Border Plants

While Summer sunshine brings rich foliage to our gardens and the land, it also brings insects, some who benefit gardens but also pesky pests that don’t. Spring planting is behind us, your beautiful gardens are in full bloom, and you might notice some unwanted devastation to your greenery. How do we prevent this? Well, we spoke with some of our gardening experts here on the Farm about what can be done to keep your garden looking beautiful the natural way.

Preserving your plant life starts with planting the right foliage to protect against whatever is attacking them in the first place. Whether it’s Japanese beetles, spiders or even cute little bunnies, there are border plants you can arrange to frame your garden rows that can help keep pests away from your plants in an environmentally cautious manner.

Chrysanthemums (mums) are the most efficient insect-deterring plant. Because of the neurotoxin that kills insects, though safe for our fuzzy friends, they tend to stay far away from this particular flower. Mums can protect gardens against ticks, fleas, ants, Japanese beetles and more. Other plants, like basil, lavender and mint, use their natural essential oils to repel insects. These plants repel spiders, ants and mosquitos, which is nice to know when you’re spending time tending your rows. One unique plant, citronella, fights off bugs by masking the scents of the plants that the insects are attracted to. It works in the garden just like it works to repel insects when used as repellant on your body. If you are wanting a little color added to your garden, petunias and marigolds are wonderful border plants as well. Petunias, with their licorice-like scent, will add a beautiful pop of color to your garden while protecting it from unwanted invaders. They deter aphids, tomato hornworms and squash bugs. Along with petunias, marigolds add magnificent color to your greenery. This natural repellent keeps away plant lice, mosquitos and rabbits, as well as tomato hornworms and squash bugs.

These natural repellers can help your garden thrive through the Summer without the use of harsh chemicals that can impact the land. By surrounding your rows with these border plants, your garden can keep its tasty blooms and healthy leaves all season long!