Watch as Laura from @gardenanswer freshens up her window boxes with beautiful vibrant flowers. Laura, with the help of @EspomaOrganic demonstrates how you too can add a pop of color to your home this spring.
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Watch as Laura from @GardenAnswer along with the help of Espoma Organic Seed Starter, takes you step by step through the process of planting and caring for multiple varieties of geraniums.
Laura feeds her indoor geraniums with Indoor! Espoma Organic liquid plant food.
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Seed starting is easy when you follow along with Wyse Guide! Bundle up your seeds this winter with Espoma Organic Seed Starter, and by the time it’s warm enough to put them outside, you’ll already have beautiful, strong root growth. Watch the full video below for a step-by-step introduction to spring your seeds into action!
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Hang out with Laura @Gardenanswer as she gives her plants some TLC and provides some essential indoor plant care tips!
Laura feeds her indoor plants with Indoor! Espoma Organic liquid plant food.
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Who says you can’t pot plants in the winter?
Watch as Laura from @GardenAnswer shows you what she’s planting this time of year while using Espoma Organic Potting Soil Mix and Bio-tone Starter Plus! Laura takes you on a tour of her majestic greenhouse and beautiful plant studio. Take notes as she shares valuable plant care tips that you can utilize to be successful his winter.
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People are spending more time than ever indoors and at their screens, and that’s why it’s never been more important to have plants in our living spaces. This blog covers the benefits of having plants indoors and provides simple and affordable tips for greening up your own living space to be more in sync with nature.
This blog is inspired by Episode 113 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast, where host Maria Failla discusses why and how to green up your living space.
Why Should I Have Plants Inside My Home?
Being around plants has been proven to have a variety of benefits for humans. Plants can increase your creativity, alertness, productivity, cognitive performance, and concentration. They can also reduce stress, help lower blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce mental fatigue. Not to mention… plants look beautiful! Who doesn’t want a more picture-perfect home?
What is Biophilia?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably already a fan of nature. Biophilia is a hypothesis initially created by psychoanalyst Erich Fromm and then made popular by biologist Edward O. Wilson that states that humans have an innate desire to be around other living things. We are nature, therefore we seek to be around other natural things. It’s why we feel so calm around our pets, or so peaceful in natural settings.
How to Green Up Your Living Space
The best tip to make your space greener: always have a plant in your eyesight. This is especially important for areas you spend a lot of time in: the kitchen, living room, and home office. Make sure that where you look, there is some iteration of plant.
1) Use Plants or Images of Plants
If you have a window in your space, make it a focal point. Place a desk, table, or couch against the window for that visual connection with nature. Put plants within the eye-line of your tables or any place you’ll be looking frequently. Another option is to put pictures of plants on the wall, so if you can’t have the real thing, you can still benefit from seeing pictures of nature. Photos, watercolors, paintings, or even botanical wallpaper can invoke that feeling of plants in your space.
“Maria’s favorite botanical wallpaper is from Rifle Paper Company”
2) Incorporate All of Your Senses
Different sensory inputs can mimic nature in your space too. Think of ways you can incorporate sounds, smells, and textures in nature. A small trickling water fountain, a soundtrack of calming rainforest noises or birdsongs, and scented plants, candles, or diffusers can all help green up your space.
Our favorite scented plants:
3 ) Use Your Space Wisely – Look up!
If you have a small space, this is especially important. Using vertical space to display plants or images of plants can really help fill in empty areas. You can use shelves, install hanging planters, attach plants to curtain rods, or even create green walls. Don’t just let your bookshelf be all business–let it be a little planty as well.
4) Mix Up Your Textures
Greening up your space doesn’t have to be with just living things. There are so many patterns in nature that show up and have been proven to relax us. Consider having accent details in your space made of natural wood grains, leather, stone, fossil textures, or bamboo as a way to mimic being outdoors in nature.
5) Think About Your Light Setup
A window with natural light will of course give you lots of options for plants. But if you don’t have a window, you’re certainly not out of luck! Picking plants for your space is all about understanding your light setup.
Remember: plants use light to make their food. So no light = no food = dead plants. If you truly have no natural light in your home, opt for a grow light.
Suggestions for low-light homes:
Suggestion for high-light homes:
However you choose to green up your living space, remember that plants are our connection to the natural world. Spend screen free time with them everyday. Use watering or caring for them as an excuse to get up from your computer and take some “me time” because plant care is self care.
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Check out Maria’s Planty Home Office Tour for an in-depth look into her setup and her new book Growing Joy: The Plant Lover’s Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants).
For a deeper understanding of the science behind biophilia, read “14 Patterns of Biophilic Design” by William Browning, Catherine Ryan, and Joseph Clancy.
About Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast
Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast helps people care for plants successfully and cultivate more joy in their lives. Host Maria Failla, a former plant killer turned happy plant lady, interviews experts on various aspects of plant care, and encourages listeners to not only care for plants, but learn to care for themselves along the way.
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Another win for Garden Answer! From boxwoods to trees to a brand new bulb-garden, this planting haul is one for the books. Honorable mentions? Espoma Organic’s Bio-Tone, Potting Soil, and Bulb-Tone are the true heroes of this epic. See how they’re essential for long-lasting healthy blooms in the video below!
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Pumpkin-picking isn’t the only way to get into the Halloween spirit! With dark shades, peculiar shapes, and scientific names plucked right from the mad scientist’s shelf, plants are a crafty way to give your home and garden a spooky touch your trick-or-treaters will love. Plus, if October isn’t enough to motivate you, these eight plant picks are a great way to spice up your space year-round!
