disrupts their ability to locate you.

Lavender, lemongrass, citronella geranium, rosemary, and basil are the heavy hitters. Planted in pots and placed close to seating areas, they release enough fragrance on a warm evening to make your patio way less appealing to anything that might want to sting or bite you. The effect is even stronger if you pinch a few leaves or even brush past them; this will cause the plants to release oils into the air around you.

The most important thing is placement. A single pot in the corner of the garden isn’t going to do much. You’ll need to cluster three or four aromatic plants close to where you sit and eat, and ideally create a small border around the area. You can even mix different species for more pest coverage: lemongrass targets mosquitoes, while lavender works on moths and flies, and rosemary deters cabbage moths and carrot flies in addition to general flying pests.

2. Sheer Mosquito Net Curtains

This is a patio feature that looks like it came straight from a resort in Bali. Plus, it happens to be one of the most effective physical barriers against flying insects available. Sheer mesh curtain panels hung from a pergola, gazebo, or porch roof create a sort of outdoor room that keeps mosquitoes, midges, and flies out while letting light, air, and the view completely through.

The visuals are actually super beautiful. The soft, billowing fabric creates a lovely light in the evening, a sense of enclosure that makes the space feel more intimate and designed, and as a bonus, provides privacy from neighbors. In reality, though, it's simply a curtain rod and some lightweight polyester mesh.

The real trick is the density of the mesh. Unfortunately, standard garden netting has holes large enough for small insects to pass through, but proper mosquito curtain fabric uses a tighter weave (around 970 holes per square inch) that blocks even the smallest flying pests while remaining breathable and see-through. Look for panels that are waterproof-coated so they survive a summer of outdoor use, machine washable, and are large enough to drape properly.

3. The Thermacell Patio Shield

This one doesn't look like much, but it packs a punch! It’s just a small, palm-sized device you place in the center of your table, but it's the closest thing to invisible pest control available. It works so well that it’s the go-to recommendation from outdoor entertaining professionals. The Thermacell Patio Shield uses a heat-activated repellent mat powered by a compact butane cartridge to diffuse a scent-free, DEET-free zone of mosquito protection fifteen feet in every direction. No smoke, no smell, no sprays, no visible effort. Simply set it in the middle of the table, wait fifteen minutes, and you’re good.

The reason it earns its place in a "beautiful patio features" list is precisely that it doesn't look like pest control. The brushed metal edition in particular looks like a small table accessory. It's the kind of thing your guests notice and ask about, not something you hide behind a citronella candle. The repellent mats change color when it's time to replace them, which is super handy, and each fuel cartridge runs for twelve hours.

Note: Position it upwind of where you're sitting for maximum effect; keep it away from strong breezes that reduce the protection zone. You can pair it with a border of lavender and lemongrass for a real pest management strategy.

Wilting might be the least useful symptom in the garden. It's how a plant says something is wrong, and that's about as specific as it gets. A tomato that's merely hot and a tomato with fungus clogging its plumbing look identical at three in the afternoon, which is exactly why so many gardeners water the second one until it dies faster.

Then again, gardening in a heat wave means treating a certain amount of afternoon flop as ordinary. Leaves droop because the plant has closed its stomata and quit transpiring until conditions improve, so the sag is a defense, not a distress call. The question worth answering isn't whether a plant wilts. It's whether it comes back.

Start with the Sunset Test

Go back out at dusk, or first thing the next morning, and look at the same plant. Heat stress lets go once the sun is off it. Roots catch up with what the leaves lost, turgor returns, and something that looked finished in the afternoon is standing there come nighttime like nothing happened. That's the entire test, and it costs nothing. Give it a full hour past sundown before drawing any conclusion, since dry soil slows recovery even in a healthy plant.

A plant still slumped at sunrise, after twelve hours of cool air and no sun at all, has a problem that has nothing to do with weather. The in-between case matters too. A plant that bounces back a little less each morning is on a slow slide, and the pattern shows up over three or four days rather than in a single look. Take a photo each morning if the difference is too subtle to hold in your head.

Wilting in Wet Soil Is a Contradiction

Soggy ground and a drooping plant should not go together, and when they do, the roots are the story. Root rot organisms – mainly Phytophthora and Pythium species – thrive in saturated soil and destroy the fine feeder roots that do the actual drinking. What's left can't pull water even while sitting in it. The wilt looks like drought because, from the plant's side, it is drought. An XLUX long-probe soil moisture meter from Amazon settles the question in seconds at root depth, where a finger can't reach.

Confirming it means getting your hands dirty. Scrape back the soil at the base and pull a few roots. Healthy roots are firm and pale, and they snap. Rotted roots turn brown or gray, go soft, and the outer layer slides off between your fingers and leaves a bare thread behind. That smell of stagnant pond water is the other giveaway. Container plants sitting in saucers are the usual victims, though heavy clay after a wet stretch does the same job. Peppers and squash collapse within days once it takes hold, while shrubs can carry the damage quietly for a season.

One Branch, One Side, One Piece

Vascular wilts operate differently, and they're the ones that earn the word sinister. Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum live in the soil, enter through the roots, and grow upward inside the xylem – the plumbing itself. The plant fights back by plugging infected vessels with gums and tyloses, and in doing so it seals off the pipes it needs. Water stops moving. The leaves get the message before the rest of the plant does.

Asymmetry is the tell. Heat hits the whole plant at once, while a vascular wilt starts with a single branch and leaves everything around it looking fine for days. Sometimes the split is narrower – half a stem, or one wedge of a leaf going yellow while the rest of it stays green. Yellowing that climbs from the bottom and then stalls halfway counts too. Fusarium tends to move in hot weather and Verticillium in milder spells, though both settle into the soil for years once they arrive. The same bed keeps producing the same sad tomato.

Cut the Stem and Look

There's a diagnostic that beats guessing. Slice through a wilted stem a few inches above the soil line with a hand pruner like this from Home Depot, then look at the cut face. Cream-colored tissue all the way around points back at heat or a watering problem. Brown or tan streaking in the ring just under the bark is vascular disease, and no amount of water fixes that.

Wipe the blades down with 70% isopropyl alcohol (you can get it from Walmart) before touching another plant, since pruners carry these fungi from one stem to the next easily. Neither wilt has a cure once it's in a plant. Pull it, bag it, and keep it out of the compost, then put something unrelated in that spot for a few years – corn, beans, and grasses shrug both of them off. Resistant varieties exist for tomatoes, and the letters on the tag earn their keep here. A “V” stands for Verticillium and an “F” for Fusarium. Until then, the plant tells you which one it is by sundown – every time, for free.

There really is a special kind of misery that comes from eating ice cream on a warm summer day, only to have a wasp start attacking your hand. Or, you’re setting up the perfect little outdoor table full of cold drinks and your garden is actually looking stunning, only to spend the whole afternoon flinching every time something black and yellow buzzes past your ear.

Wasps have a real talent for ruining a lovely afternoon. Fortunately, trapping them has become significantly easier than most people think. There is no shortage of products that actually work without all the chemicals or bravery needed when you don’t want to get stung. If you prefer to go the DIY route first, we've got a great guide to homemade wasp traps. But if you'd rather just buy something that works right now, here are the best options available.

A note before you buy: Placement matters as much as the trap itself. All of these should be hung at least 20 feet away from where you're sitting, as the goal is to draw wasps toward the trap and away from you, not hang it over the potato salad. Hang them at eye level or slightly above, in areas that seem to draw a lot of wasps, and replace or refresh the bait about every two weeks.

Wasps have a habit of rebuilding where a colony already did well. Filling that eave or porch corner with strongly scented plants makes the address far less appealing, and the right picks hold that line into fall.

Take down a nest in July and the problem looks solved. The site itself doesn't change, though. It stays dry and sheltered, out of the wind, and that is the short list a queen scouts for come early spring. She isn't looking for the old paper. She's looking for the eave.

Hanging something in that space works better than leaving it open. Plants that repel wasps do double duty here. They take up the real estate and put a strong fragrance right where a scout would land. None of this amounts to a force field, and an established colony won't be bothered by any of it. Occupancy is the point. A queen looking for a vacancy shouldn't find one. What you're doing is changing the site from empty shelter to active, occupied space.

6 Plants To Hang Where a Wasp Nest Used To Be

Aroma does the work, so these should be within arm's reach — a pinch or a brush in passing releases far more oil than a plant sitting undisturbed. A coco coir-lined hanging basket from Amazon is a simple way to get them up at eave height, where air moves through the foliage and keeps the scent at the site rather than four feet below it.

1. Spearmint

Mint plants get recommended for nearly every pest problem, which makes the suggestion easy to wave off. Spearmint (Mentha spicata) earns it here. Menthol content runs high enough that wasps tend to give it room, and the plant is hardy clear through USDA zones 3 to 11. It also spreads aggressively, so a basket is the practical way to keep it. Full sun to part shade, steady moisture, and a hard cutback whenever it turns scraggly is all it takes. Pinch a few stems every time you pass, though, as the fragrance fades within a day or so otherwise. You can find a 2-pack of spearmint plants from Lowe's.

2. Wormwood

Bitter is the whole point of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). Chemical compounds absinthin and thujone sit in that silvery foliage, and very little chews on it or settles in near it. Hardy in zones 4 through 9, it wants full sun and soil that drains fast. Soggy roots will kill it quicker than winter will.

Water sparingly once it's established, then shear it in spring so it doesn't go woody and open in the middle. Keep it clear of tender neighbors, too. The roots leach compounds that can stunt what's planted alongside, so planting in a basket or container by itself is ideal. MARS Gardens on Etsy has 1-gallon wormwood 'Powis Castle' plants for sale.

