Tag Archive for: Container Gardening

VIDEO: Bringing In Your Plants for Winter 🪴❄️ with Summer Rayne Oakes

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When the mornings turn chilly and frost threatens, it’s time to bring your non-cold-hardy plants indoors. In this video, Summer Rayne Oakes demonstrates how she gathers her Aloes, Pelargoniums, Euphorbias, air plants, and more, refreshing containers with Espoma Organic Cactus Mix, and Espoma Organic Perlite to help them settle in for the winter months.

Here are six quick tips to help you do the same.

1. Bring Plants In Before the First Freeze

Any tender plant—succulents, tropicals, Pelargoniums, air plants—needs to move indoors once nighttime temperatures dip into the 30s and low 40s °F. Cold snaps can damage foliage fast.

2. Check for Pests and Outdoor Debris

Before carrying your plants inside, give them a quick inspection:

  • Look for ants or insects in the soil
  • Remove spent leaves
  • Trim away any mushy or damaged growth

This keeps your indoor environment clean and your plants stress-free.

3. Give Overgrown Plants a Gentle Trim

A light haircut helps plants transition into winter dormancy. Summer trims her Pelargoniums to remove dead growth and tidy the shape, making them easier to overwinter.

4. Refresh Soil With a Fresh Organic Potting Mix

After a full season outdoors, potting soil can become compacted, washed out by rain, or depleted of nutrients. Refreshing the top few inches—or fully repotting—gives plants the clean, breathable foundation they need to stay healthy indoors.

For most houseplants, reach for Espoma Organic All-Purpose Potting Mix. It’s rich, airy, and packed with organic ingredients that support strong roots through winter.

Summer uses Espoma Organic Cactus Mix for her succulents because they need faster drainage and extra airflow around their roots. This helps prevent rot during the cooler months when succulents naturally take up less water.

Adding a scoop of Espoma Organic Perlite boosts drainage even more—great for Aloes, Agaves, and Euphorbias heading into low-light, low-growth winter conditions.

5. Repot or Divide Crowded Succulents

Aloes and other succulents often outgrow their pots by fall. Take a cue from Summer and divide offsets or repot into fresh soil so each plant has room to breathe indoors.

6. Feed Indoor Plants Through Winter

Even during slower growth, indoor plants still appreciate gentle nourishment. Use a high-quality organic liquid fertilizer—like Espoma Organic Indoor! —to keep roots strong and foliage healthy all winter long.

A little effort goes a long way!

A little trimming, a pest check, and a refresh with Espoma Organic potting soils and a little liquid fertilizer is all it takes to help your plants thrive indoors this winter.

Let’s get growing—indoors! 🌿

*****

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Potting MixOrganic Potting soil -Espoma Organic Cactus MixEspoma Organic PerliteEspoma Organic Indoor! liquid fertilizer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Final Fall Plantings & Tips for Bringing Plants Inside for Winter 🍁🪴 with Wyse Guide

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Fall might feel like the end of the gardening season, but as Kaleb from Wyse Guide shows, it’s actually a perfect time to plant and bring in your favorite tropical plants for the winter months.

In this project, Kaleb refreshes the front of his home with hydrangeas, using Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to support strong root growth, then replants a massive elephant ear and pots it up in Espoma Organic Potting Mix so he can enjoy it again next year.

Kaleb’s late fall gardening tips:

1. Plant for Roots, Not Blooms
Kaleb takes advantage of fall’s warm soil and cool air to give hydrangeas time to establish. Adding Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus helps new shrubs settle in quickly and build the strong root systems that lead to better growth next spring.

2. Build Healthy Soil & Keep Watering
Hydrangeas thrive in rich, well-draining soil, so Kaleb amends where needed and uses drip irrigation to keep moisture consistent on his sunny, south-facing porch. Even with drip, he checks soil weekly and waters during fall—and even winter warm-ups—so new roots never dry out.

3. Store Tropicals to Enjoy Them Again
Instead of letting frost take his elephant ear, Kaleb trims it back and pots it into Espoma Organic All-Purpose Potting Mix. Over winter, it rests indoors with minimal watering, ready to return outdoors next season.

Even as the season slows, there’s still so much you can do to care for your garden. A little fall planting, some root-focused feeding, and thoughtful winter storage of warm-season plants can set you up for an even more beautiful spring. 

