You need to look in an ethnic grocery store in the produce department for lemon grass it does not put on seeds but does well in the hot weather. But in your area once you get good clumps come cold weather you need to remove enough stalks to keep thru your winter months. It needs to be trimmed back for storage in your refrigerator until you get warmer weather without frost. It will keep for months in your crisper. Even if it looks rough as long as it still has enough green it should once placed in soil do fine as the weather heats up.

I have some 'Bolero Mixed' dwarf French marigold seeds to trade. I'd love some Elderberry seeds. If you're out of those, I'd like some Dwarf White Sugar Snowpea, or carrot seeds. PLMK if interested by email, thanks.

The research I've seen says that no plant in the ground will keep mosquitoes away -- even those commonly used in repellents. The repellents need to be on your skin. There are some very effective ways to nearly eliminate mosquites from your garden, mind you, such as the "vacuum traps" that burn a little propane for CO2/heat and release attractants, then suck in the mosquitoes and dessicate them. However, those devices are expensive, and I've heard they're not very durable.

Many people have tried and most have failed. I grow a lot of catnip, both for our cats and I allow some of it to flower because that attracts beneficial insects. I still get bit by mosquitoes while working in the garden, including when I am working right next to a big patch of catnip. I've tried pulling the leaves off the plant, crushing the leaves to release the oil, and rubbing my arms with the catnip. I still get bit by mosquitoes. You could try some of these supposed repellents, and your mileage may very, but in my opinion, they do not repel mosquitoes well. The problem is that some things that work in lab conditions just don't work in the real world. A hungry mosquito is going to go to the nearest food source most of the time no matter what plants are growing near that food source. Because I like to garden organically, it pains me to say this, but nothing organic I've ever tried--including purchased organic mosquito repellents and plants grown in my own garden--has worked nearly as well as any repellent with DEET in it. If catnip were that effective, there would be a whole slew of commercial products on the market that are made from catnip.