The Dirt: Why every garden needs a disco ball…and an “are you kidding me?”

Get out that disco ball and hang it in your garden! You don’t have to have a retro dance party (unless of course you want to), but social media says that this spin on garden décor repels unwanted critters who don’t like reflective surfaces. Like mylar strips and suspended CDs, glittering mirrored balls could send bugs and flies packing. Once you get started, maybe you’ll be inspired, like this one creative person, to make a bedazzled monstera leaf, and keep the garden-meets-disco-fever vibe going.

Holy Pavlov’s mosquito! We’ll try disco balls and any other new ways to banish bugs, but it turns out an old standby repellent may do the opposite. New research finds that the insect repellent Deet can actually attract these bugs, who grow to associate the aroma with the possibility of a juicy blood-filled snack. In experiments, mosquitoes fed with warm blood (ick) alongside exposure to Deet later got quite bite-y when presented with Deet alone. However, researchers noted that it was initially hard to get mosquitos to bite in the presence of Deet, so it’s still a good idea to wear an EPA-approved Deet-containing product to help stay safe and itch-free.

Enough about biting bugs. Let's relax with the Canadian podcast beloved by singer/actress Mandy Moore, star of The Breadwinner. She and her kids like to listen to Gardenkeeper Gus, in which a little boy narrates his garden activities over 12 episodes — choosing a pumpkin, collecting seashells to decorate flowerpots, and picking salad ingredients for his mom. Moore says she likes that the podcast is calming but also nurtures her kids' imaginations.

One other reason to love nature: It fuels craft endeavors for creative types of all skill levels. Flowers for your arrangements, pinecones to display come winter, and also the raw material for basket-making. For pointers on that, check out Weaving Wild Baskets: Techniques and Projects Using Foraged Leaves, Grasses, Vines, and Bark by Katie Grove. It's a photo-filled DIY guide that will have you braiding some sweetgrass in no time. Imagine doing that while sitting in your yard with birds and butterflies flitting about: the perfect lazy summer Sunday, if you ask us.

What to do if it's raining when you want to get going in the garden? Fear not. Get your fill of greenery with this list of movies with memorable flora from The New York Times T Magazine, including The Hours, in which Meryl Streep's character gathers lavish bouquets for a party she is hosting, and Edward Scissorhands, because, well, topiary... Also check out our list of award-worthy plant performances in movies here.