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Featured Products:

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

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Simple Fall Plantings 🪴🌻🍁 with Garden Answer

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Laura from Garden Answer brings a burst of fresh autumn color to the garden! 🌻 She shares an update on her sunflowers, plants new boxwoods with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus to help the roots establish naturally, and refreshes her fall containers with vibrant ornamental kale, rudbeckia, and pansies. Using Espoma Organic Potting Mix, Laura ensures every plant has the rich, healthy soil it needs to thrive this season.

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Learn more about Garden Answer: 

🪴 YouTube

🪴 Website

🪴 Facebook

🪴 Instagram

Featured Products:

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VIDEO: Hydrangea Care Tips 🌿🌸 with Summer Rayne Oakes

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Hydrangeas have a way of stopping gardeners in their tracks—those full, dreamy blooms that shift from creamy whites to rosy pinks or cool blues. Summer Rayne Oakes @flockfingerlakes takes us through her upstate New York garden to explore five types of hydrangeas and how to help them flourish year after year.

Throughout her tour, Summer highlights two of her go-to Espoma Organic products:

  • Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier – for achieving those iconic blue blooms naturally

  • Espoma Organic Potting Mix – for building strong, healthy roots in containers

Each supports her eco-friendly approach to gardening—feeding the soil, not just the plant—while keeping the process safe for people, pets, and the planet.

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 Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier Bag

Espoma Organic Holly-tone Organic Fertilizer for all acid loving plants Espoma Organic Potting Mix

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VIDEO: Edible Landscaping 🫑 🍓🌿 | Flock Finger Lakes

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Summer Rayne Oakes @FlockFingerLakes takes us on a tour of her garden packed with edible plants. From fruit trees and berry bushes to roses and kale, Summer shows how beauty and function can grow side by side. Along the way, she nourishes her plants with Espoma Organic products to build strong roots, vibrant blooms, and thriving harvests.

Espoma Products Summer Uses in Her Edible Landscape:

Summer Rayne with Bio-tone Starter Plus

  • Bio-tone Starter Plus
    Summer uses Bio-tone Starter Plus when planting apple trees and preparing new beds. With mycorrhizae and beneficial microbes, it jumpstarts root growth and helps plants establish quickly—like “planting insurance” for long-term success.

Summer Rayne with Raised Bed Mix

  • Espoma Organic Potting Soils 
    To build the foundation of her new garden beds, Summer used a mix of Espoma Organic Soils, including Raised Bed Mix, Potting Mix, Land & Sea Compost, and others. These mixes improve soil structure, boost microbial life, and provide the organic matter plants need for healthy growth.

Espoma Organic Rose-tone in a garden

  • Rose-tone
    For her roses, Summer sprinkles Espoma Organic Rose-tone around the root zone. With its 4-3-2 blend, it encourages lush foliage and beautiful blooms while being safe for the soil and pollinators.

Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier

  • Soil Acidifier
    Blueberries thrive in acidic soil, and Summer keeps them happy with Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier. Made from elemental sulfur and gypsum, it naturally lowers pH to match the needs of acid-loving plants.

Espoma Organic Tomato! liquid fertilizer

  • Tomato! Liquid Fertilizer
    Summer gives her tomato plants a boost with Espoma Organic Tomato! This easy-to-use liquid concentrate provides balanced nutrition and added calcium to prevent blossom end rot, ensuring plump, juicy fruits all season long.

Bringing It All Together

Summer’s edible landscape is proof that food gardens can be as beautiful as they are bountiful—with the right soil, thoughtful plant choices, and natural care. Ready to start your own edible landscape? Explore Espoma Organic products and discover how to feed your garden naturally. 🌱

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Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image Espoma Organic Rose-tone bag Espoma Organic Soil Acidifier BagEspoma Organic Potting soil Mix Big bag Espoma Raised Bed Mix bag Espoma Organic Land and Sea Espoma Organic Tomato! Liquid Plant Food Image

 

 

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VIDEO: Planting in BIG Reused Planters 🪴🌿 with Summer Rayne Oakes

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Summer Rayne Oakes of Flock Finger Lakes turns three massive terracotta planters—rescued from a second-hand store —into statement containers for the garden. Because the pots are deep and heavy, she creates a lightweight false bottom with Espoma Organic Perlite, then tops it with Espoma Organic Potting Mix before planting a mix of ornamental grasses, pollinator favorites, and trailing accents.