3. Common Thyme

Thymol turns up in a fair number of commercial repellents, which is reason enough to hang the herb it comes from. Common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) trails over a basket edge and takes zones 5 to 9 without much complaint. Full sun. Gritty soil, sparse water — it sulks in rich compost and rots outright in wet feet. Trim after flowering to stop the stems going bare and hard at the base, which is quick work with a sharp pair of bypass pruning shears from Home Depot. Skip that trim two years running and you're basically starting over.

4. Lemongrass

Citronella has a branding problem. The plant sold under that name is a scented geranium with very little perfume to it, while the real source sits much closer to lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) — loaded with citral and citronellal, and pungent the moment a leaf gets bruised. Perennial only in zones 9 to 11, so north of that it's a summer container that comes indoors before frost. It prefers full sun, generous water, and a pot bigger than looks necessary. It grows fast enough to fill a basket by August. Overwintered inside, it looks rough by March, but it does recover. Get a lemongrass plant delivered straight to your door from Fast Growing Trees.

5. Silver Dollar Eucalyptus

Florists hang eucalyptus in showers because steam drags the oil out of the leaves. A hot July eave does something close to the same thing. Eucalyptus cinerea holds in zones 8 through 11 and is usually grown as a container annual north of there, in full sun with soil kept on the dry side. Pinch the tips or it goes leggy in a hurry. Cut stems keep throwing scent for weeks after they dry, so a bundle tacked near the old site is a reasonable stopgap while a live plant fills in. Silver dollar eucalyptus plants are available from Etsy through Droke's Greenhouse, a certified nursery.

6. French Marigold

Planted for color, and working for wasp control on the side, French marigolds (Tagetes patula) carry their pungency in the foliage rather than the flowers. Their scent is strongest in afternoon heat, right when scouting activity picks up. Marigolds are annual everywhere, though they'll self-sow in mild zones. You can pick up a 4-pack of marigolds from the Home Depot.

These want full sun, deadheading through summer, and less water than seems right. Overfed plants give more leaf and less aroma. Mounting height does matter — wall-mounted plant hanger brackets from Walmart put the basket up under the eave rather than well below it.

Warm nights, humid afternoons, and a canopy that has closed in. Midsummer hands fungal and bacterial diseases everything they need to thrive. Here are six turning up in vegetable beds right now, and what actually works against each one.

July is when the vegetable garden stops looking like a magazine spread. The plants are big, the canopy has closed in, and somewhere down in that green tangle a leaf has gone spotty. Warm nights and humid afternoons are perfect conditions for fungal and bacterial trouble, and once it takes hold in a crowded bed it moves fast, usually faster than anybody notices.

Catching it early is the whole game. A lot of common vegetable garden diseases and pests announce themselves on a handful of lower leaves before the plant is really in danger, and pulling those leaves plus a well-timed spray is often enough to hold the line. Wait until half the plant is yellow and you're no longer treating anything, just managing a loss.

6 Vegetable Diseases to Deal With This Month

The six below are the ones turning up in July plots across a lot of climates. Each has a tell, and each has a response that works if you get control of it soon enough.

1. Early Blight

Dark spots with concentric rings inside them (like a tiny target) showing up on the oldest, lowest leaves of a tomato or potato. Those rings mean early blight (Alternaria solani). Around each spot the leaf goes yellow, and it keeps going until the leaf gives up and falls, and the fungus is already working on the one above it by then. It overwinters in soil and old plant debris, so rain and hose water splashing up onto the bottom leaves are how it gets started every year.

Snip off affected leaves the moment they turn up, and don't compost them. Mulch under the plants blocks the splash. If it's spreading, this copper fungicide from Home Depot is approved for organic gardens and can go on right up to harvest.

2. Septoria Leaf Spot

People mix this one up with early blight, understandably. Septoria leaf spot (Septoria lycopersici) puts out smaller spots, rounder, and a lot of them — you might count dozens on one leaf, pale gray in the middle with a dark rim around the edge. Tomatoes get it the worst.

Timing is the cruel part, since it tends to show up just as the fruit is sizing up, and a plant that has lost its leaves isn't ripening much of anything. Handle it the way you'd handle early blight. Strip the infected foliage off, water down at soil level rather than over the top, thin out whatever stems are crowding each other so air can move. Copper fungicide will slow the spread. It won't do anything for a leaf that's already spotted.

3. Powdery Mildew

Squash, cucumbers, and melons pick this up almost every summer. What you're looking at is powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii), and it really does look like somebody spilled flour on the leaves — a few dusty patches at first, then those patches grow into each other until the surface has gone chalky all over.

Unusual among these, it doesn't need wet leaves to spread. Humid air and shade will do, which is why it settles into the middle of a dense plant. Leaves brown out eventually and the fruit underneath ripens poorly. Pull the worst leaves, open the plant up, and treat the rest. Bonide's neem oil from Amazon works as a fungicide and a miticide at once, which is handy in a bed that has both problems going.

4. Downy Mildew

This is a different disease entirely, despite the name. Downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) turns up as yellow patches on cucumber and melon leaves, oddly angular ones, boxed in by the veins on either side. Flip a leaf over on a damp morning and there's fuzzy gray or purple growth underneath. Basil downy mildew will also tear through your herb garden if left untreated.

It moves quicker than powdery mildew does, and unlike its namesake it wants moisture. Once a plant has it, there's no real cure, which leaves protection as the only move. Give plants room, keep water off the foliage, and get a preventive fungicide onto the healthy leaves nearby before spores ever land on them.

5. Bacterial Leaf Spot

Peppers and tomatoes both get bacterial leaf spot (Xanthomonas spp.). It's the nastier problem of the bunch, mainly because bacteria shrug off the fungicides that handle everything else here. Early on the spots look small and dark, sort of water-soaked, sometimes ringed by a yellow halo. On the fruit they harden into raised scabs.

Splashing water carries it, and so do hands and tools working through wet foliage, which is reason enough to stay out of the bed until things dry off. Copper fungicide is about the only chemical option, and even then it's protecting healthy tissue rather than fixing what's damaged. Anything badly infected is better pulled than nursed.

6. Fusarium Wilt

Watch for a plant that wilts on one side through the hot part of the afternoon, comes back overnight, then does it again the next day. Give it a week and that branch is dead and yellow while the rest of the plant carries on like nothing happened. Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum) is down in the soil, and it works from the inside — clogging the tissue that carries water up through the stem. Cut a wilted stem open lengthwise and there it is, a brown streak just beneath the skin.

Nothing cures it. Once that fungus is in a bed it stays for years, so what's left is choosing resistant varieties and rotating crops, along with keeping plants out of the drought stress that seems to invite it in the first place.

Hot, dry weather is exactly what spider mites wait for. Populations explode fast, and the damage usually shows before the mites themselves do, which makes catching them early the difference between a quick fix and a lost plant.

Many people never see a spider mite. What they notice is the plant going downhill, and by then the mites have usually been at work a while. They're not even insects, strictly speaking — arachnids is the accurate word, more of a cousin to spiders than to the aphids everyone knows to watch for. The harm is in how they eat: they punch into plant cells one by one and drain them, and enough of that leaves foliage looking bleached and worn out, almost sunburned.

Hot, dry stretches are when spider mites tip from annoying into a real problem. They tear through generations in warm, dry air, sometimes a whole one inside a week, which is how a handful in June turns into a mess by August. Drought stacks it further as thirsty plants are easier to feed on. And the same heat tends to knock out the predators that might've kept things in check otherwise.

Why Hot, Dry Weather Sets Them Off

The one gardeners tangle with most is usually the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), and it happens to love the precise weather a heat wave hands it. Warmth is the accelerant. A generation that drags out two or three weeks in cool spring air can finish in five to seven days once temperatures push into the 80s and 90s (27 to 35C) during a summer heat wave. Each female lays dozens of eggs on top of that, so the numbers snowball before you can even realize what's happening.

Low humidity is the other half of the story. Dry air means fewer mites get taken out by the fungal diseases that usually thin their ranks, so more of them pull through. Dry conditions can also encourage them.

As water levels drop, sap becomes more concentrated, potentially making feeding easier for these pests. And the predators that keep a normal summer in balance — predatory mites and lady beetle larvae mainly — have gone into hiding in a long heat spell, right when they'd be doing the most good.

How to Spot Spider Mites

The first thing to turn up usually isn't the mites, it's the stippling. It shows up as fine, pale yellow or white dots scattered over the top of the leaves like someone dabbed them with a pin. Every speck marks a spot where cells got emptied. Leave it and it spreads, whole leaves going bronze or yellow and falling, the plant appearing dry and dusty even after a good watering.

Webbing near the bases of leaves means the numbers are already up there. That fine silk, usually found underneath the leaves and around the new tips, is the colony giving itself away.

The fastest check for spider mites: hold a white sheet of paper under a leaf you're unsure about and tap it. Specks that land and then start moving are your answer. A hand lens earns its place here, since at real size the mites can be barely visible. If you don't already have a magnifying glass laying around, you can find one cheaply on Amazon.

How to Treat a Spider Mite Infestation

Water is the first move, which sounds too basic to do much. But a strong blast from the hose, driven into the undersides where they gather, knocks a big share of them off and shreds the webbing while it's at it.

Repeat it every few days and the population never quite recovers its footing. It's no cure on its own. What it does is thin them out and buy some time before the stronger treatments come into play. Cranking up the humidity around the plant leans on them as well, damp air being roughly the last thing they want.

For whatever holds on, insecticidal soap from Amazon is the standard next move, smothering mites wherever it makes contact. The issue is that it only acts where the spray actually reaches, so getting up under the leaves is the bulk of the job. You can also make a DIY insecticidal soap and apply it with a small pump sprayer from Amazon handles that far better than a trigger bottle.

