Taking time to care for plants is the perfect way to slow down and enjoy the cooler seasons. Spend the day with Laura from Garden Answer as she repots ornamental grasses and a Mangave plant in her greenhouse, refreshing them with Espoma Organic Potting Mix to keep them happy, healthy, and hungry for new growth!
Learn more about Garden Answer:
🪴 YouTube
🪴 Website
Featured Products:
Fall always feels like the quickest season in the garden, and in her final autumn tour at Flock Finger Lakes, Summer Rayne Oakes invites us to slow down and savor what’s left before winter fully settles in. As she walks the property, you’ll see how the gardens she’s been nurturing with Espoma Organic Fertilizers and Potting Soils have grown into layered, living spaces that carry beauty even as the blooms fade and the days grow shorter.
A Farewell Walk Through the Pollinator & Herb Gardens
The tour begins on a crisp morning among the pollinator and herb gardens, where most of the leaves have already dropped, but the seed heads still stand tall. Summer lets them remain for the songbirds, creating a soft, textural landscape that feels both wild and intentional. From there, she moves to a front garden bed, gently tucking in Virginia bluebells beneath a freshly prepared layer of mulch and rich soil, imagining how their spring flowers will weave into the story of next year’s garden.
Soft Light on the Pond, Meadow, and Grasses
In the video, Summer moves down to the pond and meadow, where goldenrods, asters, sedges, and native grasses catch the low autumn light. The seed heads shimmer, the pond sits quietly in the background, and you get the sense that the garden is exhaling after a full season of growth. A visit to the compost pile reminds us that all of this beauty is supported by what’s happening beneath the surface: wood chips, sawdust, clippings, and plant debris slowly transforming into the soil that will feed future plantings.
The Meadow House gardens
At the Meadow House gardens, the mood shifts to one of hopeful beginnings. These beds are still young, yet already filled with perennials, bulbs, and containers that will be tucked away for protection as temperatures drop. You can almost imagine how full and lush it will all look when spring and summer return.
Reflecting on Five Seasons of Growth
Summer reflects on five years of tending this land and how much has changed in that time—tiny trees now casting shade, shrubs filling out, meadows finding their own rhythm. It’s a gentle, grateful goodbye to fall, and a quiet nod toward all that’s still to come.
*****
Website: flockfingerlakes.com
Instagram – @flockfingerlakes
YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes
X – @flockny
Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes
Featured Products:
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.
*****
Featured Products:
Watch as Summer Rayne Oakes @flockfingerlakes tours a small, shrub-forward garden that’s brimming with enthusiasm—thanks to a few “thuggish” growers that love to spread. She shows how her garden beds were built with cardboard, compost, and Espoma Organic soils, and how planting densely with Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus helped everything establish beautifully. The result: a thriving space that just needs smart, seasonal management.
Summer’s Tips!
1) Decide the goal, then manage to match
Before you pull a single plant from your wild garden, define your vision. If shrubs are meant to be the stars, reduce anything blocking sightlines or competing for height. A clear goal makes every adjustment easier.
2) Build living soil from day one
Build a garden bed using organic soil like Espoma Organic Potting Mix, Raised Bed Mix, or All-Purpose Garden soil to create a rich rooting zone. Healthy soil grows resilient plants. Plan for light, regular maintenance.
3) Plant with a quality Starter Fertilizer for confident establishment
At planting, mix in Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus. Its slow-release nutrition, beneficial microbes, and mycorrhizal fungi help roots colonize quickly, reduce transplant stress, and set plants up for long-term success.
4) Manage early and often
Make quick passes a habit. Trim seed heads after bloom, thin young growth before it crowds, and lift runners that wander into paths. Small, frequent efforts prevent big overhauls later.
5) Read the site and group accordingly
Let the garden tell you what it wants. Moisture-loving plants often reveal wetter spots; cluster them there and relocate dry-site growers to sunnier, leaner areas. Use edging and pathways to reinforce boundaries.