Why Espoma Organic Potting Mix?
Espoma Organic Potting Mix is crafted for container success—indoors or out. It’s rich and fluffy for easy root growth, holds moisture without getting waterlogged, and drains well to keep roots happy. The blend includes organic ingredients and Myco-tone, a proprietary blend of mycorrhizae that supports strong root systems and helps plants use water and nutrients more efficiently. In large planters where every inch counts, that balance of aeration, structure, and organic nutrition is exactly what new plantings need to establish quickly.

 Tips & Takeaways from Summer’s Container Build

  1. Use Perlite as a False Bottom. 
     A layer of Espoma Organic Perlite can work beautifully as a false bottom in oversized containers for shallower-rooted plants when you don’t need the full depth of soil. It also reduces the planter’s weight. But for deep tap-rooted or tree-like plantings, it’s best to skip this method. 
  2. Choose Plants for Season-Long Interest.
    Summer anchors the pot with Pennisetum ‘Ginger Love’ for structure and gorgeous backlit plumes into fall and winter, then layers in Verbena bonariensis ‘Meteor Shower’ (pollinator magnet), sneezeweed ‘Morheim Beauty’ for warm tones, Beautyberry ‘Pearl Glam’ for three-season appeal, ornamental oregano (Oregon Kent beauties) for texture, and a trailing annual morning glory to spill over the rim.
  3. Design for the View.
    Think about the angle most people will see. Summer places taller plants toward the back and lets trailers cascade in the foreground to create depth and a “finished” look from the main viewpoint.
  4. Shop Smart in Mid-Summer.
    July–August can be slim pickings at local nurseries. If inventory looks tired, consider ordering online, mixing annuals with perennials, or planting what you can now and editing later. Containers are wonderfully changeable.
  5. Plant for Pollinators and Wildlife.
    By mixing grasses, flowering perennials, and nectar-rich annuals, Summer builds a container that feeds bees, butterflies, and other pollinators—bringing life and movement to her garden space.

Share your container build with us using #EspomaOrganic on IG—we’d love to see what you create!

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Potting Mix Espoma Organic Potting Mix

 

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10 Time-Saving Tactics for a More Efficient Garden | Growing Joy with Maria

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Has your garden started to feel like a tedious task on your never-ending to-do list? Here are 10 ways to avoid garden burnout by making gardening more efficient and simple, so you can enjoy it without feeling weighed down.

This blog is inspired by Episode 266 of the Growing Joy with Plants Podcast, where Maria chats with CaliKim, YouTube gardening educator and author of The 10 Minute Gardener. Together, they share time-saving hacks to help you enjoy gardening again—without the stress.

Start Small, Stay Consistent

One of Kim’s foundational philosophies is to break down large tasks into smaller, manageable ones (3-, 5-, 8-, 10-, or 30-minute jobs), which is the basis of her book. The 10 Minute Gardener also organizes these by season (early, mid, late, dormant), so you can adapt them no matter where you garden.

Practical Time-Saving Tactics You Can Try Today

3 minute tasks

3-Minute Gardening Tasks

  • Fertilizer Fridays – Every Friday, while your tea kettle is boiling or you’re sipping coffee, take 3 minutes to fertilize your plants with an organic liquid fertilizer like Espoma Organic Indoor! Houseplant Food. You can also water them or pick off brown leaves.

  • Swift Growth Seed Sowing – Keep a small basket of seeds handy by your back door or in your pocket. During a quick break, pop a few pea seeds along a trellis or lettuce seeds into a container to keep succession planting going.

  • Three-Minute Tool Tidy – Clean and oil a few garden tools, like pruners, that may be getting rusty or sticky.

5-Minute Gardening Tasks

  • Tie-Up Tuesday (and Thursday!) – Dedicate a few minutes twice a week to trellis plants like cucumbers. Keep tie tape or twine in your pocket so you can do this quickly while walking through the garden.

  • Shade Cloth Oasis – Pre-clip shade cloth to trellises so you can dash out and cover plants when the sun is blazing.

  • End-of-Season Cleanups – Pull out dead plants and toss them into nearby trash bins or pop-up bins to keep your garden tidy.

8 & 10-minute tasks

8- & 10-Minute Gardening Tasks

  • Summer Salad Station – Plant a container with salad greens, a tomato or cucumber, and herbs for a quick, ready-to-harvest dinner garden.

  • Hustle & Bustle Garden Bed Prep – In spring, refresh your garden beds with soil amendments like Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost and worm castings.

30 min tasks

30-Minute Gardening Tasks

  • Compost Pile Refresh – Toss together kitchen scraps and yard waste to build your compost pile. Give it a splash of water, then walk away and let nature do the work.

  • Tree Branch Trellis – Gather a few sturdy sticks and lash them together to create a simple, rustic trellis for climbing plants.

Be Consistent and Keep Things Within Reach

The key is to keep everything handy and accessible. You don’t need complicated strategies to make gardening easier. Keep a basket of seeds by the door, stash pruners in multiple spots, and have tie tape at the ready. Making tools and supplies accessible ensures you stay consistent and efficient.

Listen to the Growing Joy with Plants Podcast

For more time-saving tips, listen to Episode 266 of the Growing Joy with Plants Podcast!

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Land and Sea Espoma Organic Indoor! liquid fertilizer

 

Where to Buy

VIDEO: Growing Veggies and Herbs 🍅🌿🥕 with Summer Rayne Oakes

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Summer Rayne Oakes of Flock Finger Lakes is back in her gazebo garden, where she refreshed her raised beds with Espoma Organic All-Purpose Garden Soil, giving her fruits, veggies, and herbs a nutrient-rich foundation.

From basil to beans, this garden is brimming with variety—and Summer shares her best lessons she learned along the way.

6 Quick Tips from Summer’s Garden

  1. Refresh your soil each season – Even healthy beds benefit from a fresh top-off of organic soil like Espoma Organic All Purpose Garden Soil to replenish nutrients and structure.

  2. Try companion planting – Marigolds tucked near tomatoes deter pests like hornworms and invite pollinators to the party.

  3. Prune and plant tomatoes deeply – Snip off lower leaves and bury stems a little deeper so they develop stronger root systems.

  4. Mix in perennial herbs and crops – Plants like sea kale, rhodiola, and schisandra return year after year, offering beauty and resilience.

  5. Stagger your sowing – Succession planting of quick crops like radishes, lettuce, and calendula ensures continuous harvests and blooms.

  6. Grow what you’ll actually use – Whether it’s sweet potatoes for soups or basil for summer salads, plant to fit your kitchen habits.

A Garden That Nourishes All Season

From tender greens to black goji berries, Summer Rayne shows how diverse plantings and thoughtful soil care can make a small space abundant. With Espoma Organic All-Purpose Garden Soil supporting strong roots and steady nutrition, her gazebo garden is set to thrive all season long.

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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 All-Purpose Garden Soil imageEspoma Raised Bed Mix bagEspoma Organic Land and SeaEspoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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VIDEO: August Garden Refresh ☀️🌿🌸 with Skye Hamilton

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Gardening in August isn’t for the faint of heart — it’s hot, it’s scraggly, and it takes motivation.  Skye Hamilton reminds us that the effort is well worth it. With just a few key steps, you can transform your late-summer beds and set the stage for a gorgeous fall garden.

One of Skye’s favorite tips? Feed tired annuals and perennials with a high-quality organic fertilizer like Espoma Organic Plant-tone. This slow-release, all-purpose organic fertilizer gives plants a natural boost without burning, helping them put on their final flush of blooms.

Skye’s August Garden Checklist

  • 🌱 Weed control: Stay on top of weeds to instantly refresh the look and health of your beds.

  • ✂️ Cut back overgrowth: Trim plants for a tidier appearance and encourage reblooming where possible.

  • 🌸 Deadhead rebloomers: Keep flowers coming with consistent deadheading.

  • 🌿 Fertilize: Apply a high-quality organic fertilizer like Espoma Organic Plant-tone to revive perennials and annuals for their late-season show.

  • 🐛 Treat issues: Address pests and diseases before they spread.

