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VIDEO: Planting ‘Evelyn’ Roses 🌹 with Garden Answer

June 5, 2025/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Flowers, Garden Answer

Laura from Garden Answer teams up with her mom to spruce up her parents’ garden by planting David Austin Evelyn Roses. Laura amends her soil with her favorite organic starter fertilizer, Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus, and Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost.

Laura also spends some time weeding and repotting plants into the garden beds. The hearty soil combo of Bio-tone Starter Plus and Land & Sea Compost will help ensure all the roots stay strong and healthy blooms are forthcoming.

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/@gardenanswer/featured

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Land and Sea gourmet compost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/05.04.25-Planting-‘Evelyn-Roses-in-My-Parents-Garden-copy.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-06-05 11:53:162025-06-05 11:53:16VIDEO: Planting ‘Evelyn’ Roses 🌹 with Garden Answer

VIDEO: Planting Potatoes & Ranunculus 🥔🌱🌸 with Garden Answer

May 20, 2025/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Flowers, Fruits & Vegetables, Garden Answer, Spring Gardening

Follow along as Laura from Garden Answer plants some ranunculus and potatoes! 🥔🌱

To save time and money, Laura is using leftover potatoes from last year’s crop and planting the entire spud directly on the ground. Plus, planting with a high-quality organic starter fertilizer like Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus and top-dressing with a nutrient-rich organic compost like Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost, she’s creating the perfect environment for a stronger, more delicious yield.

Laura recommends following up with some organic fertilizer in her routine garden maintenance. She will feed her potato plants with Espoma Organic Garden-tone and her Ranunculus with Espoma Organic Flower-tone, providing each plant type with the specific fertilizer specially formulated to produce happy healthy plants. 

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Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/@gardenanswer/featured

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Land and Sea gourmet compost Espoma Organic Garden-tone Espoma Organic Flower-tone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1-6.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-05-20 15:50:062025-05-20 15:51:12VIDEO: Planting Potatoes & Ranunculus 🥔🌱🌸 with Garden Answer

VIDEO: Spring Garden Awakening with Summer Rayne Oakes 🌿

May 20, 2025/in Blog, Bulbs, Flowers, Spring Gardening, Summer Rayne Oakes

Spring is stirring in the Finger Lakes, and Summer Rayne Oakes of  Flock Finger Lakes is already deep into her garden chores. In this video, she takes us on an early-season walk through her ever-evolving landscape highlighting emerging bulbs, sharing design plans, and laying the groundwork for a bountiful, sustainable year ahead.

Summer uses organic products for all her gardening projects—including our trusted Tone line of organic fertilizers, premium Potting Mixes, and organic Liquid Fertilizers—to create healthy, thriving spaces across her property. When planting new bulbs like daffodils and tulips, she relies on Espoma Organic Bulb-tone to set them up for success. And whenever she plants something new, Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus is her go-to to support strong root development from day one.

For all her new garden beds, Summer builds nutrient-rich soil from the ground up with Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix, Land & Sea Gourmet Compost, and our premium Potting Mix—ensuring each planting area is full of organic matter, supports microbial life, and has optimum moisture-holding capacity.

From rewilding meadows and restoring forest edges to designing pollinator patches and building a 60-foot sustainable chicken coop, Summer’s garden isn’t just beautiful—it’s intentional. Her approach reflects a great mission: to nourish plants, support biodiversity, and build a healthier planet from the soil up. 🌱

Watch the full garden walk to get inspired for your own spring garden reset!

*****

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Bulb-tone bag Espoma Raised Bed Mix bag Espoma Organic Land and Sea Espoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bag

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/First-Signs-of-Spring-Thumbs-frame-000004.jpg 1080 1920 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-05-20 14:32:482025-05-20 14:32:48VIDEO: Spring Garden Awakening with Summer Rayne Oakes 🌿

VIDEO: Boost Your Blooms: 🌸 Fertilizing Hydrangeas the Organic Way with Skye Hamilton

April 29, 2025/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Flowers, Skye Hamilton, Spring Gardening

When it comes to hydrangeas, proper fertilizing is key to ensuring beautiful blooms and overall plant health. Skye Hamilton, gardening enthusiast and hydrangea expert, stresses the importance of fertilizing these stunning plants with a high-quality organic fertilizer as a smart investment in your garden. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, which often contain excessive nitrogen that encourages foliage growth at the expense of blooms, Skye recommends using Espoma Organic Holly-tone.

Why Holly-tone? Because it’s an organic fertilizer specially formulated for acid-loving plants like hydrangeas. Its slow-release formula ensures steady nutrient availability, promoting vibrant, plentiful blooms rather than just leafy growth.

Skye Hamilton with Holly-tone

Here’s Skye’s quick guide for successful hydrangea fertilizing:

  1. Fertilize twice a year: once in mid to late spring and again in mid-summer.
  2. Your first application should occur after leaves emerge but before blooms appear.
  3. Apply the second round no later than July to avoid disrupting bloom cycles.
  4. Missed spring fertilizing? Early summer application still benefits your plants.
  5. Apply fertilizer during mild weather or in the evening shade to prevent root burn.
  6. Distribute fertilizer along the drip line of your hydrangeas and gently work it into the soil surface.
  7. Always water thoroughly after fertilizing to ensure nutrients reach the roots effectively.

With Espoma Organic Holly-tone, your hydrangeas receive exactly what they need, resulting in lush blooms and healthier plants overall. Go organic, bloom better!

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Learn More about Skye Hamilton:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Pinterest

Featured Products:

Holly-tone bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_5813.jpg 2095 1179 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-04-29 11:46:202025-04-29 11:53:03VIDEO: Boost Your Blooms: 🌸 Fertilizing Hydrangeas the Organic Way with Skye Hamilton

Choosing the Best Organic Fertilizer for Hydrangeas

March 27, 2025/in Blog, Flowers

Hydrangeas are a garden favorite, prized for their large, showy blooms and lush foliage. However, different types of hydrangeas have slightly different needs, and choosing the right organic fertilizer is key to helping them thrive. Whether you’re growing bigleaf, panicle, oakleaf, smooth, mountain, or climbing hydrangeas, this guide will help you select the best fertilizer for your plants to promote healthy growth and abundant flowers.

Top Six Types of Hydrangeas Commonly Grown in America. 

Before choosing an organic fertilizer, it’s important to know which type of hydrangea you’re growing:

Big Leaf Hydrangea

  • Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) – Known for their large, colorful blooms that change based on soil pH (blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline soil).

Panicle hydrangea

  • Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) – Produces cone-shaped white flowers that mature into pink and can thrive in full sun.

oakleaf hydrangea

  • Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) – Recognizable by its oak-shaped leaves and white blooms that turn pinkish-purple in fall.

Smooth Hydrangea

  • Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) – Features large, round white or greenish blooms, such as the popular ‘Annabelle’ variety.

Mountain Hydrangea

  • Mountain Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata) – Similar to bigleaf hydrangeas but more compact and cold-hardy, with blooms that also change color based on soil pH.

climbing hydrangea in a garden

  • Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) – A vining variety that climbs walls and trellises, producing lacy white flowers.

Best Organic Fertilizers for Hydrangeas

Espoma Organic Holly-tone (4-3-4) – Best for Bigleaf, Oakleaf & Mountain Hydrangeas

An organic fertilizer formulated for acid-loving plants, such as Holly-tone, is the best choice for hydrangeas that thrive in lower pH soil, including bigleaf hydrangeas, oakleaf hydrangeas, and mountain hydrangeas. This slow-release, all-natural fertilizer enhances soil conditions with beneficial microbes and supports strong root development and overall plant health. If your hydrangeas are young, struggling, or need a nutrient boost, Holly-tone is an excellent option.

Espoma Organic Flower-tone (3-4-5) – Best for Maximizing Blooms

For gardeners who want to maximize flower production across all hydrangea varieties, Flower-tone is the ideal choice. With a higher phosphorus content, this fertilizer encourages larger and more vibrant blooms. The added potassium strengthens plants, improving their resilience to environmental stress. If your primary goal is stunning, long-lasting floral displays, Flower-tone is your best bet.

Espoma Organic Plant-tone (5-3-3) – Best for General Growth

A balanced, all-purpose organic fertilizer like Plant-tone provides nutrients for overall plant health. While it’s not specifically formulated for hydrangeas, it can be used if you’re looking for a simple, well-rounded option. However, if flower production is your priority, Flower-tone will yield better results.

Which Espoma Fertilizer Is Best for Your Hydrangeas?

  • Bigleaf, Oakleaf & Mountain Hydrangeas: Thrive with Holly-tone to maintain the right soil acidity and overall plant health.
  • Panicle & Smooth Hydrangeas: Benefit most from Flower-tone to encourage larger, more colorful flowers.
  • Climbing Hydrangeas: Can use Flower-tone for enhanced blooming and Plant-tone for overall vigor.
  • General Maintenance: Plant-tone works as a broad-spectrum fertilizer but is not specifically bloom-focused.

Pro Tips for Fertilizing Hydrangeas:

  • Test Your Soil First: Conduct a soil test before fertilizing to determine pH levels and nutrient needs. This will help you choose the most effective organic fertilizer.
  • Fertilizing Schedule Matters: Feed your hydrangeas in early spring as new growth emerges and again in mid-summer for a second boost.
  • Avoid Late-Season Fertilizing: Refrain from fertilizing in late summer or early fall, as this can promote tender new growth that may not harden off before winter, leaving your plants vulnerable to frost damage.
  • Consider Soil Amendments: If your soil is too alkaline, adding Espoma Soil Acidifier can help maintain the right pH for blue hydrangea flowers.
  • Use a Starter Fertilizer when planting: When planting, we recommend applying a high-quality organic starter fertilizer like Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to help give your new plants the nutrients needed for successful establishment and root development.

Where to Buy Espoma Products:

Looking to purchase the right organic fertilizer for your hydrangeas? Find Espoma products at your nearest garden center or online retailer by visiting the Espoma Where to Buy page.

