We have a strong odour coming from the trash bins of a restaurant located next to our backyard. We are located in the lower mainland and have a room for a large tree/s or shrub/s. Can anyone recommend a tree or large shrub that we could plant to mask the smell of the trash bins? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I don't know of any plant with a fragrance strong enough to consistently mask the smell of garbage. I would worry that you would just end up with a mixed odour and potentially ruin the enjoyment of the plant's fragrance through association. I guess something like eucalyptus or something with a strong citrus aroma from the leaves might work. It may be possible to put up a wall or plant large shrubs in such a way as to change the flow of air in your garden, blocking the odour from entering your garden. Hopefully the stink would rise and blow away before entering your garden. You should talk to the restaurant's manager. The garbage bin may just need a good cleaning. The ripe residue in the can generally smells much more offensive than the fresh dayly garbage. I imagine this is much more of a problem in the summer than in the winter. Good luck.
Eric, Thank you for the advice. We have made severally attempts to have the restaurant propery clean their garbage bin. Is there any shrub in particular that you would recommend to divert the flow of air?
Eric... how about a WINDMILL PALM? :) sorry.... its late, it just sounded funny, perhaps only to me but....
A windmill palm! That is funny Paul. Too bad there are not plants that could actively blow the breeze back at the restaurant. What I was thinking was that the breeze in an enclosed area usually flows in currents and obstructions cause little eddies and such to form. You would have to observe the direction that the airflow takes in the current situation and look for ways to block its entrance to your yard. (This could backfire if not done carefully and you could end up bringing in the foul air and circulating it in your garden!) I am not a specialist in airflow dynamics. I was just making suggestions from the top of my head. I think if the breeze tends to flow along the border of your property and the restaurant you might be able to put up a wall or large hedge to block the entrance of the flow to your yard. As far as what type of plant would do that...well, something that forms a dense hedge like holly, cedar, or (hate to recommend this because I hate the plant) a laurel hedge. I really think you should probably work on getting the restaurant to clean up its act though. Nasty garbage cans attract pests. Isn't there some kind of health dept. or agency that deals with this type of issue? I would think this was especially important with restaurants.
