Savor the Stinking Rose

This week I thought I’d share some unique uses for one of my favorite garden helpers — the stinking rose, a.k.a. garlic. Garlic does more than make food taste great—it’s also one of the most potent thug-busters Mom Nature ever dreamed up! Here’s just a few of the ways I put it to use in my garden:1) Keep aphids away: Plant a few cloves among your rose bushes.2) Sock it to slugs: Soak 4-5 crushed garlic cloves with 4-5 onions for 10 days. Strain, dilute the mix with 3 parts water, and spray on your greens.3) Repel insects. Liquefy 2 garlic bulbs, 2 hot peppers, and 2 cups of water in a blender. Strain, and add 1/4 cup of this concentrate to 1 gallon of water before spraying on your plants.4) Ward off dogs and cats: Grind up 2-3 garlic cloves and 3-4 hot peppers in a food processor, and add to a bucket of water. Sprinkle around the edges of any lawn areas you want Fido and Fluffy to stay out of.5) Fight fungus: Grind up equal parts garlic and onion, and soak overnight. Spray the strained liquid on your fungus-prone fruit trees and flowers.