6) Give energetic growers a job
Channel that vigor. Move fast spreaders to meadows, back corners, or containers where they can thrive freely. Use groundcovers as living mulch in designated zones, but keep stepping stones and entries clear for structure and flow.
Healthy soil and thoughtful plant management help any garden strike the right balance between wild and intentional. With organic soil building and mindful upkeep, you can enjoy a garden that’s full of life—and still beautifully under control.
*****
Website: flockfingerlakes.com
Instagram – @flockfingerlakes
YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes
X – @flockny
Facebook –Flock Finger Lakes
Featured Products:
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:
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. 🌱
*****
Featured Products:
Watch as Kaleb Wyse from Wyse Guide refreshes his raised beds and herb containers. He tops off his raised beds with Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix and mixes in Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost to improve soil structure and health. He plants heirloom tomatoes and peppers using Espoma Organic Tomato-tone and Bio-tone Starter Plus to give his new plants the nutrients they need to develop strong roots and big blooms.
Kaleb fills terracotta pots with Espoma Organic Potting Mix and mixes in Bio-tone Starter Plus to support healthy growth of basil, rosemary, thyme, and more.
Kaleb’s Top Plant Care Tips:
*****
Learn More about Wyse Guide:
🪴 YouTube
Featured Products:
Follow along with Laura of Garden Answer as she brings bold beauty to her landscape by planting a vibrant mix of red-foliage shrubs. These richly colored plants are perfect for adding contrast in sunny areas. As she plants, Laura uses Espoma Organic Garden-tone to feed each shrub with long-lasting nutrients and Bio-tone Starter Plus to promote strong root growth. She also refreshes several containers near her kitchen patio, using Espoma Organic Potting Mix to give her annuals a healthy start and keep them thriving all season.
*****
Learn more about Garden Answer here:
Featured Products:
There’s nothing quite like a porch full of lush, thriving greenery to welcome in the warmer months—and no one brings that vision to life quite like Kaleb Wyse of Wyse Guide. In his latest video, Kaleb shares how he transforms his sunny front porch into a shaded retreat using one of our favorite combinations: Boston ferns, Kimberly Queen ferns, and a trusted mix of Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix and Holly-tone.
Kaleb’s front porch faces south, which means intense sunlight, reflected heat, and the occasional gusty breeze. Instead of fighting nature, Kaleb leans into it—selecting Kimberly Queen ferns for their upright habit and sun tolerance, while reserving traditional Boston ferns for shadier spots near the house.
His secret to keeping these ferns happy? It starts with the soil.
Kaleb chooses our Espoma Organic Potting Mix because it offers the perfect balance of drainage and moisture retention—critical for ferns, which love even moisture but hate soggy roots. This mix includes:
Perlite for improved aeration
Organic compost for slow-release nutrition
Natural, eco-safe ingredients—no synthetic fillers or plastic beads here
As Kaleb puts it: “It holds on to the moisture needed but also drains really well.”
He also adds a light sprinkle of Espoma Organic Holly-tone, our acidic plant food typically used for hydrangeas and evergreens. Since ferns thrive in slightly acidic conditions, Holly-tone gives them an extra boost without overstimulating growth—perfect for those who prefer a light-touch fertilizing routine.
🌱 Pro tip from Kaleb: Gently loosen or score the roots of pot-bound ferns before planting. It encourages them to branch into the fresh potting mix and establish faster.
Looking to create your own front porch oasis? Let Kaleb’s video be your inspiration. And when you’re ready to pot up your ferns, reach for the products trusted by generations of gardeners.
*****
🌷 Website
Featured Products:
Watch Summer Rayne Oakes of Flock Finger Lakes dig into one of the summer’s easiest and most rewarding perennials—daylilies! She plants standout varieties like the ‘Jersey Spider’ and shares helpful tips for getting them established in both containers and garden beds.
To give her plants the best start, Summer uses Espoma Organic Potting Mix, a rich, organic, well-draining blend that includes mycorrhizae to support deep root growth. Then she feeds with Espoma Organic Flower-tone, our organic slow-release fertilizer formulated to promote strong stems and lasting 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:
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:
