Video: Planting Amaryllis Bulbs with Garden Answer
Garden Answer has both new and old Amaryllis bulbs that she’s looking to get some beautiful blooms out of. Follow along as she gets them ready.
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Tag Archive for: Espoma
5 Houseplants Perfect for Your Thanksgiving Decor!
If you want to keep your Thanksgiving décor simpler this year, look to the plants you may already own. Your table doesn’t need to have a traditional centerpiece or Thanksgiving cornucopia. Using houseplants as greenery can add a natural, sophisticated look to any setting. Take a look at our picks for the top 5 plants that can complement any fall aesthetic
1. Orchids
Many people may think of living plants as wasteful in terms of decorations, as some of them don’t live very long. However, Orchids are one of the few plants that last much longer than you’d think and match almost any fall decor. So don’t worry about not finding a place for it in the midst of the holiday chaos!
2. Desert Gems Cacti
Whether your style is brighter or your fall-colored decor needs some contrast, Desert Gems Cacti are small indoor plants that are perfect for adding a bold color to the room! They come in several shiny colors: topaz pink, emerald green, amethyst purple, fire opal orange, and sapphire blue. While they’re stunning on their own, they make a kaleidoscope if mixed with the other colors. While they flourish if kept in light for the better part of the day, they can also be kept in low light for short periods of time.
3. Money Trees
Chinese lore considers money plants to be a bringer of prosperity and resilience. What better time to manifest such things than during the holidays? Money trees thrive amazingly inside and are easy to care for. Their prolific green leaves give any room a pop of color and brighten it up.
4. Purple Passion Plant
The purple passion plant is also called the velvet plant because of the fact that it is covered with a purple sheen on top of the green leaves. It’s a great plant to hang up since it starts off upright but ends up sprawling as it grows. This plant is incredibly easy to care for and just needs moist soil. Use our Moisture Mix while potting to make sure it has everything it needs!
5. Earth Star
Earth Star is the perfect fall plant because of its rust-colored leaves that blend in with almost all fall decor! It’s a unique plant because it contrasts most other greenery with its bright reddish-maroon. Use it as a centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table or just as a fun side plant to brighten up the room. They need a lot of sunlight to grow so consider putting them in a windowsill that would otherwise be bland.
Your guests will love these fun and colorful plants — which means you can spend less time trying to impress them with your cooking! So bring all the plant babies inside, brighten up the room, and have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
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5 Tips for Creating a Fall Centerpiece for Thanksgiving
Your Thanksgiving dinner may look different this year with a smaller number of attendees, but that’s all the more reason to stun them with holiday decor! It’s more important than ever to relax with members of your household and find ways to put everyone in that classic festive mood. Here are some ways to make a beautiful table centerpiece to help this holiday season be as cheerful as the last.
1. Pumpkins everywhere
Not sure what to do with all the pumpkins you got for Halloween? Turn them into flower pots and get the full effect of fall! Hollow them out and put in some of your favorite flowers. You can even paint them to match any decor color you already have.
2. Create your own cornucopia
Thanksgiving is celebrated to give thanks for the harvest for the year and all the food you’re going to eat, so it’s fitting to display your harvest on the table too! If you took part in growing fruits and vegetables over the summer, why not display your hard work on the table in the form of a cornucopia?
After all the meal planning, preparing, and time spent in the kitchen, the Thanksgiving table needs some love. A Thanksgiving centerpiece is simple with all of the seasonal produce. Check out the video below from Wyse Guide for some inspiration.
3. Flower arrangements
Another creative trick you can try is creating flower arrangements! If you’ve been growing flowers, you already have everything you need. But if you haven’t, hop on over to your local florist and pick out some fall-colored bouquets and arrange them however you want. There’s no wrong way to do it!
4. Shrubs and leaves
If you’re looking for an inexpensive yet effective way to get it done, your backyard is your oyster! Don’t want to pluck out your flowers? Simply bring in some fallen leaves that are bound to be a mix of red, yellow, and orange. This will definitely give your home a more rustic look. Add some branches and evergreen shrubs for some texture!
