Citronella plant

In Singapore and Malaysia, the hot humid weather induces mosquitoes to grow profusely.

After searching on the internet, I found that Citronella oil is good as a repellent. So of I went to my other favourite place in Singapore, not far from NTU along Jalan Bahar, the Khoon Lee garden centre. I know the owners and workers very well, because I go there a lot to get my plants, seedlings and potting mix and other knick knacks and also to take my foreign friends.

The local name for this plant is the mosquito plant. My garden centre owner tells me it really works.

I used to have 3 plants, they didn't grow very well. I tried to help my big sister Rose smuggle into Sarawak a plant. She was caught by the customs and she kissed goodbye to the plant. They gave her an option of paying big bucks to have the plant under quarantine.

My big sis doesn't think they work. She actually saw mosquitoes swarming round my plants, so I gave up when the plants died. The plant itself is a very attractive plant and makes a good house plant.

My neighbour M. downstairs says it works against the mosquitoes, but the plant doesn't grow well.

The news paper reported that Singaporeons swamped to the garden centres and snapped up the plants when there was a dengue fever scare. You can't blame them, you see, people can die from Dengue.