There's also neem oil from Amazon which disrupts feeding and breeding across a few rounds instead of all at once. Whichever way it goes, spray in the evening or under cloud, because soap or oil in full sun ends in scorched leaves.

Keep Spider Mites From Coming Back

A lot of prevention is just refusing to provide them the dry, dusty conditions they thrive on. A plant kept watered through a heat wave isn't stressed the same way, which makes it a tougher target from the outset. Rinsing the leaves off now and again drops the dust and nudges the humidity up, both working against them. None of it is a dramatic change in routine. Across a whole summer, though, that small routine stuff is what keeps the numbers from stacking up.

New plants deserve a second glance, since mites love to slip in on something from the nursery and spread from there. Flip a few leaves and check underneath before it joins everything else. And if the same infestation keeps returning no matter what, releasing predatory mites can sometimes settle it for good. It’s slower than grabbing a spray, but they tend to stay around for a while once they get established.

I grow heaps of catnip in my garden, so when I read new research that suggests the plant's oil is as effective at repelling mosquitoes as DEET, I didn’t hesitate to make my own skidaddle-you-skeeters spray. It was quick, easy and once I’d tried it out, I had to agree with those scientists. Catnip does seem to keep mozzies away.

In the 2025 study, its findings published this year in Scientific Reports journal, scientists tested how mosquitoes responded to various substances: a hand lotion infused with 6% catnip oil, the same lotion with 2% catnip oil, a commercially available repellent containing 15% DEET, and plain lotion to act as a control. In field trials with real-life humans, the lotion with 6% catnip oil proved just as effective as the DEET repellent; the lotion with a 2% concentration repelled skeeters a little less, but scientists still rated it ‘highly effective’.

I much prefer natural pest solutions over chemical ones, and I already make an effective skeeter trap with baking soda and vinegar. So, as I'm already growing catnip (Nepeta cataria) – one of three plants I grow for my cats in my garden – using the leaves to make my own natural mosquito repellent was a no-brainer.

It makes sense that catnip could repel skeeters as it contains high levels of a compound called nepetalactone, which it’s thought the plant has evolved to repel pests. My cats seem to subscribe to the theory, anyway, as they like to roll on the plants as if they’ve read the online blurb that this could afford some natural protection against fleas. And what do you know, with a little digging, I discovered that catnip is registered as an insect repellent with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

It was time to cook up a batch of catnip-leaf mozzie repellent spray and test out its properties for myself.

How to Make Natural Catnip Mozzie Repellent

1. Pick a cup of fresh catnip leaves. It’s important the plants haven’t been treated with any pesticides. Crush the leaves with the back of a tablespoon.

2. Scrape the crushed leaves into a small heatproof bowl and pour over 1 cup just-boiled water. Place a plate on top of the bowl so steam can’t escape and leave to steep for an hour.

3. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, muslin cloth or a coffee filter, pressing or squeezing the leaves to extract as much moisture as possible.

4. Discard the plant matter and pour the strained liquid into a clean spray bottle. Store in the fridge where it will keep for 1-2 weeks; adding a tablespoon of straight vodka to the strained liquid will extend its shelf life.

As with any new topical skin product, spot-test the spray on a small area of your skin before using, to ensure it doesn’t cause irritation. Shake the bottle well before each use. Apply to skin, being careful to keep well away from eyes. Reapply frequently and gauge for yourself how effective the spray is at repelling mosquitoes.

If you have cats, expect company as felines adore the scent of catnip.

Does Catnip Mozzie Repellent Spray Work?

While steeping catnip leaves doesn’t extract nepetalactone as effectively as distilling, I found that while I was spritzed with my homemade spray, I wasn’t bothered by mosquitoes. Aware that natural repellents don’t last as long as chemical alternatives, I reapplied every couple of hours.

I’ve been testing the DIY spray in my garden while gardening and relaxing on the patio. If you are heading into an area heavily infested with mosquitoes, or it’s known that mosquitoes in your area carry a pathogen such as West Nile virus, that’s not the time to be testing out a homemade spray – use a commercially available repellent that's proven to work.

I found the spray has a mild earthy fragrance, which I found neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Thanks to the scent, my cats were especially fond of me though!

Other natural ways to deal with mosquitoes in your garden include using potted patio plants with mozzie-repelling scents, and setting up a mosquito bucket of doom.

Is Catnip Safe to Put On Your Skin?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed Nepeta cataria essential oil is safe for human use. Studies show that, even when applied to skin at a 25% concentration, it doesn’t cause irritation.

How to Grow Catnip

While catnip (Nepeta cataria) is never going to win any prizes for its flowers, with regular snipping of the stems, it grows into a pretty-enough potful of leaves on the patio. Don't confuse catnip with catmint, though both are closely related. Catnip has much higher concentrations of nepetalactone, though catmint does still contain this compound.

A hardy perennial in zones 3-9, growing catnip is easy. It's quick to raise from seed or economical to buy as young plants, and both catnip seeds and catnip plants are available from Lowes. It’s important to grow this member of the mint family in a container set on hard landscaping as, like many of its cousins, it’s too vigorous to grow in the ground in most gardens. It needs well-draining conditions so mix a handful of sand, gravel or horticultural grit such as this from Amazon into any multipurpose potting soil, or use a moisture-control compost such as this, also from Amazon.

Nepeta cataria is enthusiastic enough to thrive in partial shade as well as full sun and is drought-tolerant so be careful not to overwater. It grows to 2½ feet high and has white or pale pink flowers, sometimes dotted with purple. It tends to have straggly stems, but pinching off the tips encourages it to grow into a dense, bushy mound of foliage.

What the Research Report Said

The report (Evaluating repellence properties of a catnip essential oil-based mosquito repellent using the human landing catch method in Eastern Uganda by Charles Batume et al) states that lotions containing both 2% and 6% catnip oil was highly effective at preventing mosquito landing, and recommended their use as a natural alternative to synthetic mosquito repellents. With the research carried out in 2025, the findings were published in the March 2026 Scientific Reports journal.

The catnip oil used in the research comprised of 92% nepetalactone and was derived from mature Nepeta cataria plants grown outside with 12 hours of sunlight a day. The plant material was dried before being distilled, to extract pure essential oil.

The report referred to previous studies that found that nepetalactone repelled several mosquito species, ticks, red poultry mites and bed bugs.

A bird bath is not only a beautiful addition to any landscape, but it also benefits local and migrating birds who need a relaxing spot to cool off and hydrate during the hot summer months. There is one big problem, however, that you need to be aware of before adding a bird bath to your yard or garden: mosquitoes.

Any standing water in your yard can quickly become a breeding ground for mosquitoes – and that includes bird baths. Figuring out how to prevent mosquitoes in a bird bath is yet another item on the ever-growing garden to-do list. But there’s one affordable item that can make the job a bit easier and turn your bird bath into a gorgeous mini water fountain that birds adore and that adds the soothing sound of trickling water to your garden.

A solar-powered fountain from Amazon costs less than $10 and stops mosquitoes from turning your bird bath into their own personal breeding pool. If you’re considering adding a bird bath to your yard or already have one that’s full of mosquito larvae, here’s how to turn your bath into a bug-free fountain that birds will love even more.

Why Bird Baths Attract Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes lay eggs and develop larvae in or near standing water. Bird baths make the ideal spot for breeding mosquitoes because they are shallow vessels of stationary water. Add in debris like fallen leaves, dirt, algae, and warm summer temperatures and you have a prime environment for mosquito larvae to pupate and grow.

Standing water is one of the main requirements for breeding mosquitoes and it only takes five days for your bird bath to turn into an insect incubator. So to keep them free of mosquitoes, you need to change out the water in bird baths once every few days or find a way to keep the watering moving. That’s where a solar-powered fountain comes in handy.

How a Solar Fountain Stops Mosquitoes

This solar-powered fountain from Amazon only costs around $10 and keeps water moving in bird baths and prevents mosquitoes from breeding. A small fountain like this is a simple way to turn a stagnant bath into a beautiful showpiece in your garden that also stops mosquitoes.

Another option is to add a water agitator to your bird bath, but a solar fountain has another additional benefit. It adds the soothing sound of running water into your landscape, turning a basic bird bath into a lovely sensory garden feature.

Adding a fountain to your bird bath can also attract more birds. Birds love moving water – it more closely resembles a natural water source like a stream – so you should have more birds and less mosquitoes in your bath when you pop a solar fountain into your bath.

To add a solar-powered fountain to a bird bath, all you have to do is place it in a bird bath in a sunny location where it will receive charge and power the motor. Keep your bird bath clean of fallen debris like leaves that can cover the solar panels and prevent the fountain from charging. You also need to regularly clean the filter to keep water flowing.

Your bird bath also needs to have enough water in it to submerge the motor of the solar fountain. Basically, keep your bird bath clean and full of water in order for the solar fountain to function properly. You should be able to wait a few more days between changing out the water in your bird bath with the addition of a solar fountain, without the risk of mosquitoes breeding.

More Ways to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

I've always had a bit of an understanding with the squirrels that visit my garden. They don't cause too much trouble, and in return, I don't let my overzealous lurcher out if I spot one happily wandering across the lawn.

It might sound silly, but I quite enjoy watching them scamper along the fence or bury the odd acorn before disappearing again. And, to be fair to my local squirrels, they know which side their bread is buttered (or should that be, which side their nut is buttered?), as they prefer to keep their visits fleeting so as not to run into my aforementioned mutt.

Not everyone has a squirrel-deterring dog at their disposal, though. My mother-in-law and several of my neighbors, for example, have spent years trying to stop squirrels from digging up flower beds, nibbling vegetables, and unearthing newly planted bulbs. Rather than turning to traps or chemical repellents, they've had surprising success with a much prettier (and much more natural) solution: marigolds.

