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.

I have two Lemon Eucalyptus trees that I bought in four-inch pots at the plant sale at New Orleans City Park two years ago. One got about twelve feet tall and the other was about eight in ONE year's time. This past winter, they both froze. The smaller came back up from the ground in spring, and the larger one just got burned on the tips. The big one shot up to about 15 feet tall and is much larger than the other one that came back up from the ground. The smaller one is about six feet high at the moment. Hurricane Isaac flattened the big one to the ground--just laid it down on its side. We're going to have to use the truck to lift it back up. I don't know about repelling mosquitoes or other insects. I grew them in the butterfly garden because Monarch butterflies overwinter on a type of eucalyptus in Mexico. I just thought it would be nice in my Monarch area. It does smell like the citronella candles on the porch, now that I think about it. I guess I'd better move it out of the butterfly garden! I can recommend them as a super-duper fast-growing evergreen tree. They are pretty, not overly wide, and they don't make any mess by dropping a fruit or leaves. The yard smells wonderful and lemony-sweet when it rains. I would recommend that you protect them in hard freezes until they are larger, or let them grow back up from the ground. Remember, my larger one didn't freeze to the ground--only the smaller one did. I thought they were two different types because the smaller one always had fuzzy leaves. Now they both have smooth leaves. When I researched to see if there was any such thing as a native eucalyptus, I found out that the state has been researching eucalyptus as a timber crop in Louisiana. Here are the links I saved: http://www.eucalyptusfacts.org/ http://members3.boardhost.com/eucalyptus/msg/1284409759.html http://www.gardenguides.com/97475-eucalyptus-trees-louisiana.html http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2010/08/using-and-growing-lemon-eucalyptus.html

That is the falacy. The plant that is commercially hyped as The Citronella Plant is nothing but one of the many scented geraniums. Because it SMELLS like citronella (which is a real plant not commonly grown), some very foxy marketers decided to take advantage of it. Mosquitoes are not repelled by the lemony smell of citronella, but the actual Cymbopogon nardus grass chemicals.

The best way to control mosquitoes isn't with plants (sorry). You do it simply by making your yard as inhospitable a place for mosquitoes as possible. Think of your yard like a war front where the mosquitoes are enemy invaders. As Supreme Yard Commander you have many tools at your disposal to defend your territory from these blood-sucking monsters hell-bent on making sure you can't enjoy your yard... 1) Chemical weapons (mosquito traps). 2) Biological weapons (predators). 3) Destructive force (smack!). In my own experience on this war front I've found the following strategies to be most effective at very little cost (and they're also very environmentally friendly =): A) The enemy of your enemy is your friend. Invite bats, amphibians, and reptiles over for an extended stay in your yard by giving them plenty of places to live and hide from their own predators... * Make a log pile (or two, or three!) * Instead of throwing out old fencing or wood scraps, lean some of it against the new fencing or against a tree. * Put up a bat house. * Keep your local bird population fat & happy so they don't resort to eating your precious lizards: Plant Wax Myrtle in your yard (Myrtle berries are like crack to birds. Note: This is also a good way to keep birds off of your fruit trees and berry shrubs =). I personally believe this is why all the fruit and berries at the Jacksonville Zoo are all but untouched by the birds all year long: They have Wax Myrtle *everywhere* and I always see a bird or two feasting on the berries. B) Get rid of standing water. Anything that can hold rain and sprinkler water must be removed or remediated (put them somewherre they won't get wet). C) Don't use any chemicals on your lawn or garden that are known to cause problems for amphibians. This one is hard--you'll have to check up on each and every chemical you're using to make sure that it isn't known to cause things like gender changes in frogs (and fish). Some weed killers are really bad for this. Remember: Anything that can mess up the ecosystem in your nearby waterways is likely to create mosquito problems. Mosquito larvae are just peachy growing up in polluted waterways. Their predators on the other hand... not so much. -Riskable "There's a difference between making a change and making a difference."