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As temperatures start to cool and the weather gets wetter, the chances of finding unwanted pests in and around your home will increase. Homes provide the ideal environment for pests seeking shelter, food, water and hiding spots in preparation for the cold winter months. By using the green pest control tips below, you can ward off some of the most unwanted pests this Fall, including:

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are the ultimate hitchhikers, catching a ride into your home on luggage, clothing and used furniture. They prefer to park themselves within 5 feet of their food source – humans and pets. These pests are commonly picked up from hotels and other people with infested homes. A child can accidentally bring bed bugs home after a sleepover or study session with a classmate.

As adults, bed bugs are about the size and color of an apple seed. Young bed bugs are translucent with a hint of yellow, but will display red abdomens after feeding. Signs of bed bugs include rust-colored stains on your sheets, mattress, headboard, pet bed or other areas where the insects may hide (such as closets or nearby furniture). The more obvious signs of a bed bug infestation are the itchy bites they leave behind on your skin.

Getting rid of bed bugs is extremely difficult without the help of a professional. If you think you have bed bugs in your home, immediately call a green pest control service. The experts will come to your home, locate the nesting sites and use eco-friendly techniques such as heat treatments to get rid of them.

Rodents

Rodents are opportunistic pests that are happy to take full advantage of the resources your home offers. They can carry dozens of diseases and transmit them via their waste or bites. One of the more dangerous diseases rodents carry is the hanta virus, which can be lethal if it’s not identified and treated early.

The best green pest control method for rodents is prevention in the form of a pristine home and garden. Since your yard and garden are likely the first areas rodents will visit, make them unattractive by keeping them weeded and free of debris, fallen branches, rotten fruits and vegetables and overgrown shrubs. Seal cracks on the exterior of your home, keep your grass trimmed, cut back branches that overhang your home, use a lid on outdoor trash cans and keep woodpiles elevated and away from your house. In-home prevention includes maintaining a clean floor, fixing leaks and never leaving food out in the open. Keep your home tidy to discourage the creation of nests, and store the food in your pantry in strong plastic, glass or metal containers with lids.

If you suspect you have rodents living in your home, call a pest control service that specializes in integrated pest management. This eco-friendly approach will help keep you and your family safe by reducing your risk of exposure to rodent waste.

Spiders

One of the most feared pests, spiders are rarely dangerous. Arachnids usually appear if your home provides them with a source of food – usually in the form of other insect infestations. Green pest control for spiders can be as simple as dusting your home thoroughly, vacuuming often and removing clutter. If you are finding an unusual amount of spider webs, call a pest control specialist to inspect for and take care of hidden nests or an underlying insect infestation.

The most effective form of green pest control is prevention. By talking to a local pest control expert, you can learn about specific techniques to practice in your home.

This post is brought to you by Eden Advanced Pest Control, the leading integrated pest management company in Western Washington and Oregon and serves both residential and commercial customers.

Image credit: Armed Forces Pest Management Board via photopin cc

The container-garden hobby is a rapidly growing subculture among garden enthusiasts. Interest has grown enough over the last few years to warrant plant nurseries to supply the demand for container plant varieties.

If you walk into most department or economy stores now, Christmas decorations are everywhere! Our thoughts naturally start whirling with all the holidays coming up and homemade gifts need to be at the forefront. A nice present for anyone, but especially for shut-ins, would be a living, growing, changing pot with colorful foliage.

Everyone loves a little bit of nature and all those bright flowers and lush foliage can lift one’s spirits. Or perhaps, you want one for yourself to set outside, sprucing up your patio or front porch for the holidays.

Let’s take a look at preparations for these easy but much-appreciated gifts.

Container

Choose one that will work in the space of your room. Select a sturdy vessel, big enough to hold the number of plants you will use. It will need good drainage — drill holes if needed — and a saucer or tray underneath to collect excess water to protect furniture or floor surfaces.

If your pot is to remain outside, you will need to freeze-proof it and also use plants that will not freeze. There are several methods available to help ensure that your pots don’t break. You can use pine bark mulch in the bottom one-third and then fill with the appropriate soil mix. You can also line your container with bubble wrap. If you have a large pot, you can place a smaller one upside down over the drainage hole and then fill around the sides and top with soil.

Soil

Do not use garden soil. It contains unwanted weed seeds or disease and will not drain well enough for container growth. Use a good-draining potting soil. You can use a layer of water-absorbing gel and a layer of perlite if you wish to keep your plants healthy.

Plant selection

You may have some good plant choices already in your garden. Before the first frost, take tip cuttings from a healthy mature plant, such as impatiens, coleus, sweet potato vine, lantana, and creeping Jenny. Rooting usually takes three to four weeks. Or, as you amble down the aisles at the garden center, you may find those little annuals sold in multi-packs containing four to nine plants. They are the best buy. Pansies and violas are also plentiful now.

When selecting plants for containers you need to have at least two that will remain evergreen. Group your plants by their requirements for light, water and temperature range.

Remember, “Flowers come and go, but foliage packs a punch the whole season!”

Design

One approach you can use is the “Thriller, Filler and Spiller.” This approach will make your pot interesting and fascinating.

“Thriller” — a taller, single evergreen that will be the focus of your garden scene. Thrillers should be in the center for an all-around viewing or in the back if the container will only be viewed from the front. Depending on the size of your pot, you can buy a small evergreen, such as vertical grass “sky pencil” holly, Leyland cypress, yucca, arica palm or seedlings of a cedar from your garden. As these grow too large for your pot, they can be transplanted to your yard and replaced with something else next year.