Do Marigolds Really Deter Squirrels?

Marigolds, you say? Deter squirrels, you gasp? Yes, while these cheerful flowers have long been a staple in cottage gardens and vegetable patches, they're more than just a colorful annual. Many gardeners believe marigolds can help deter squirrels and other unwanted visitors, all thanks to their distinctive scent.

Now, a caveat before we delve any deeper; the scientific evidence specifically linking marigolds to squirrel deterrence is scanty. Still, the idea has been passed down among gardeners for generations, and all hinges on the fact that these pretty flowers produce a strong aroma – one that some people believe squirrels find so unpleasant that it encourages them to forage elsewhere.

Whether it's the scent itself or simply the fact that marigolds are often planted as part of a diverse and healthy garden (they make excellent companion plants!), plenty of gardeners say they've noticed fewer curious diggers after adding them to their beds.

That makes marigolds an easy, low-risk option to try if you want to deter squirrels in a kinder, more natural way. They're inexpensive, easy to grow from seed (we love the Burpee range of marigold seeds) or young plants, and bloom for months with very little fuss.

Better still, they're loved by bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators (including your birth month bug), which means they can support the wider health of your garden while potentially helping to keep squirrels at bay.

If squirrels are constantly digging up bulbs or helping themselves to your vegetable patch, try planting marigolds around the edges of raised beds and vegetable gardens.

It is also a good shout to plant them bear tulips, crocuses, and other bulbs squirrels love to dig up, along pathways and garden borders, or in containers in spots where squirrels often wander. French marigolds (like these HOME GROWN Petite French Marigold Seeds) are often recommended because they have a particularly strong fragrance, although any marigold variety can make a striking addition to sunny borders.

All that being said, marigolds aren't a magic fix; hungry squirrels are remarkably persistent, especially in late summer and fall when they're busy storing food for winter. Still, as part of a wildlife-friendly approach that also includes clearing up fallen birdseed, protecting newly planted bulbs with wire mesh, and reducing easy food sources, they may help make your garden a less inviting place for these bushy-tailed vagrants to linger.

Shop Three More Plants That Help Deter Squirrels:

One of the nicest things about planting marigolds is that, even if they don't solve your squirrel problem overnight, you've still added months of vibrant color to your yard (there are so many reasons why it is such a popular annual to grow!).

If you want to deter squirrels, there are rarely any guarantees; these clever little animals quickly adapt to new surroundings, and what works in one neighborhood may not work in another. Still, if you're looking for a simple, affordable, and wildlife-friendly alternative to traps, marigolds are certainly worth a place in your garden, especially as they might encourage those furry visitors to move on to someone else's flower bed instead.

And if all else fails? I can really recommend the ever-barking lurcher option (although, fair warning, your lawn will not thank you for it!).

Summer is a gorgeous season, but unfortunately pests adore it too and come out in abundance. It can be tough to keep pests at bay and ensure that your plants are protected - I know I've definitely woken up to my berries all eaten and my plant beds thoroughly trampled on before!

There are so many pest prevention solutions out there, from fences to chemicals and traps. But if you're looking for something easy to use that won't harm your plants you might need to look no further than in your kitchen cupboards.

Cayenne pepper is an excellent summer pest deterrent, detested by so many different animals and insects. And the best part is that it's cheap and chemical free! (You can even find cayenne pepper in bulk on Amazon). I talked to an assortment of gardening pros to learn exactly why it's so effective at deterring pests and the best ways to use it in a yard. Your plants will definitely be thanking you.

Why Do Pests Hate Cayenne Pepper?

Cayenne pepper is hated by common garden pests because it's a form of irritant. Its strong scent and spicy flavor profile is a lot for a pest's nose, eyes or paws to bear, encouraging them to steer clear.

As Jessica Mercer a horticulturalist at Plant Addicts, explains: "Cayenne pepper works as a pest deterrent because it contains capsaicin, the compound responsible for the pepper's spicy heat. It is an irritant to mammals, including rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, voles, raccoons, and deer, as well as soft-bodied insects. Cayenne irritates the mouth, nose, and mucous membranes, so the pests may avoid treated plants or soil after they smell or taste it."

There are many different ways to harness the humane, organic pest-banishing power of cayenne pepper, so there's bound to be something that works for you and your garden.

What are the Best Ways to Use Cayenne Pepper in the Garden?

There are three primary ways to use cayenne pepper as a pest deterrent in your yard: in its powder form, diluted with water, or diluted with a mixture of water and super mild soap.

If you're using cayenne in its powder form Lindsey Chastain of Waddle and Cluck recommends targeting the base of your plants or the borders of beds. This way, there's a barrier created between your pests and your greenery using the cayenne pepper.

She explains: "Just sprinkle it around the edges of garden beds or around the base of plants. Crawling pests like slugs and ants won't want to crawl over it and it will also keep rabbits, squirrels, and deer away. Anything that feels the irritation will back off."

Combining the cayenne pepper with a bit of water can elevate the hack, providing you with a spray you can use on the leaves of your plants to stop pests from munching on them.

Adding a small amount of mild soap can help the cayenne and water solution to better adhere to leaves, especially if you live in a rainy area and don't want the cayenne to rapidly wash away. Though be sure to use something extremely gentle like a baby soap in small doses.

Are There Any Downsides to This Hack?

The main downside to this hack is that the cayenne pepper will dilute and/or wash away when it rains, so it will need reapplying. If you live in an area with less rainfall this hack may be better suited for your needs.

Lindsey also noted to me that cayenne will irritate people's pets as well so if you have pets, it's important to consider whether they will be able to access the areas where you plan to use the pepper.

Jessica added that birds don't react to capsaicin in the same way that other pests do, so if you specifically have a bird problem the cayenne pepper may not work to discourage them or they will just get used to it.

If this is the case, the hack will work more effectively alongside other pest prevention methods for birds such as using netting like the Sukh Garden Mesh from Amazon or physical barriers like these Amazon Plant Protectors to shield your plants.

There are several things that can be unreliable in summer: tents, whether it will rain at your picnic, and allergies. One thing that is always a given? Mosquitos. It’s like they sense when you’ve laid the table, lit the candles, and invited over your friends for a perfect evening. Right on cue, those pesky mosquitoes show up uninvited and proceed to feast on everyone’s ankles.

Fortunately, there are some products that actually work well, and none of them are citronella candles. Knowing which tool to reach for in moments of annoyance when the mosquitoes start biting, plus knowing where and how to use them, makes all the difference. For a broader overview before you buy, check out our guide to 9 natural ways to get rid of mosquitoes.

Here are 7 products worth adding to your arsenal this summer.

July brings a wave of garden pests out in force. Heat and lush growth are exactly what they want, and a few of them can strip a tomato plant or hollow an iris rhizome in a matter of days. Catching them early is most of the battle.

Something shifts in the garden around July. The spring rush of aphids and slugs settles down in many gardens, and a tougher, hungrier crew takes over. Some tunnel out of sight, inside stems and rhizomes, doing their damage before you notice. Others arrive in swarms, or as a single caterpillar big enough to strip a plant overnight. Warm nights and dense foliage are just what they want, and a bed that looked spotless in June can take a beating before the trouble is obvious.

Knowing the common garden pests likely to show up this month makes them far easier to stop, since most do their worst while nobody's looking. The six here hit both edible and ornamental beds, and each has a tell — a specific kind of damage, or a spot it likes to hide — that gives it away early. Catch that, and treatment is usually simple.

6 July Pests, and How to Shut Them Down

One rule cuts across all of these: early action beats cleanup, every time. By the time the damage looks dramatic, the pest has usually moved on or multiplied. Catching the first signs is the whole game.

1. Squash Vine Borer

A squash plant thriving one day and collapsed the next almost always points to squash vine borer. The adult is a clearwing moth that looks more like a wasp, laying eggs at the base of squash and zucchini stems in early to midsummer. The larvae bore straight into the stem and hollow it from the inside until the vine can't move water — hence the sudden collapse.

Look for a small hole near the base ringed with sawdust-like frass. Prevention wins here, and a floating row cover from Amazon over the young plants keeps the moth from laying in the first place — it just has to come off once flowers open for pollination.

If a borer's already inside, sometimes you can still save the plant. Slit the stem lengthwise, dig the grub out, then mound moist soil over that spot so the vine roots again above the injury and keeps feeding itself.

2. Tomato Hornworm

For something that can reach 4 inches (10cm), the tomato hornworm is shockingly easy to miss. It's the exact green of a tomato stem, with a soft spike on its tail, and it feeds fast — a couple can defoliate a plant and start on the fruit in a day or two. The droppings give it away before the caterpillar does: dark pellets on the lower leaves, bare stems up top. Handpicking at dusk works well.

Editor Kathleen Walters’ favorite way to spot them is with a UV (black light) flashlight! They light up neon-green when you shine a black light, available from Amazon, around your tomato plants in the dusk or dark. No more hiding hornworms!

For a heavier run, the go-to spray is Bt from Amazon. It's a naturally occurring soil bacterium that affects only caterpillars, harmless to everything else. One exception: a hornworm studded with white rice-like cocoons should be left alone. Those are parasitic wasps, and they are already handling it for you!

3. Iris Borer

The worst of an iris borer's damage happens underground, out of sight, which is exactly what makes it so destructive. Eggs laid last fall hatch in spring, and by July the larvae have tunneled down the leaves into the rhizome and hollowed it out. That opens the door to bacterial soft rot, which finishes the job: a firm rhizome turns to foul-smelling mush.

Early on, watch for water-soaked streaks or ragged notches along the leaf edges. No spray reaches them once they're inside, so this one comes down to sanitation. Cut and destroy old iris foliage in fall to kill the eggs before they overwinter. Divide clumps every few years and toss any rhizome that's gone soft.

