• CONDOS:
  • in the Central Area
  • in the East
  • in the South
  • in the West

The Molly & Claude Team

The Molly & Claude Team Realtors Ottawa, Royal LePageTeam Realty

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Listings
  • Resources
    • Art
    • Sellers
    • Elementary Attendance Boundary
    • Buyers
    • CREA – Canadian Real Estate Association
    • OREA – Ontario Real Estate Association
    • RECO – Real Estate Council of Ontario
    • RLP – Royal LePage Team Realty
    • Retirement Residences
    • Antique Stores
  • Contact Us

Fall Maintenance Checklist

September 27, 2022 by Claude Jobin


Woman raking pile of fall leaves at garden with rake. Autumn yard work

Royal LePage Team Realty presents a fall maintenance checklist. Included are:

  • Inspect your gutters and downspouts
  • Rake leaves regularly
  • Fertilize, dethatch, and aerate
  • Trim any overgrown branches
Details here.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

Ottawa’s Best Home Garden 2022!

September 9, 2022 by Claude Jobin




Apt613.ca presents the shortlist for Ottawa’s best home garden of 2022. Click here for details! Cast your vote by September 14.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Community, Garden, Ottawa

20+ Ways to Freshen up Your Home with Plants

June 11, 2022 by Claude Jobin




It may be warm outside but that doesn’t mean you can’t think of plants inside. Here House and Home proposed over 20 ways to decorate your home with plants.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

Your Guide to Creating an Outdoor Kitchen

May 31, 2022 by Claude Jobin




Living Room of Realtor.ca proposes ideas on how to set up an outdoor kitchen.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

Single Best Way to Improve Your Front Yard

May 20, 2022 by Claude Jobin




ApartmentTherapy has suggestions on how to best improve your front garden.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

The 7 Accessories You Should Always Buy for Your Yard

March 13, 2022 by Claude Jobin




It’s not particularly warm today, but the forecast is good. Plus we’ve changed our clocks (well some changed automatically) and so we should start thinking of the great outdoors. apartmenttherapy has put together a short list of essential accessories for your garden. Start planning!

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

The Most Popular Houseplants in Every Country

February 12, 2022 by Claude Jobin





In a recent post, Apartmenttherapy presents an analysis of Google search data done by HouseFresh to determine what plant is the most popular by country. Apparently, in Canada, we like the monster deliciosa, a plant I’ve always known as the split-leaf philodendron, a plant I thought was a bit from another era. But hey what’s the expression: everything old is new again.



Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

17 Best Indoor Trees (and Tropical Plants) to Grow in Your Living Room

September 17, 2021 by Claude Jobin




Architectural Digest has put together a list of 17 indoor trees and tropical plants to grow in your living room. Nice list to peruse as fall approaches and you surrender your outdoor living and prepare to move back indoors. Bonus, they’ve also included tips on how to take care of them.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden, Home Decor

Bug Control: 11 Ways to Take Back Your Yard

May 31, 2021 by Claude Jobin

As much as we all love Canada’s hottest season, summer also means one thing—bugs. From mosquitoes and cluster flies to earwigs, insects are the unpleasant reality we suffer each year. While it may be impossible to avoid their presence altogether, especially in rural areas, here are 11 ways to deter them and even reduce their populations so you can spend more time enjoying your yard.

Image via Skitterphoto, Pixabay

1. Landscaping matters

Maintaining a well-groomed yard is one way to discourage unwanted denizens. Keeping your lawn, gardens, shrubs and hedges trim and tidy reduces places for harbouring insects, while also supporting your yard’s curb appeal.

2. Avoid standing water

Removing standing water from your yard is a must as it attracts all sorts of unsavoury guests. The moisture entices earwigs and slugs, while mosquitoes seek it out to lay their eggs. A single female mosquito lays between 100 and 400 eggs at a time, in as little as 1 tbsp of standing water. 

 Ensure flower pots are stored upside down and out of the elements while fully changing birdbath water at least twice each week. If you have any low dips in your yard where water collects and sits after substantial rain, consider filling these in. 

Blocked gutters are also prime spots for water accumulation. If you performed your pre-winter maintenance, your eavestroughs and gutters should be clear, but now’s the time to double-check, and clean them out if needed. 

