HAINT THAT GREAT!

Haint - Southern colloquialism def., ghost, apparition, lost soul. Haints are supposedly restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from their physical world. Ann, “what do haints have to do with nature and gardening?” Well, paint color has a lot to do with mud daubers. So there really is a segue!

Have you ever hear of Haint Blue paint? The original Haint Blue paint creators were Gullah or Geechee people, descendants of African slaves, who worked on rice plantations. They preserved their African heritage more than any other African American community by keeping alive traditions, stories and beliefs of their ancestors, including fear of haints. The first painted strokes of Haint Blue adorned the simple shacks of African slaves.

After noticing the blue paint and hearing the stories of haints, many Southerners also began painting the porch ceiling blue out of fear of haints. This color was thought to protect homeowners from being taken or influenced by haints or to protect the occupants from evil. This blue paint can be found on window and door frames too. The soft blue color, common in the historic homes around Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, is now referred to as Haint Blue.

Over the years, people began to notice that these painted ceilings appeared to repel insects. Most credible sources discredit this. However, this belief could be seated in historical truths. Milk and lye paints were first used on ceilings. Lye is a known insect repellent. Some folks think that insects will not nest on blue ceiling because the insects think the blue ceiling is the sky.

  

So I decided to conduct my own experiment. I do not like to destroy mud dauber nests because the dauber is a beneficial wasp. But, the mud nest stains the wood on my porch. So I thought of giving the Haint Blue paint a try.

So what color is Haint Blue? Most paint experts agree that the best shade of blue is the one that fits the look of the house. You don't want a blue ceiling to look like an afterthought or like it came out of nowhere.

My front porch

Unpainted area

So I picked my Haint Blue color (a soft blue-green) and my hubby bent over backward (literally) to paint the ceiling. Over the summer I watched and watched to see if the paint deterred the mud daubers and I am happy to report it did. I also noticed I did not have the big nests of daddy longlegs. More importantly, I was concerned that it would also send my little wrens packing for a different porch but it did not. 


There goes the theory of the Haint Blue being the sky. I did not notice if I had more or less ghosts.

So during your spring cleaning, you might want to try painting your porch ceiling Haint Blue. Whether the choice is based on superstition, getting back to nature or just because you think it's a lovely color, blue porch ceilings are a wonderful way to add visual interest to your outdoor space. 

Ann Reynolds