4. Phlox Bug

Tall garden phlox is a July staple, and the phlox bug times its arrival to match. The orange-and-black adults and their nymphs gather on stems and leaf undersides, piercing the tissue to drink sap. The result is a stippled, mottled look — pale flecks and yellowing that curl the leaves and warp new growth, sometimes stunting the flower heads before they open.

Since they feed in groups, a quick shake over soapy water takes out a lot at once. For a real colony, insecticidal soap from Amazon sprayed onto the undersides where they hide does the trick, though it only works on direct contact. Clearing plant debris in fall removes the eggs they leave behind for next year.

5. Japanese Beetles

The traps sold for Japanese beetles are, counterintuitively, one of the worst things you can hang in a yard. The pheromone lure pulls in far more beetles than it ever catches. The beetles are hard to miss otherwise: metallic green and copper, about half an inch (1cm) long, feeding in groups through July on roses, beans, grapes, plus many more plants. They skeletonize leaves, chewing out the soft tissue and leaving a lacy web of veins.

Hand-picking is the most effective fix (as low-tech as that sounds). Knock them into soapy water early, in the cool of morning when they're sluggish. For the long game, treating the lawn for grubs thins out next summer's crop.

6. Spider Mites

Hot, dry, dusty weather is a spider mite's ideal world, which is why they tend to explode in July. They aren't insects at all, they're tiny arachnids. Spider mites a barely visible, so what most people notice first is the damage: fine pale stippling across the leaves, then a dull bronze cast as it spreads. Webbing strung between the leaves turns up later, once they're established.

Because they aren't insects, plenty of general bug sprays do nothing to them. What works is water and oil. A hard blast from the hose knocks them loose, and neem oil from Amazon smothers the rest. Raising the humidity around the plants helps, too.

Weeding is one of those gardening jobs that you hate, but alas, it must be done. You’ll hate it even more if you’ve been doing it bent down with a cheap trowel, frantically pulling before your back gives out. However, you’ll be relieved to hear there are tools specifically designed to make this miserable takes much less loathsome. With the right tool, you can make weeding faster, more bearable, and in some cases (I’m looking at you pyromaniacs) genuinely enjoyable.

Whether you’re dealing with those annoying dandelions that are cute but take over your entire lawn, weeds that creep through the cracks of your patio, or a summer bed that got away from you while you were on vacation, there’s a tool on this list to help you get the job done.

We’ve rounded up the best you can order online right now, from the satisfyingly old-fashioned to the honestly quite unhinged (in the best way, of course). If you want a broader overview, check out our guide to the best weeding tools before you add anything to your cart.

If your knees and back protest with exhaustion ever time you so much as think about weeding, this is the tool for you. Despite being invented in 1913, it’s still one of the most effective weed removers on the market.

Grampa's Weeder uses a four-claw lever design to grip weeds by the root (which is exactly what you want). You just place it over the weed, step on the footpad, lean on the handle, and out it comes, root and all. No bending, no kneeling, and certainly no chemicals. It works best on softer soil (especially after rain), and it's particularly satisfying on dandelions. Over 100 years later, it still gets rave reviews, which really makes you think of the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Sometimes you need a bit more precision, especially if you’re working in flower beds and don’t want to destroy your other plants. This Fiskars hand weeder has a cast-aluminum angled head, which gives you real leverage in tough soil, while the ergonomic SoftGrip handle is designed to reduce wrist and hand fatigue. This is great because it means you can actually keep going without your hand cramping up twenty minutes in. It’s rust-resistant, built to last, and has a hang hole for storage so you'll never lose it in the shed again (as long as it’s organized).

The Hori Hori is the Swiss Army knife of garden tools, and this seriously leans into that identity. It has 10 different functions all packed into a single stainless steel blade: flat edge, serrated edge, depth ruler, shovel, bottle opener, and multiple wrench sizes. For weeding specifically, the dual-edge blade lets you slice through roots cleanly, and the full-tang handle (injected directly into the blade) means it won't bend or break even in that super tough soil. It comes with a thick leather sheath you can clip to your belt, which is either very practical or very cool depending on your gardening personality. Probably both?

The weeds that grow between pavers and driveway cracks sure do win the award for most annoying, especially since no normal tool can reach them. But let me introduce you to the Japanese-made crack weeder from Nisaku. The corrugated stainless steel blade is specifically shaped to fit into tight crevices and get out weeds at the root. The craziest part is that it’s not some giant tool; it's small enough to fit in your pocket. Made by master blade craftsmen using authentic Tomita steel (the same manufacturer that's been making garden tools since 1960). It's one of those tools you didn't know you needed until you've used it once, and then you wonder how you ever lived without it.

Yes, this is technically setting weeds on fire, which is super cool if you like that sort of thing. And yes, it works brilliantly. The Flame King propane torch puts out 340,000 BTU, which, in less scientific terms, is enough to heat weeds to the point of cell destruction, killing them without chemicals and without any pulling. It's especially effective on driveways, gravel paths, and patio gaps, and the ten-foot hose means you're not dragging a propane tank around your whole garden.

A few important caveats though: use it in the early morning or evening when conditions are calm, keep water nearby, and don't use it during dry spells or anywhere near dry mulch or grass. Used sensibly, it's one of the most satisfying weeding experiences available. Used carelessly, it's a different kind of problem entirely.

This Long-Handled Hoe Weeder is made in the USA with a powder-coated steel frame and 60-inch ash handle. On top of that, this is one of the best-reviewed stirrup hoes on the market. The blade oscillates 20 degrees in both directions so it cuts on the push and the pull, meaning you can quickly work on large weedy beds without needing to bend over once.

The CobraHead Long Handled Weeder is a cult-favorite single-tine weeder that many gardeners swear by. The curved forged steel blade acts like a steel fingernail, getting under weeds and popping them out root-first with crazy accurate precision, and the 54-inch hardwood handle means you stay upright the whole time (always a win for your back).

Flies can ruin an outdoor gathering faster than you can say Diptera (the insect order in which the more than 150,000 fly species are found). They buzz around you, landing on food, and some species pack a powerfully painful bite. These pesky insects also make their way inside during the summer months and continue to annoy us in our own homes!

You can plant fly-repelling herbs and plants to help keep them away, but there may be some mistakes you are making around your yard and in your house that are attracting flies. Fixing these common issues can help reduce fly populations and help you and your family have a safe and swat-free summer.

Insecticides don’t generally work well for fly control, and they may hurt beneficial insects or harm pets or humans. You can use an insect trap like Zevo from Amazon to catch any strays that make it indoors. But the best way to control flies is to mitigate any issues that might be inviting them into your home or backyard gatherings.

Types of Flies and What Attracts Them

• House Flies: House flies are commonly found indoors, are strong fliers, and can transfer diseases to humans and animals when they land or walk around on surfaces or food. They lay eggs in garbage, animal dung, and decaying vegetation like your compost pile.
• Blow Flies: Blow flies, or bottle flies, have iridescent blue/green/copper bodies and lay their eggs in rotting meat or animal feces. You’ll find them around your trashcans outside if you have any meat scraps or dog doo sitting around in your cans during warm weather. You also might find them indoors if you an animal has made its way indoors and then died in the walls or attic.
• Black Flies: Black flies are biting flies whose larvae are aquatic. They swarm and bite in the summer and, unfortunately, are more common in areas with clean, well-oxygenated moving water. Covering exposed skin with loose, light-colored clothing and your favorite bug spray is about the only thing you can do for black flies short of going inside.
• Fruit flies: Fruit flies lay eggs in fruit and the larvae eat the fruit leading to decay. In addition to ruining your fresh summer produce, fruit flies are really annoying to have flying around your kitchen or picnic! Removing and disposing of overripe fruit and using a trap like the Zevo fly trap from Amazon will help keep populations under control

5 Mistakes You’re Making and How to Fix Them

Nobody wants flies buzzing around them indoors or outdoors and, moreover, flies can transmit diseases to humans and pets. Here are five common mistakes that might actually be attracting flies.

1. Not Keeping Spaces Clean

Keeping indoor and outdoor spaces clean will help keep many types of fly populations down. Remove trash from your home at least once a week and keep outdoor dining areas clear of food and beverage debris. Be sure to pick up and dispose of any fallen fruit from fruit trees in your yard.

Cleaning your outdoor trash bins will also help discourage flies and animal pests. If you still have a fly problem, the Terro Garbage Guard pest strip from Amazon can be used in outside trashcans to kill flies and maggots and prevent future infestations for up to 4 months. However, use with caution and only place in sealed, outdoor bins. It’s not safe to use indoors.

2. Leaving Compost Exposed

Your compost is the perfect place for flies to breed. You can cover your compost pile with a black plastic tarp or move to a compost tumbler with doors that close like this Vivosun tumbler from Amazon. It will also keep animals out of your compost and makes it super easy to turn, no pitchfork needed.

3. Using Plants That Attract Flies

Flies, despite our grossed-out reactions to them, are important pollinators. Unfortunately, that means some of the plants we like to look at also end up becoming a fly haven. You might see blow flies swarming your panicle hydrangeas, Manhattan euonymus, mountain mint, and linden trees.

Using plants that keep flies away around your patio, especially near windows and doors, is a good way to combat flies naturally. Rue, basil, lavender, and petunias all do a good job.

4. Insecure Doors and Windows

Having holes, even small ones, in window and door screens will let flies right into your home. You can find screen repair kits from Amazon or your local hardware store.

Additionally, flies might be sneaking in if you accidentally left the door ajar while carrying hot dogs and hamburgers outside for that 4th of July cookout. A magnetic mesh screen door from Walmart is a good solution that is quickly and easily installed.