5. Don’t forget houseplants
If you’re a dedicated plant parent, you probably already have some unusual houseplants around your house. Now all you need to do is re-pot them into something more festive to brighten up everyone’s spirits! Make sure to add some potting mix while repotting and some Indoor! Houseplant food to keep them perky throughout dinner.
Whether you’re going all out or only want to make a small arrangement, adding some festive decoration is sure to get everyone feeling more festive and joyful this holiday season. Even if Thanksgiving is dinner for one — remember that plant care is self-care!
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Video: Planting Bulbs Outdoors with Garden Answer
Garden Answer’s first outdoor bulb-planting video features some healthy doses of Espoma Organic Potting Mix and Bulb-tone. Check it out! #EspomaGrown
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Video: Planting Grass & Seed Along the Lane with Garden Answer
Is it too late in the season to seed some new grass along Garden Answer ‘s lane? Watch and find out.
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Video: Shrub Haul & Planting with Garden Answer
Garden Answer ‘s got a bunch of gorgeous new shrubs to plant and a big bag of Bio-tone Starter Plus to help them establish fast. Follow along and find out how it’s done.
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Best Indoor and Outdoor Plants for Halloween Decor
Halloween is on our heels and we can’t wait! The spooky season is a great time to go all out, decorating your home, and here at Espoma, we believe in adding so much more to your decor than just pumpkins. Get in the holiday spirit by throwing these plants into the mix!
1. Red Spider Lily
Red in color with spider-like flowers, this plant is perfect for your spooky yard! One of the best parts of it is that it’s virtually pest and disease-free. It’s great for late summer and early fall and needs well-draining soil to grow.
2. Bat Flower
This flower personifies the spookiness of Halloween perfectly and will make your house one to look out for! While the flower barely resembles a bat, the black color makes it look like it belongs to the Addams family. Keep this flower indoors to match your outside decor — and make sure to keep it in indirect sunlight or partial shade.
3. Indian Pipe/Ghost Plant
This plant grows white instead of green because it has no chlorophyll and is a parasite that takes from nearby trees. (Anyone else spooked just from that description?) From afar it looks like melting candles or finger bones sticking out from the ground — it doesn’t get scarier than that! As if it knows where it belongs, the plant prefers dark, damp places to grow, so make sure you plant it accordingly. Even though it doesn’t require sunlight, it’s best to plant it outside. But don’t forget to give nearby plants lots of nutrients so the ghost plant can take from them without depleting their food!
4. Corpse Flower
The corpse flower can take years or even decades before it blooms for the first time. This flower earned its name from the odorous smell it emits that has been compared to body odor or sweaty socks. This smell is meant to attract insects to spread the flower’s pollen to start new blooms. If the smell doesn’t scare you, maybe the size will. The corpse flower can grow to a height of 8 feet!
5. Devil’s Claw
This plant grows out curved with pointed ends, making it look like the devil’s claw, hence the name. You might think it’s another poisonous plant that you have to stay away from, but on the contrary, this plant is a popular medicine for back pain and arthritis.
Mixing and matching these plants with your other Halloween decorations is sure to make your house look like the most haunted on the block. Which ones made it onto your shopping list? Don’t forget, as many of these plants are quite uncommon, they may require some extra upkeep. So be sure to take care of them accordingly!
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Unusual Houseplants to Add Life to Your Home This Fall
With fall underway and winter on our heels, you’re probably putting away your gardening tools for the season and taking the last bits of veggies and fruits you can harvest before the ground freezes over. And if you’re anything like us, you’re probably sad to see all the greenery and colors go. But don’t let that crush your spirits! While you’re waiting for spring to arrive, you can stay busy raising colorful houseplants.
This plant has green leaves with red, yellow, and orange hues in them, so you get the greenery and some beautiful colors all in one! Direct sunlight may burn their leaves, but bright light will produce the beautiful red and pink colors — so be sure they’re receiving bright indirect light. But don’t fret if your home is low light! Your Aglaonema can still grow, it will just be less colorful.
1. Colorful Aglaonema
2. Prayer Plant
Don’t have space on the windowsill to put the plants? Try hanging them up! Prayer plant is a favorite of ours because it has the habit of sprawling out. It can make any room you put it up in look cozy! It has dark green leaves and purple-mauve stems and veins that give your space a classy look.