Image via Anvesh, Unsplash

3. Use citronella

Surrounding your deck or patio with citronella candles or torches discourages biting insects because the smoke confuses their senses, making it difficult for them to smell humans. While their flickering lights add to the relaxing atmosphere of your space, the effective range for a single candle or torch is approximately two metres (six feet), so keep this in mind when determining placements.

Never leave an open flame unsupervised when using candles or torches on dry or windy days.

Image via fjcorado, Pixabay

4. Secure trash and compost

If you store your garbage and compost bins outside, be sure they are always kept tightly closed, and away from your patio to discourage earwigs and flies. Blow flies (also called cluster flies or blue/green bottle flies), most common in Eastern Canada, require only a tiny opening to lay their eggs, and can quickly become a nuisance during summer.

Image via Deedster, Pixabay

5. Install a bat box

If you live within 500 metres of a water source, installing a bat box is one way to reduce insect populations. A single bat can catch hundreds of insects in just one hour, and not only eat mosquitoes but can also protect gardens from pests. The Canadian Wildlife Federation has excellent resources regarding bat house installations, plus step-by-step instructions on how to build your own!

Image via Ibrahim Al Jarushi, Unsplash

6. Bug repellent plants

While some individuals are naturally green-thumbed, the benefit of keeping insect-repellent plants in your yard is certainly enough reason for anyone to attempt gardening. There are many plants with insect-repelling qualities like lemongrass, marigolds, lavender, and catnip to name a few. Placing plants near seating areas or yard and garden borders will help reduce incursions while beautifying your space. Be wary of citrosa geraniums (a.k.a. mosquito plants), because a 1996 study determined they’re not effective repellents.

Tip: Rub lemongrass vigorously between your hands then apply the scent to your clothing and limbs to act as a natural repellent, if you prefer to avoid DEET-containing products.

Image via jackmac34, Pixabay

7. Install patio fans

Because mosquitoes are scarce on windy days, it only makes sense to install outdoor fans on your patio or deck area to deter them. The strong breeze created by the fans not only pushes mosquitoes away, they will help keep you cooler during those dog days of summer.

Image via Jacques Bopp, Unsplash

8. Use a lighter exterior paint

If your home has a dark exterior, it’s advisable to paint it a lighter colour. The two main factors that attract biting insects are heat and carbon dioxide. Because darker colours absorb light energy, they radiate heat which attracts more insects, meaning a lighter paint-job will help discourage these blood-thirsty pests.

Image via Jon Tyson, Unsplash

9. Use yellow outdoor lights

Since varying spectrums of light attract insects differently, it’s important to ensure you’ve selected the best light colour—especially if you spend a lot of time outdoors at dusk and after sundown. Biting insects are attracted to nearly all light spectrums—sorry folks!—but they’re least attracted to lights nearest the red spectrum. That’s why yellow lights are your best choice during bug season.

10. Trap or zap them!

Two other methods to reduce biting bugs in your yard are bug zappers and propane-powered traps. Hanging a bug zapper near your seating area will attract and kill biting insects with a single snap. Propane mosquito traps have become quite popular in recent years, especially in rural areas, because they lure mosquitoes from a wide area into a chamber where they dehydrate and die. Both of these tools can be purchased from most local hardware retailers.

11. Apply a larvicide


Many homeowners incorporate decorative ponds into their landscaping or collect water using rain barrels for their gardens. In these cases, it’s a good idea to consider using larvicide tablets (also called mosquito pellets or dunks). They contain bacteria that are only harmful to mosquito larvae and are effective at destroying them before they reach adult stage.

Did you know? Some municipalities like Kanata, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba, have mosquito control programs in place to reduce populations throughout the season. If this is something you desire for a prospective neighbourhood, your REALTOR® will be knowledgeable regarding local pest control programs.


While employing these methods may not mean the complete eradication of unwanted insects around your home, they will provide some relief during bug season so you can spend your time appreciating the great outdoors, rather than running for the house.

Looking for more backyard projects this season? Check out some fun DIY projects, or perhaps backyard beekeeping could be the next hobby on your horizon.

Cover photo courtesy of Randy Fath.

