18 Jul 2026 Backyard bliss
By Brett Battle
With summer here, we find ourselves spending more time in the backyard. Pools and grills have become the gathering place of families and friends.
It is also the gathering place of our Arkansas nemesis, the mosquito. I want to share some things you can do to help prevent those annoying mosquitoes from ruining your outdoor fun and it begins with a multi-layered plan. Mosquito larvae take roughly four to five days to mature, so we must be constantly diligent. The first thing to do is make sure you have no areas of standing water, no dishes, no wet areas and no trash or compost lying around.
There are numerous plants that help repel mosquitoes, but realize they need to be close to you and in pretty good numbers. A 6-inch mosquito plant is not going to do much to repel the pest; however, an assortment of citronella plants and lemon grass are the strongest deterrents. Other plants that will provide some deterrent are marigolds, catnip, lavender, rosemary and lemon balm. These scents bother mosquitoes.
Another good deterrent is to have an outdoor fan. Mosquitoes are weak fliers, and a fan at your seating area prevents them from landing. You also have the option of chemical treatments such as spraying your skin or having a yard service spray your shrub and lawn areas regularly to eliminate breeding. Chemical lanterns can also be effective.
Whatever your process, just be diligent and use a multifaceted approach to enjoy summer family time without the annoying buzzing in your ear.
Refresh annual color and pots
Another wonderful thing about our backyard pools and grills is keeping colorful pots and landscapes looking good. Early spring annuals can start to look a little weary at this time. So to freshen them up and keep the color in our yard looking great, there are a few maintenance tasks we can do.
First, if some plants are looking bad, just pull those few and replace them with some great hot summer annuals like lantana, pentas, vinca, zinnias, sweet potato vines and many flowering perennials. Also, it is a great time to hit them with a good fertilizer. Liquid Miracle-Gro boosts greenery, and a super bloom will enhance flowering for a great, quick spruce up. But they only last about seven days, so add some granulated time-release fertilizer with a good high middle number. This is phosphorus, and it is what plants need to bloom more heavily. It will last a good 90 days and keep them healthy through the fall.
Lastly, if some of the plants are starting to look a little leggy or straggly, give them a good pruning. Cutting them back will force new, thicker growth, which in turn creates more blooms. Annuals grow back quickly, so don’t be scared to cut them.
Add personality outdoors
One last thing that will enhance your outdoor experience is creating fun little areas with statuary or other yard art, like wind chimes, bird baths or rain chains. Another very popular yard art item today is the kinetic wind spinner. These come in all shapes and sizes, and many have multiple layers that spin in opposite directions.
Arkansas summers can be hot and a little annoying with our summer pests. But if we stay diligent and creative, we can win the battle. Furthermore, if you spend a lot of time outside, it is far more enjoyable to be in a space you have personalized. So be creative, have fun and make your space special.