5. Leaving Food Uncovered

Cover your barbecue foods with mesh cloches from Amazon or even a mesh colander you have in the kitchen. Using a fan directed at the table or a tabletop insect fan will also keep flies and other insects from crashing your party.

Fly Control Essentials

Many of the beetles people lump together as June bugs aren't June bugs at all. And the one most often mistaken for one can quietly chew a whole garden to lace while you're busy not worrying about it.

Look at them properly and you'd never confuse the two. But in that half-second before you do, they blur. Both are scarab beetles. Both crawl out of the soil in early summer and start eating. The similarity pretty much stops there. One is the June bug, a clumsy night-flier that chews a few leaves and moves on. The other is the Japanese beetle, near the top of every list of the country's worst garden pests. One is a nuisance you can mostly live with. The other can take a bush apart in a few days.

Identifying garden pests correctly is the whole game here, because the right response depends entirely on which beetle is in front of you. Pick the wrong fix and you either overreact to a bug that was never much of a threat, or you wave off one that's about to skeletonize the roses. A few clear differences sort it out fast, and once you know what to look for, you won't mix them up again.

June Bugs

The June bug (or May beetles) most people know is the one that shows up at the porch light and won't leave. Its color runs reddish-brown, sometimes nearly black. It's round and hard-shelled, about the size of a thumbnail, anywhere from a half-inch to a full inch (1.3-2.5cm) long. And it flies like it's never tried before, loud and heavy, bouncing off the screen.

The brown June bugs do their feeding after dark. Through the day they're hunkered down in the soil or under leaf litter, waiting it out. Come nightfall they're up and moving, feeding, knocking into every lit window on the block. The adults go for tree and shrub leaves more than anything in the vegetable patch, and what they leave behind is just ragged little notches around the edges. It looks rough up close. The plant barely registers it, though, and the season carries on fine.

“June bug” is a loose name. It covers a whole batch of related scarabs, including a daytime metallic-green one that throws people off and makes them think Japanese beetle.

Japanese Beetles

The Japanese beetle is the smaller of the two, around three-eighths of an inch (1cm), and far and away the flashier bug. Its head and thorax shine metallic green, and the wing covers turn a coppery bronze. Along each side of the body runs a row of little white tufts of hair, five to a side with two more at the tail. Those tufts are the giveaway. Nothing else in the garden presents them.

Where June bugs work alone and after dark, Japanese beetles do the reverse. They're out in the open in full daylight, happiest on a hot, sunny afternoon, and they almost never show up solo. Here's the nasty part: feeding beetles release pheromones and trigger plant stress signals that attract more beetles. So you spot two or three in the morning, write it off, and by evening there's a clump of thirty on the same branch. They snowball, and that's the whole problem with them.

Reading the Leaf Damage

Truth is, the pests' leaf damage might tell you more than the appearance of the beetle does.

A Japanese beetle eats the soft green tissue between the veins and leaves the veins behind, so the leaf turns into a kind of brown lace, see-through where the green used to be. They also skeletonize petals and can scar fruit surfaces. They start at the top where the sun hits and chew their way down.

June bugs don't work like that. Theirs is messier, more random—chunks and notches torn in from the edges, scattered around, nothing like that fine skeleton.

What really sets them apart is appetite. A Japanese beetle will eat just about anything—roses, grapes, beans, the fruiting canes, something like 300 species all told. That range is why they turn up as a problem in so many gardens. June bugs are fussier and stick mostly to trees. And then there's what goes on underground, where the two finally line up.

Both lay eggs that hatch into those fat white C-shaped grubs, and the grubs sit there eating grass roots, killing the lawn in patches from below. Japanese beetle grubs tend to concentrate in turf grass, while June bug larvae often feed deeper on roots in soil.

Getting Rid of Japanese Beetles

Because Japanese beetles cluster, hand-picking does real work here. Knock them into a jar of soapy water first thing in the morning, while the cool air still has them sluggish and slow to fly. Keep at it daily through the worst weeks and you stop the scent from building up and calling in reinforcements. One thing to skip is the pheromone bag trap. It pulls in far more beetles than it ever catches, so all you've done is bait your own yard.

Covering the plants they love can help as much as anything else. A floating row cover from Amazon draped over roses or beans for the few weeks beetles are active keeps them off the plant entirely. On anything too big or too numerous to cover, a neem oil spray from Walmart works as a repellent and feeding deterrent without wiping out every insect in the bed. And if the crowd gets ahead of you, an insecticidal soap from Amazon knocks them back, though spraying at dusk spares the bees doing their rounds. You can also make your own insecticidal soap!

Handling June Bugs

June bugs mostly aren't worth much fuss. The adults do surface damage at worst, and an established tree or shrub takes a few chewed leaves without any harm done. Cut the porch lights through their peak weeks and fewer of them gather near the house, since those lights are half the reason they show up. For most yards, leaving them alone is the right call.

The grubs are the part worth keeping an eye on, for both beetles. When they're feeding hard, the lawn goes spongy and yellow in patches, and the turf tugs up loose like it's barely holding on—late summer, mostly, is when you'll see it. Beneficial nematodes, watered into the soil, hunt the grubs down without any chemicals. A deep-watered, healthy lawn handles the light stuff on its own, too. But if the brown patches keep creeping outward, peel up a corner of sod and count what's under there before reaching for anything stronger.

As summer temperatures soar, so does the risk of heat stress in our plants. Our first instinct when we see our beloved hydrangea or hosta start to wilt and turn brown is to drench it with cold water in an attempt to perk it up. But overwatering heat-stressed plants can actually do more harm than good.

When daytime temperatures climb above 85°F, our plants can start to show signs of heat stress. They may begin to wilt, droop, and leaves can even show signs of sunburn. Plants that experience heat stress are more susceptible to pests and diseases, so it’s important to treat this problem fast before it spirals into other issues.

The first step is identifying whether or not your plant has heat stress (or if it just needs a drink). Then it’s time to take action and save your heat-stressed plant without overwatering it and causing a whole different set of problems.

What Is Heat Stress?

Heat stress in plants occurs when temperatures rise above 85°F. The ideal growing conditions for most plants are between 60° and 85°F. So when temperatures reach above that and into the 90° to 100°F and above range, heat stress is a real concern.

Plants that are suffering from heat stress droop, look wilted, may show signs of sunburn, and can become stunted. Sunburn can occur on leaves or stems of plants. It looks like light-colored or discolored splotches on the foliage of your plant and is caused by excessive exposure to bright sun.

How to Save Heat-Stressed Plants

If you notice signs of heat stress in your plants while gardening during a heatwave, don’t worry. There are a few simple steps you can take to save plants before it’s too late. But don’t rush out there with the hose just yet, because overwatering heat-stressed plants can actually make the problem worse. Here’s what to do instead.

1. Check Your Soil Moisture

Before drowning your plants with a big drink of water, it’s best to check the moisture level of your soil first. You can use the finger test to do this. Simply stick a finger about 1 inch (2.5 cm) into the soil to see if it feels moist. If it does, then a lack of water is not the problem. If it doesn’t, then it’s probably time to give your garden a drink.

Another foolproof method is to use a soil moisture meter, like this one from Amazon. This type of device tells you exactly how much moisture is in your soil and whether or not your plant really needs more water or not.

The best time to water plants is in the morning, but if your plants are wilting and their soil is dry then you can water them at the base of the plant.

2. Add Mulch

Whether your plant needs more water or not, it’s a good idea to add some mulch around your heat-stressed plants regardless. A layer of an organic mulch, which you can order on Amazon, holds in moisture and keeps plant roots cool.

When temperatures are very high, the soil heats up just like the air and this causes roots to heat up as well. This can cause heat stress in plants, but a layer of mulch helps lower the temperature and adds organic material and nutrients back into the soil as it breaks down over time.

3. Provide Sun Protection

If you notice sunburn or sunscald on your plants, then it’s time to provide some shade. A simple shade cloth, like this one from Amazon, can help protect plants the way sunscreen protects gardeners from the scorching summer rays.

Creating shade for plants will protect foliage from burning and it will also help keep plants cool. Think about how refreshing it feels to step under the shade of a big oak tree on a hot summer day. Give your heat-stressed plants some respite from the blazing sun with a shade cloth.

If you grow plants in containers simply move them to a shadier part of your yard during the hottest part of the day. A covered patio is the perfect spot. You can use a rolling plant caddy, like this one from Amazon, to make moving large planters easier.

4. Stop Fertilizing

You may think that giving plants a boost of their favorite food will help them come out of heat stress stronger, but just the opposite is true. Fertilizer forces plants to push out new growth, which can stress them further. It can also cause sunburn on plant foliage, so fertilizing in hot weather is a bad idea all around.

Instead, if your plants are showing signs of heat stress, immediately stop feeding them. Let them rest and recover before adding more nutrients to the soil again.

5. Remove Ripening Fruits & Faded Flowers

If the plants in your vegetable garden have heat stress, then it may be time for an early harvest. Edible plants work hard to send their energy towards developing fruits and vegetables. But this can be at the expense of their own health and vitality.

If you want your plants to keep producing fruits and veggies for the rest of the summer, you can harvest the produce that’s ripening now to give them a break and let them rest before they send out the next round of fruit.

The same principle applies for flowers. If you leave faded flowers on your plants, they will work to send energy towards producing viable seeds in the spent blooms to reproduce. Deadhead flowers that are done blooming to let heat-stressed plants focus on staying alive rather than producing seeds.

Summer is a busy time of year with the garden in full swing and outdoor gatherings just about every weekend. Unfortunately, pests can ruin your gardens and your parties.