Filed Under: From the Blog Tagged With: Garden

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 7
  • Next Page »

What address are you looking for?

List your Ottawa area condo for sale with…

The Molly & Claude Team Realtors - we specialize in condos. We will help you sell your condo, help you obtain the highest price, and protect your investment.

The complete resource of condos for sale or rent in Ottawa

Search by neighbourhood, street, building type or price. Click on Google map for help! Molly & Claude Team Realtors.

In constant evolution, and evolving quickly to being the source of all Condos for Sale in Ottawa. We are continuously updating the properties and the pertinent information concerning these condos.

Let us know if there is something else you’d like to see! If you know something about your neighbourhood let us know and we’ll work it in.

If you own a business contact us we'd love to discuss promoting your business on our site.

Keep checking for updates... In the interim should you have a question you may contact Molly Hoyle, or Claude Jobin:

  • by phone at 613.725.1171
  • by text at 613.804.7979
  • by email claude@claudejobin.com
  • Web: www.claudejobin.com
  • on Facebook
  • on Twitter
  • on Pinterest
  • on Instagram
  • on YouTube
  • on Google+
  • on Tumblr
  • on Flickr
  • Linked in:
  •  Molly & Claude Team
  •  Molly Hoyle
  •  Claude Jobin

List your Ottawa area condo for sale with the Molly & Claude Team Realtors - we specialize in condos. We will help you sell your condo, help you obtain the highest price, and protect your investment.

Recently Visited Pages

  • REALTORS® Answer the Most Googled Real Estate Questions March 26, 2023
  • 5 Small Towns in Ontario for Your Next Road Trip March 25, 2023
  • Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed more than expected in February March 24, 2023
  • Biden visits Ottawa – Road Closures March 23, 2023
  • Architect – Moon Hoon March 22, 2023

Thanks!

For being customizable! Julie

Claude and Molly are truly amazing!

I live very far out of town and needed an Ottawa real estate agent after my father died.
I picked them after looking online.

Well I picked the right ones! They were and are extraordinary. Because I live so far away our family needs for cleaning the house out and getting it ready to sell were huge, and to me, insurmountable.

I couldn't have done it without them, and to top this off, they are friendly and just great people. Thank you so much Claude and Molly.

All the best, Rachel


You’re fantastic!

Allan

A huge Thank YOU

You did a yeoman's service with helping us find and buy our house.
We are so grateful for your insights and patience.
It was a big learning curve (and I am still trying to figure out why milk is in a bag . . .) I look forward to hanging out, I mean possibly working with you when I arrive here full time;-) In the meantime, thank you again from us both. Arica and Eric

Fortunate indeed to have met Molly Hoyle

Over the past couple of weeks we were very fortunate indeed to have met Molly Hoyle.
We were selling our home and Molly brought her client to view it knowing it would be a home that they would be interested in....which by the way they were as they did end up purchasing. It was our fortunate luck that we met Molly through this endeavour. My husband and I were selling our house with Grapevine and as we are not experienced sellers there were a few times we were very close to just taking it off the market and staying here. Her experience, knowledge, kindness to us, her understanding that this was a difficult decision especially for my husband made the whole difference for us. Molly's professionalism and expertise, her ability to 'walk a fine line' while working for her client and yet to be so kind and gentle with us was amazing. We feel the whole experience gave us the opportunity to meet and talk with Molly and to value her knowledge. You can be assured that we will highly recommend her to any of our friends who need a conscientious, honest, trustworthy realtor. Sadly we will miss talking with Molly but we only wish her the very best in the future and say 'thank you Molly' for all her help and support. Sincerely, Lenore and Ralph

I really appreciate your hard work,

I will refer you and Molly to friends and family if they are looking to sell. Yana

About Us

Molly Hoyle Sales Representative
Claude Jobin Représentant des ventes

E-Mail

claude@claudejobin.com




Phone / Address

Phone: 613.804.7979
1723 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario


  • CONDOS:
  • in the Central Area
  • in the East
  • in the South
  • in the West

Copyright © 2023 · AgentPress Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Testimonials

Claude and Molly helped me find the home of my dreams. They were patient with all my requests, came up with the right listings to view, and were invaluable in the negotiations for the property we finally bought. thanks!