“Filler” — mounding plants used around the Thrillers. Some suggestions are begonia, pansy, viola, purple shamrock, heuchera, lantana and ornamental peppers. Spring flowering bulbs could go underneath the fillers for a surprise show next February or March.

“Spiller” — trailing plants placed at the edges of the container. These will spill over the side and soften the look of your pot. Some suggestions are variegated ivy, creeping Jenny and trailing pansies.

Potting

For best results, lightly moisten mix. Don’t pack mix too tightly.

Position your tallest plant in the middle so it doesn’t obscure the final scene or block the light needed by the shorter plants. If you are using some daffodil bulbs or other spring blooming bulbs, they can surround the Thriller.

Put the mounding plants in next and then the edging ones. Check the view of your garden from various angles and make changes as needed. When you are pleased with the arrangement, press all of them into the soil. Clean up any excess soil or mulch off the plants and water thoroughly.

For any winter flowering container, to keep everything blooming well, feed a one-forth strength bloom-booster, water-soluble fertilizer such as 15-30-15 with each watering. Start two weeks after planting.

Container gardens can be very useful for the elderly and handicapped because they are readily accessible and have the ease of maintenance. These container gardens can be a delightful conversation piece.

A healthy garden gives the perception of a well-loved home. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied

SPRING is my favourite time of the year and it’s a great time to be selling a home.

Here are my top tips on making the most of your garden at this time of year:

Make sure the garden maintenance is up to date, as a woolly-looking hedge and lawn in need of a haircut screams “high-maintenance home” to potential buyers.

A healthy garden gives the perception of a well-loved home. So feed all the garden beds with a slow-release organic fertiliser and a liquid fertiliser at the same time.

The slow release will take you all the way through to the middle of summer and the liquid feed will give instant effects.

Mulch the garden beds to not only benefit the plants, but also to improve the whole garden appearance. Go for mulch with natural tones and stay away from coloured varieties because these look inorganic and cheap.

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Take advantage of all the amazing flowers available at this time of year and fill any empty spots in the garden beds with something bright and eye catching.

Annuals and potted colour are coming into their own right now, so pick some suited to your climate and use them by the front door to lift the mood before entering the house.

Smell is a fantastic memory cue, so use scented plants where possible and feel free to bring them into the home to help tie the inside and outside together.

Dress the outdoor entertaining areas so potential buyers can see themselves using the space in the warmer months.

It doesn’t need to be over the top — just some simple hurricane lamps on the table and some cushions on the seats make the whole setting seem more appealing.

If your house has a pool, make sure it’s serviced and clean, as buyers who are unsure about buying a home with a pool will sway away from your property if the pool water has been left to collect leaves and dirt.

Painting the house trims can give the property the small lift it needs to maximise its sale. Go for bright white because it freshens and goes with almost any base house colour.

Get the lawn looking its best with some annual maintenance including dethatching, aerating, fertilising and patching so families can see themselves utilising the play areas of the home.

Charlie Albone is the co-host of Selling Houses Australia on The LifeStyle Channel and runs his own business called Inspired Exteriors.
 

Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers.

Q Last year I bought a large Echeveria plant with ruffled leaves, and it looked great on my deck. However, the winter was hard on it, and I thought it was going to die. I find the colors of the Echeverias very attractive and would like to have more of them. Can you tell me ones to try that are not so fussy?

A Echeverias vary greatly in their cold tolerance and also in their sizes. The large, frilly kinds such as yours are hybrids of the species Echeveria gibbiflora, from south-central Mexico. They are showy, but not cold-hardy. A number of the smaller kinds, often referred to as Hens Chicks, can withstand temperature dips several degrees below freezing. We have made extensive use of these at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. They have varying colors with leaves that are blue or pink or tipped in scarlet or other wonderful hues. Here are some we recommend:

Echeveria affinis (leaves are almost black with red flowers)

Echeveria ‘Afterglow’ (lavender and pink leaves)

Echeveria agavoides (green leaves edged with scarlet)

Echeveria amoena (tiny blue-green rosettes with reddish tips)

Echeveria chihuahuaensis (frosted blue with pinkish-red tips)

Echeveria ‘Doris Taylor’ (fuzzy green leaves with a plush-toy texture,

orange flowers)

Echeveria elegans (white-powdered leaves, called Mexican Snowball)

Echeveria gilva (waxy-green leaves)

Echeveria halbingeri (pallid blue-green)

Echeveria imbricata (bluish leaves)

Echeveria lilacina (pale leaves tinged with lilac)

Echeveria prolifica (tiny milky-blue leaves with a pink tinge)

Echeveria ‘Pulvi-cox’ (green velvety leaves, with a short stem)

Echeveria runyonii (pale blue-gray leaves)

Echeveria secunda (bluish leaves)

Echeveria subrigida (pale blue-green leaves edged with red)

Except as noted, most of these have reddish-pink flowers, often with yellow tips. Almost all put out offshoots that form a clump over time. Most kinds of Echeveria do well in partial, rather than all-day, sun except in cooler coastal locations. With their neat rosettes of leaves, attractive coloration and dainty sprays of flowers, they make delightful additions to the garden or great potted plants.

We sell many of these at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, and will be offering some at our Fall Plant Sale today, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. See details at our website, www.ruthbancroftgarden.org.