Common garden pests can destroy large sections of plants quickly and leave your frustrated. I have been battling groundhogs for years and mosquitoes for my whole life! I have rounded up the best Amazon Prime Day deals for pest control so you can spend less time scouring the internet for pest control solutions and more time enjoying your summer.

Read on to see my pest control picks that are on sale during the Amazon Prime Day event this week.

Mosquito Control Deals

I am a mosquito magnet so I am always looking for the best products to help me cope with my skeeter neighbors. Here are the best deals on mosquito control products on Amazon.

Outdoor Insect Control Deals

Insects like aphids, mites, and Japanese beetles can quickly take over your garden and destroy all your hard work. Here are some great options for controlling outdoor insects.

Indoor Insect Control Deals

Fruit flies and fungus gnats are some of the peskiest indoor pests. Keep them at bay with these great deals from Amazon.

Animal Pest Control Deals

I love wildlife, but these cuties take a real toll on my garden every year. Here are some of the best Amazon Prime Day deals to keep animal pests away.

Keep an eye on the Gardening Know How site for more of our Amazon Prime Day picks like our favorite lawn care deals and plant deals!

Summer is the time of year many of us look forward to – gorgeous skies, long days, and endless opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. But there's one thing nobody looks forward to: being swarmed by insects.

Unfortunately, this year is shaping up to be a particularly bad one for bugs, especially flying pests like mosquitoes, flies, and wasps. The good news? With a quality insect zapper like the GOOTOP Bug Zapper from Amazon, you can spend less time worrying about pests and more time making the most of the warm weather.

There's plenty to love about the GOOTOP Bug Zapper, making it one of the most standout Amazon Prime Day garden buys. And when Amazon's best-selling bug zapper is available at half price, it's hard to ignore. Here are just a few reasons why it's in my cart.

What is the GOOTOP Bug Zapper?

The GOOTOP Bug Zapper is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. It plugs into a standard three-prong outlet and uses a blue-violet light to attract flying insects. When insects come into contact with the electrified grid, they're killed instantly before falling into a removable collection tray for easy disposal.

You can place the zapper in a range of locations, including an entryway to catch insects before they make their way into your home. It's also well suited to patios, decks, and near front or back doors where bugs tend to gather.

Each zapper is designed to cover up to half an acre outdoors, helping protect a large area from flying insects.

Why Do I love It?

I really like the design of the GOOTOP Bug Zapper. Many models on the market can look quite unsightly, but this one has a discreet design that looks more like an outdoor lantern than a bug zapper, making it easy to blend in by a front door or on a patio.

I also like that it includes a removable tray, making it easy to dispose of dead insects. This is especially useful if you've mounted the zapper on a wall, as you won't have to take the whole unit down every time it needs emptying.

As someone who openly admits to being afraid of bugs, I find the half-acre coverage incredibly reassuring. And if you have a larger outdoor space, there's nothing to stop you from buying a second one to extend the coverage.

Customer Reviews

With a 4.5-star rating from more than 26,000 Amazon customer reviews, the GOOTOP Bug Zapper has earned plenty of praise from shoppers.

Reviewers describe it as "surprisingly effective", especially given its sub-$30 sale price. Many also appreciate that it starts working as soon as it's plugged in, eliminating the need to spray chemical insecticides or pesticides around the home.

Customers note that you'll likely hear a small zap when an insect is caught. Rather than finding it annoying, many say the sound reassures them that the zapper is doing its job, with some even saying it's convinced them to buy additional units.

The blue-violet light has also proved popular, with several reviewers saying it creates a pleasant ambience for evenings spent outdoors.

Shop More Insect Prevention Supplies

A chewed leaf is usually a clue, and not just an eyesore. The shape of the damage and where it shows up usually point straight to whoever’s responsible, and naming the culprit is most of the battle.

You put in the work all spring, and then one morning the leaves look like someone went at them with a hole punch. It is common to happen, and it’s rarely a mystery for long. Most of the bugs that eat plants leave a calling card—a particular style of damage that gives them away. Once you learn the signs, the rest is mostly follow-through.

This isn’t about reaching for the strongest spray on the shelf, either. Half of identifying garden pests is just looking closely—at the holes, sure, but also the leaf undersides where things hide, and the little black specks they leave behind. Match the damage to the bug, and the fix usually turns out simpler and gentler than you’d expect.

Match the Damage: 7 Common Culprits

None of this needs a lab. Most damage falls into a handful of patterns, and once you’ve seen each one a couple of times, you’ll start spotting the culprit at a glance. Here’s how the usual suspects sign their work.

1. Slugs and Snails

If the holes turn up overnight and there’s a silvery trail glinting nearby, you’re looking at slugs or snails. They go for soft, low growth—seedlings especially—and they’re at their worst after rain. Heading out after dark with a flashlight to pick them off works, though it’s not everyone’s idea of a good evening.

A few slug hacks gardeners swear by include beer traps, copper tape, and trap boards. Beer traps sunk level with the soil pull them in, and copper tape around a pot gives them a jolt they won’t cross. For a real infestation, an organic slug bait from Amazon (currently 20% off for Prime Day) uses iron phosphate is safe around pets and wildlife, unlike the older pellets. Mostly, though, clearing the damp boards and pot rims they shelter under does more than any trap.

2. Caterpillars

Look for the droppings. Large, irregular bites out of the leaves, plus a scatter of dark frass pellets on the foliage below, almost always means caterpillars. They like to hide on the undersides by day, so flip a few leaves over. A tomato hornworm can strip a plant in a day or two if you miss it.

Hand-picking honestly works if you keep at it; drop them in soapy water and move on. When there are too many to chase, a spray of Bacillus thuringiensis from Amazon (Bt) hits caterpillars only and leaves the bees and everything else alone, which most sprays can’t manage to do. Netting over the crop stops the moths laying eggs to begin with.

3. Japanese Beetles

You’ll usually catch Japanese beetles in the act. Fat, metallic green-and-copper beetles clustered on a rose in the afternoon sun, the leaf behind them eaten down to a lacy net of veins. They’re among the showiest bugs on garden plants, and among the most maddening. Knock them into a tub of soapy water early in the morning while they’re still sluggish; it thins a group fast.

Skip the pheromone traps, whatever the box promises—they pull in more beetles than they catch. Neem oil from Amazon makes the leaves less appealing, and since the grubs spend winter in the lawn, treating that breaks next year’s cycle. Plan on staying after this one all season.

4. Flea Beetles

It looks like someone fired birdshot at the foliage. Dozens of tiny round holes peppering the leaf. That’s flea beetles, and they live up to the name, springing away the second you lean in. Seedlings take it hardest; young brassicas and eggplant can stall out completely under a heavy attack.

The surest answer is keeping them off from the start. A floating row cover from Amazon dropped over the bed at planting lets in light and rain while shutting the beetles out. Sticky traps catch the adults, and once a plant is big and growing strong, the damage isn’t near as noticeable.

5. Earwigs

No slime, but soft leaves and flower petals chewed into ragged holes, and nothing in sight during daylight? Suspect earwigs. Dahlias and marigolds are favorites, along with any tender seedling. They feed at night and tuck into tight, dark crevices by day, which is exactly how you beat them.

Set out a loosely rolled damp newspaper, or an upturned pot packed with straw, and empty the hideouts come morning. One catch worth remembering: earwigs also eat aphids and other small bugs eating plant leaves, so a few around the garden actually earn their keep. Step in only when they’re wrecking blooms you really care about.

6. Sawfly Larvae

Sawfly larvae get mistaken for caterpillars all the time, which sends people reaching for the wrong product. They graze the surface off a leaf and leave a thin, translucent windowpane – green veins showing through where the tissue’s been scraped away. Rose slugs are the common version.

Because they aren’t true caterpillars, Bacillus thuringiensis does nothing here, so you have to go at them directly. They gather on leaf undersides, often in tidy rows, so a hard blast of water knocks plenty off, and insecticidal soap or neem mops up the stragglers if you hit where they feed. Get on it early. Five minutes of squishing now spares you a skeletonized bush in July.

7. Vine Weevils

The notched leaf edges are the obvious part of vine weevil damage. The neat little scallops bitten out of the margins almost look decorative, but the real trouble is out of sight. Cream-colored grubs chew through the roots underground, and the first you know of it is often a potted plant that wilts and topples over for no clear reason.

Container heucheras and primulas are prime targets, strawberries too. The adults can’t fly and wander at night, so hand-picking or a sticky barrier handles them. The grubs are the harder problem. An application of beneficial nematodes in late summer, while the soil’s still warm, is the one thing that reliably reaches them down there.

I have a long-standing issue with slugs. Specifically, their complete lack of respect for my garden and their unwavering commitment to treating my precious lupins like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Every year it becomes a familiar cycle: I plant something I love, it looks promising for a while, and then one night the slugs arrive en masse and reduce it to tatters. I’ve tried ignoring it, I’ve tried relocating them (an exercise in futility), and I’ve even considered my neighbour’s approach of standing outside at night with a torch like some kind of vegetable vigilante. And my husband’s very boring advice (why don’t you just plant the sort of things that slugs won’t eat?) doesn’t even bear thinking about.

I won’t use chemicals, because I know they’re terrible for the entire ecosystem, so I am entirely restricted to environmentally friendly options to remove slugs and snails. When I came across a ceramic slug trap disguised as a pretty garden ornament, then, you had best believe I was intrigued.

A Slug Trap in Disguise

The Esschert Design snail-shaped slug trap is exactly what it sounds like: a small ceramic ornament designed to sit in your borders and quietly deal with slugs without shouting about it. From a distance, it just looks like a slightly whimsical garden decoration. Up close, it’s doing something far more practical.

So how does it actually work?