3. Neon Pothos
If you’re someone who’s going to get the blues in winter from the lack of color outside, this plant is just what you need! Neon pothos adds a pop of color to your living space and will brighten up your day every time you look at it. This will also present a good contrast to any darker-colored plants like the prayer plant or calathea. It’s an easy to grow plant that you can hang up or put it on your coffee table and let the vines take over. It needs direct sunlight to grow, but you can swap that out with fluorescent lights if your house isn’t very sunlight-heavy.
4. Anthurium
Want a plant that’ll bloom every season? If you take care of this plant right, you can have shades of pink and red residing in your house all year long! All you need to do is keep it in a well-lit place and water it regularly. This valentine’s day favorite will definitely give your house a more quirky look.
5. Monstera
You might’ve seen this one on aesthetic Instagram accounts or have it pinned on one of your “dream room” Pinterest boards. This plant has been a popular go-to for a lot of people in recent years, and we totally get why. It’s a plant with big green leaves that can be placed anywhere without taking up too much space! They can also grow in almost any atmosphere. If you’re looking to add some simple green to your room, monstera is the way to go.
Ready to head to your local plant shop yet? Stock up now so you can sit back and relax with your indoor green space this fall and winter. They’re sure to bring colorful life to your home and remind you of the upcoming spring and all of the beautiful outdoor blooms that are yet to come!
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How to Prepare Your Garden for the Winter Season
Winter is afoot! With the nights becoming chilly, now is the time to start thinking about what to do with your garden until springtime. Soon enough soil will freeze and many plants will stop growing or die. But there are steps you can take to preserve what you have! Read on to find out how to prepare your garden and save any vegetables you might’ve been growing.
1. Take care of your root crops
If you have root crops like carrots, beets, or turnips in your garden, you’re in luck! These require less maintenance because they are able to stay inside the ground after a frost. However, make sure you’re taking them out before the ground freezes over or they may die. Some root crops like parsnips even taste better when kept buried in near freezing weather for 2 to 4 weeks!
2. What to do with your leafy greens
If you’ve been following us for a while and took our advice in August to plant these leafy vegetables, you now get to reap the rewards! It’s time to harvest those sweet greens for some fresh homemade salads and dishes. If you’re willing to wait a little bit, veggies like kale and collards get sweeter with a little light frost. Cabbages and Swiss chard can handle the frost, if you want to harvest them all at once, but their outer covering may get a little damaged. Lettuces, however, cannot withstand the cold. Take them out before the frost hits.
3. Reduce irrigation
If you’re someone who has their sprinklers on overnight or all hours of the day, we have some good news! You can lower the use of sprinklers if you’re in a warmer weather and stop it altogether if you’re in a cooler weather. Now you can save your water usage and lower your water bill without compromising the quality of your lawn. Win-win!
4. Herbs for winter
Herbs may seem like very delicate plants that would be unlikely to survive winter, but that’s not true! Herbs like sage, thyme and chives are hardy perennials that will survive the harsh weather with no problem. Some other herbs like rosemary and basil need to be dug up and brought inside where they will happily continue to grow.
5. Preparing the soil for spring
Preparing your soil in advance will make your work much easier come spring. Adding things like compost, manure, bone meal, and kelp will add nutrients to your soil and keep it healthy until spring. You can start working on it right as spring comes instead of having to fill it up with nutrients and wait for them to get incorporated! Add a layer of organic mulch for extra protection from winter rains and keeping your enriched soil safe.
Winter doesn’t have to mean everything dies until the spring! Taking the proper precautions and using the right products can help keep your favorite herbs and veggies growing throughout the colder months. Get started on these steps while the weather is still mild — and if you haven’t already, make sure you’re also caring for your tools and keeping them safe from the icy cold.
Video: Ultimate Guide to Anthurium Care with Homestead Brooklyn
Anthurium – commonly known as flamingo flower – is a super common and super beloved houseplant. Learn everything you need to know about caring for them with this ultimate guide from Summer Rayne Oakes.
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