By selecting the right Espoma fertilizer and following best practices, your hydrangeas will thrive, rewarding you with breathtaking beauty season after season. Happy gardening!

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus bag Espoma Organic Plant-tone organic fertilizer Espoma Organic Flower-tone bagEspoma Organic Soil Acidifier Bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/fatih-Fnj6p2EooF0-unsplash.jpg 800 600 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2025-03-27 14:40:352025-03-27 14:42:18Choosing the Best Organic Fertilizer for Hydrangeas

VIDEO: Planting Camassia with Summer Rayne Oakes!

December 2, 2024/in Blog, Bulbs, Espoma Videos, Flowers, Summer Rayne Oakes

Camassia, a native North American bulb, is a stunning spring bloomer that thrives in USDA hardiness zones 3-8. Often underutilized these bulbs are known for their striking blue, lavender, or white flowers.

In this video, Summer Rayne Oakes of Flock Finger Lakes shows how to plant Camassia bulbs and shares her top plant care tips. Summer recommends mixing in a high-quality organic fertilizer like Espoma Organic Bulb-tone when planting. This practice ensures these bulbs get the nutrients they need to produce big, beautiful blooms.

 

 

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

X – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

 

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bulb-tone bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Camassia_Planting.jpg 720 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-12-02 13:48:422024-12-02 13:48:42VIDEO: Planting Camassia with Summer Rayne Oakes!

VIDEO: Planting a FALL CONTAINER + HYDRANGEAS + Harvesting POTATOES with Garden Answer

October 4, 2024/in Blog, Espoma Videos, Flowers, Garden Answer, Gardening

Join Laura from Garden Answer as she shows how to plant a stunning fall container filled with a mix of annuals and hydrangeas. Along the way, she shares practical gardening tips while sprucing up a flowerbed and harvesting potatoes from her vegetable garden.

To give her plants the best start, Laura uses Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix for an ideal growing medium and adds Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to ensure strong roots and big beautiful blooms.

Learn more about Garden Answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/gardenanswer

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.facebook.com/gardenanswer

https://www.instagram.com/gardenanswer/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus bag Espoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-12.jpg 720 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-10-04 12:25:072025-04-10 10:46:04VIDEO: Planting a FALL CONTAINER + HYDRANGEAS + Harvesting POTATOES with Garden Answer

VIDEO: Planting a Fall Flower Bed with Wyse Guide

September 27, 2024/in Blog, Flowers, Kaleb Wyse

Fall is a great time for planting! Join Kaleb Wyse from Wyse Guide as he takes you into his garden for a new planting project.

When planting a flowerbed, Kaleb uses Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost to refresh his native soil with fresh organic material, creating an optimal growing environment for his new plants. He also mixes in Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to provide the essential nutrients needed for strong root establishment.

Learn more about Wyse Guide here:

? YouTube: www.youtube.com/@WyseGuide 

? Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WyseGuide/

? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WyseGuide/

? Website: https://www.wyseguide.com/

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost Bag

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus bag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Title-3.jpg 720 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-09-27 11:36:042024-10-08 16:15:43VIDEO: Planting a Fall Flower Bed with Wyse Guide

VIDEO: Planting up a Gazebo Trellis ?with Summer Rayne Oakes

July 8, 2024/in Blog, Flowers, Summer Rayne Oakes

Join Summer Rayne Oakes from  @FlockFingerLakes  as she adds the climbing plant Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’ honeysuckle vine to her gazebo. Summer uses Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix and Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to give her plants the nutrients they need to thrive.

 

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

X – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

 

Featured Products:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Planting-on.jpg 720 1280 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-07-08 12:41:142024-07-18 18:06:27VIDEO: Planting up a Gazebo Trellis ?with Summer Rayne Oakes

VIDEO: Planting Lilies in Containers with Summer Rayne Oakes ??|| Flock Finger Lakes

April 8, 2024/in Blog, Bulbs, Flowers, Summer Rayne Oakes

Planting Lilies is a great way to beautify your outdoor space.?Check out the video below as Summer Rayne Oakes From Flock Finger Lakes walks you through the planting process step by step.
Summer fills her outdoor containers with Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix and plants her Lily bulbs with Espoma Organic Bulb-tone to ensure her lilies have the best growing conditions to bloom successfully.

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

X – @flockny

Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes

Featured Products: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Planting-Lilies-in-Containers-IMG_6060-scaled.jpeg 1707 2560 Matt Dauphinais https://www.espoma.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/espoma-logo340w-1.png Matt Dauphinais2024-04-08 14:40:262024-04-16 07:44:49VIDEO: Planting Lilies in Containers with Summer Rayne Oakes ??|| Flock Finger Lakes
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  • VIDEO: Planting ‘Evelyn’ Roses 🌹 with Garden Answer
  • VIDEO: Planting Potatoes & Ranunculus 🥔🌱🌸 with Garden Answer
  • VIDEO: Spring Garden Awakening with Summer Rayne Oakes 🌿
  • VIDEO: Planting Raised Beds 🌿 with Wyse Guide
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