The idea is simple. You fill the base with a liquid attractant (most commonly beer, although some gardeners use yeast mixtures) and place it at soil level in your beds or pots. Slugs are drawn to the smell, climb inside, and are trapped. The ceramic lid helps protect the bait from rain and keeps everything discreet, which is part of the appeal if you’d rather not scatter beer traps across your flowerbeds.

It’s a passive system, which means no chemicals, no electricity, no late-night slug patrol required. Just set it, place it, and check it every so often. And gardeners are singing its praises as a result.

Yes, reviews consistently mention that it blends into planting schemes far better than makeshift solutions like old yoghurt pots or metal tins. One gardener said they caught 11 slugs overnight using beer as bait, and described the trap as durable and easy to clean and reuse.

Another simply called it “darling,” which is not usually a word you associate with pest control, but here we are.

Others compared this slug trap directly to traditional beer traps in tins, saying it performs just as well but looks significantly better doing it. And hey, I think we can all agree that there’s something deeply satisfying about pest control that doesn’t make your garden look like a science experiment.

Does it completely solve a slug problem? Probably not. Most gardeners will tell you that slug control is about reduction, not eradication. But as part of a wider approach, alongside planting choices and a bit of persistence, it seems to make a noticeable difference.

Shop Slug Control Essentials:

At the very least, it replaces the slightly grim ritual of beer traps in random containers with something that actually looks like it belongs in the garden.

And if you’re anything like me, that alone is worth it.

Summer is the ultimate reward for gardeners. All your hard work pays off in lush foliage and gorgeous flowers. Now, imagine you walk through your garden one morning only to find that your prized plants are struggling and look like they’ve been dusted with flour. This is powdery mildew.

Powdery mildew is one of the most common fungal infections to affect garden plants. It thrives when days are warm and dry and nights are humid. It can damage and, in severe cases, even kill plants. Fortunately, if you catch it early, you can use a common kitchen staple to make a powdery mildew spray that will keep this nasty infection at bay.

A baking soda spray for powdery mildew is a useful tool in fighting this damaging fungal disease. With this simple and safe homemade remedy, you can keep your plants healthy and beautiful for the rest of the summer. Here’s how to do it.

What Is Powdery Mildew?

Powdery mildew is a fungal garden disease that affects many plants. It’s caused by several different types of fungi. The good news is that the type of fungus that causes the disease is unique to each plant. So if your roses have powdery mildew, they can’t spread the disease to your nearby lilac or squash plants.

The most characteristic sign of powdery mildew is the presence of a white or gray powdery substance on leaves. It can also develop on stems, buds, flowers, or even fruits. All types of plants can potentially be affected by powdery mildew from shrubs and trees to perennials and vegetables.

Powdery mildew doesn’t look very nice, but it can also harm plants by blocking photosynthesis and ultimately reducing the plant’s growth. You might also see leaves turn yellow, curl up, and eventually drop.

It can be easy to miss the early signs of powdery mildew, so be vigilant. Look on lower leaves, interior leaves, and the undersides of leaves for the first signs of an infection. Early detection will make it easier to manage and prevent the spread of this disease.

How Baking Soda for Powdery Mildew Works

It’s always best to prevent diseases like powdery mildew, but even with your best efforts, you might see signs of it if the conditions are right. Instead of tearing out entire plants or turning to chemical fungicides, try home remedies.

A powdery mildew baking soda spray can help stop the spread of the disease by changing the pH on your plants’ surfaces. Baking soda is alkaline. Spraying it onto the plant will raise the pH, creating an inhospitable environment for the fungus to live and spread.

This homemade fungicide won’t totally kill the fungus or restore damaged leaves to a healthier state. What it does instead is prevents the fungus from creating and dispersing more spores. It slows or stops the spread of the disease to the rest of the plant or other plants of the same species.

You’ll get the best results by combining a baking soda spray for powdery mildew with overall good gardening practices, like ensuring your plants have plenty of airflow between stems and leaves.

What You Will Need

DIY Powdery Mildew Baking Soda Spray

The recipe for this DIY baking soda spray for powdery mildew is simple: Mix one tablespoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of dish soap into a gallon of water. The dish soap helps the solution stick to the plant instead of just running off and into the soil.

Mix your solution thoroughly before using, as the baking soda won’t entirely dissolve. Use a spray bottle to spray the solution all over the affected plant, including on the undersides of leaves.

The best times to use the spray are early in the morning and late in the evening. Reapply the spray every week or so, more frequently if it rains.

Safety Precautions

Baking soda is generally safe, but it can potentially burn foliage, so resist the urge to make a stronger solution with more baking soda. Before you use the spray all over a plant, test it on one leaf. Wait 24 hours to see how the leaf responds before spraying the entire plant.

Avoid using this remedy during the afternoon when it’s hot and sunny or on drought-stressed plants, as this can intensify potential damage.

Another issue is that baking soda can cause salt buildup in the soil. Water the soil around plants thoroughly before applying the spray and limit its use to no more than once per week. As an alternative, you can use potassium bicarbonate in the same recipe with similar results and less risk of salt accumulation.

Tips for Managing Powdery Mildew

Baking soda is not a miracle cure for powdery mildew and it doesn’t actually kill the fungus. What it’s good at doing is preventing further spread of the disease. For the best results, combine the use of this homemade spray with other best practices to prevent and manage powdery mildew. You can also try a commercial organic fungicide like this one from Bonide.

Space your plants appropriately and thin them from time to time to be sure air can flow through and around them. Too much humidity within and around plants is ideal for fungal growth.

If you don’t catch powdery mildew early and find heavily infected leaves or stems, trim away these parts of the plant before using a baking soda spray. Dispose of them in the garbage rather than in your compost pile, where they can continue to spread the disease. Always sanitize your pruning tools and wash your hands after doing this chore to prevent spread as well.

If you’ve got curious kids or pets who use your garden, you won’t want to be using chemical traps to get rid of your resident ants. Neither will you want to be dabbling with borax – while it is a naturally occurring mineral, some countries restrict its sale because of concerns about toxicity. But other natural ingredients like orange peel do absolutely nothing, right? Well, if you're wondering how to get rid of ants naturally, the chemical-free solution you need that effectively kills ants is a combination of baking soda and powdered confectioners’ sugar, with a little help from a splash of white vinegar.

The first two pantry staples create a delicious yet deadly concoction to get rid of ants and anthills naturally. While the sweet sugar tempts the ants, the baking soda reacts with their stomach acids to kill them. Ok, so it’s not a good way to go but if you, like me, garden with wildlife in mind, this is an effective method to stop ants overtaking your yard without eradicating them completely.

Ants are a super-helpful part of your garden’s ecosystem because they aerate the soil as they tunnel underground, allowing air and water to reach plant roots. By scavenging dead insects and crumbs of organic waste, they aid the process of decomposition to nourish soil. Ants are also extremely good at hoovering up eggs, larvae and pupae of pests such as fruit flies, fleas and caterpillars. So, get rid of all the ants in your garden and you may just find yourself with a different pest problem. I find encouraging the beneficial critters and discouraging the pesky ones brings a good balance.

And that’s what’s great about this method: you can adjust the potency of the trap so it controls numbers rather than destroying the nest, or up the ante to get rid of the entire colony. This means you can significantly reduce the number of ants in your garden if they’re becoming a problem, but leave a small population that’s beneficial. Or employ a strategic combination in different areas: it might be that you have a colony in your front yard that’s creating ant hills on the driveway paving, that you want to eradicate, but only want to lower the number of ants in your back-garden lawn to reduce the likelihood of your kids getting bitten.

Disrupting the ants' scent trails with diluted white vinegar ensures the ants find the trap quickly. And then, with ant numbers under control, you can employ deterrents such as pots of pennyroyal, a pretty plant that naturally repels ants, to keep these biters off your deck or patio (and seeds are available from Amazon). And voila! You have yourself an effective, natural solution to dealing with ants in your garden.

How to Make a Natural Ant Trap

1. Make Holes in a Clear Container

You’ll need some sort of small plastic container with a lid – I use old takeaway tubs. Poke two or three holes low on the sides; I do this by melting the plastic with the heated tip of a skewer.

2. Add the Ingredients

Then add a tablespoon of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) and a tablespoon of powdered confectioners' (icing) sugar and mix well. It’s important that you use powdered sugar because if you use granulated or caster sugar, the ants will be able to separate those larger granules from the finer baking soda.

3. Decide How Potent the Ant Trap Will Be

Here’s the clever bit! If you want to reduce the number of ants, simply mix the two ingredients well to combine the two powders. If you want to eradicate the nest, however, add a little water to make a thick paste. Worker ants will consume the dry mix in situ, but the paste is much easier to carry so they’re far more likely to take this back to their colony.

4. Position the Ant Trap

Pop the lid on the container and place the ant trap in your garden near to ant hills or whereever you regularly see ants. I'm targeting the ants that are loosening these pavers next to a raised bed – this is my zero-water border that I literally never water, so ants love the dry conditions a little too much.

5. Encourage Ants to Use the Trap

Placed close to an anthill, ants will be attracted by the sweet scent and quickly find the trap. However, if you don't have anthills to guide your trap placement, it's a smart idea to help ants find it faster by getting rid of existing scent trails they follow to regular sources of food. You’ll no doubt have spotted lines of ants using the same highways around your garden, and by confusing these scent trails you’ll encourage ants to explore and find your trap.

To do this, mix a blend of half white vinegar and half water and wipe this along any ant highways you’ve noticed, paying particular attention to edges of paving as these are usually well-trodden routes.

These ant traps are just as effective indoors, if ants invade your kitchen or greenhouse. Baking soda and white vinegar is also useful to make a natural trap for mosquitoes and, combined with vegetable oil, dish soap and water, to make a natural spray to prevent fungal diseases in tomato plants.