So while August gardening may feel intense, remember: a little care now means a thriving, colorful fall garden later. Discover more natural gardening tips and find Espoma Organic Plant-tone at your local garden center today. 🌱

*****

Learn More about Skye Hamilton:

🌸 Website

🌸 Instagram

🌸 Facebook

🌸 YouTube

🌸 Pinterest

🌸 TikTok

Featured Products: 

Espoma Organic Plant-tone organic fertilizerEspoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag Image

 

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Bird Friendly Gardening 🕊️🌸 | Growing Joy with Maria

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Bird-Friendly Gardening with Jen McGuinness, Ep 239

Do you love watching hummingbirds, chickadees, or sparrows right outside your window? One of the key benefits of having a garden is the wildlife that comes to visit your beautiful blooms. Our friend Maria Failla of Growing Joy with Maria gardens specifically for her local birds, because they bring her so much joy, and this blog shares everything she’s learned about bird-friendly gardening.

This blog is inspired by Episode 239 of the Growing Joy with Plants Podcast, where Maria sits down with Jen McGuinness, author of Bird-Friendly Gardening, about how we can make our outdoor spaces safe and welcoming for birds.

Why Should We Help Birds in Our Gardens?

Birds can help pollinate plants and eat harmful insects, which can help keep our garden healthy. But they need our help. Since 1970, about 3 billion birds have disappeared in North America because of habitat loss, pollution, and climate change.

But there’s a way you can make a difference right in your backyard.

What Makes a Garden Bird-Friendly?

A lot of people are probably thinking that bird feeders are enough when they want to help birds, but a bird-friendly garden means using your whole garden to support them by offering them food, water, and shelter.

A bird-friendly garden includes:

  • Native plants that supply seeds, berries, or attract insects (Hummingbirds especially love nectar from flowers)
  • Fresh water sources for drinking and cleaning themselves (and if you have a budget, you can add a solar fountain or mister to your birdbath
  • Safe shelter from predators and bad weather
  • Places to build nests, like trees, grasses, or birdhouses (thick bushes, trees, and tall native grasses are great)

Native plants = natural food for birds in the garden

Add Native Plants to Your Garden

Select native plants when building a bird-friendly garden. You can check your USDA growing zone or use the Audubon Native Plant Finder by simply typing in your zip code to get local recommendations. Garden center employees are also a huge resource that you can ask questions to.

Here are some bird-friendly flowers:

  • Coneflowers and asters
  • Sunflowers
  • Blueberry bushes and crab apple trees
  • Oak trees (they attract insects that the birds eat)
  • Native grasses like Big Bluestem

Using a nutrient-rich soil like Espoma Organic Garden Soil helps these plants grow strong and healthy, which then supports more birds and insects.

add fresh clean water to your bird friendly garden

It’s important to maintain your bird feeders

Make sure to keep your bird feeders clean to stop the spread of diseases like House Finch Eye Disease. Utilize squirrel guards to keep them from stealing from your feathered friends. Different feeders attract different types of birds, so ideally, have a seed feeder and a hummingbird feeder to ensure all your local birds are well fed. 

Note: Maria and Jen love monitoring birds using electronic bird feeders with cameras in them, which use AI to identify the birds that come to visit.

add nesting materials for birds in your garden

Don’t forget nesting areas

To help birds build nests, try leaving out:

  • Twigs
  • Pet hair (like chicken feathers or alpaca furs)
  • Feathers
  • Native grasses

start your bird friendly garden today

Start Small

You don’t need a huge property to create a bird-friendly garden. If you have a small space, you can plant native flowers in containers or hanging baskets. A beautiful hanging basket of fuchsia will keep your hummingbirds happy all summer long!

To keep your plants blooming and productive, feed them during the growing season with a gentle organic fertilizer like Espoma Flower-tone or Berry-tone, depending on what you’re growing.

Birds Bring Joy

Watching birds fly, sing, and raise their babies reminds us that our gardens are part of a whole ecosystem where every creature matters. And when we help birds, we help the Earth. Bird care is ecosystem care.

*****

Learn more about Growing Joy with Maria:

🪴🌿 Website

🪴🌿 Facebook

🪴🌿 Instagram

🪴🌿 YouTube

Featured Products:

Espoma Organic Flower-tone bag Espoma Organic Berry-tone.Espoma Organic Tree-toneEspoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus Bag ImageEspoma Organic All-Purpose Garden Soil image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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