‘Black Velvet’ Elephant Ear— Alocasia reginula
This striking plant earns the name ‘Black Velvet’ for its gothic, nearly black foliage accented by silvery-white veins. This tropical houseplant, a dwarf variety of the Elephant Ear plant, loves warm, moist places and well-drained soil. We suggest a 50/50 combination of our Espoma Organic Potting Soil and Espoma Organic Cactus Mix to keep those ‘Black Velvet’ leaves nice and spooky!
‘Black Prince’ Echeveria— Echeveria affinis
Everyone loves a cutesy succulent, but a ‘Black Prince’ Echeveria is the key to adding some drama to your arrangement. Accented by salmon to red-colored flowers in the fall and early winter, this deep purple, nearly black succulent provides spooktacular color contrast against typical green succulents. Water sparingly and keep the ‘Black Prince’ in the bright light to prevent the dark foliage from fading.
Venus Flytrap— Dionaea muscipula
Dun dun… dun dun… it’s everyone’s favorite insect-eating, horror-movie-starring plant: the Venus flytrap! The carnivorous Venus flytrap has “jaws” that can snap shut in less than a second, and while they’re nowhere near as frightening as Halloween decorations make them out to be, this plant can be a unique, scary-cool addition to your little garden of horrors.
Doll’s Eyes— Actaea pachypoda
Doll’s eyes plant, also called white baneberry, has an alien appearance with creepy clusters of eyeball-like berries. A slow-growing perennial, Doll’s eyes plant is best planted during late fall or early spring, and it can be a low-maintenance, ornamental addition to your garden, especially with a boost from Espoma Organic Flower-Tone. Just beware of the plant’s berries because they are very toxic if ingested. (Eye wouldn’t be caught dead eating one!)
Raven ZZ— Zamioculcas zamiifolia
A group of ravens may be called an unkindness, but there’s nothing mean-spirited about the easy-to-grow Raven ZZ! One of the most loved and sought after houseplants for plant parents and interior designers alike, its shiny, dark foliage and upright form make it a bold way to add a gothic element to your space. To keep a Raven healthy, don’t overwater it!
Ornamental Peppers— Capsicum annuum
Want some witchy fingers clawing through your garden? Give your Halloween decor a little pepper-power with ornamental peppers! Coming in a variety of funky shapes and colors, including vibrant oranges, reds, greens, and purples, you can enjoy these plants before the first frost sets in by keeping them in a container in the fall months.
Dracula Orchid— Dracula vampira
Based on its name, it’s no surprise that the Dracula Orchid would be a perfect addition to your home and garden this Halloween. At the center of the bloom, the plant has a vampire-like (or for the Netflix buffs, a Demogorgon-like) mouth that looks ready to bite you. Want to add a festive touch? Wrap your container in a cape and paint it red down the sides to give your Dracula Orchid the proper outfit.
Garlic— Allium sativum
More of a vampire hunter than a Twilight lover? Time to stock up on garlic. Folklore has taught us that garlic is the best way to ward off vampires, and in addition to its protective properties, allium vegetables also do very well this time of year. Kickstart the bulb-planting process with our Espoma Organic Bio-Tone Starter Plus.
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Espoma’s All Purpose Potting Mix and Indoor! fertilizer will help ensure those peculiar plants grow healthy and strong. We hope these eight plants help you and your garden get in the Halloween spirit! Have a spooky suggestion we left out?
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Variety is the key to pollination, and Summer Rayne Oakes has it down tenfold with over 160 species of plants in her garden at Flock Finger Lakes. Want to know what really makes it buzz? Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus, of course!
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Beginners Guide to Growing Cut Flowers
Growing flowers in your garden can be as appealing as growing food, because not only are flowers beautiful, but they’re pollinator magnets. Let’s get into the basics of growing cut flowers.
This blog is inspired by Episode 128 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast, where host Maria Failla interviewed Brooklyn Sherri, owner of Petal and Herb Farm.
Why Are Seed Packets Important?
Seed packets can be crucial in helping you understand all the components that go into growing your cut flower garden. They provide information on when to plant, how long until germination, plant description, growing habits, how deep the seed should be planted, and helpful details on growth and harvesting. Make sure you do your homework on the seed company of your choosing to make sure they fit your needs.
What Is My Growing Zone?
Your growing zone helps you determine how long your frost-free growing season is. If you’re in the U.S., you can find your USDA plant hardiness zone by entering your zip code.
Once you find your hardiness zone, you can also search for the last frost date in your zip code. Your first and last frost dates will show you how many frost-free growing days you have in a season. This can help you figure out when to plant each of your cut flower varieties.
What Growing Conditions Do Flowers Need?
Most flowers prefer well-draining soil. If you’re starting with clay soil that tends to hold water, you want to amend it with compost or peat moss to provide more drainage. Additionally, you can mix in bagged garden soil, like Espoma’s Vegetable & Flower Garden Soil to add structure and drainage.
Sun needs will also vary by flower, but a general rule is 6 hours of direct sun for flowers. Whether you’re direct sowing seeds outdoors or transplanting plants, make sure each variety is in a location with enough sun.
Water requirements for annual flowers may be higher during Summer months, but in general, deep, infrequent watering is best. About one inch of water per week is enough.
Fertilizing requirements will depend on the specific flower you’re growing. If you notice foliage yellowing, it can often mean your plant is low in nitrogen. Or if you have lots of green foliage but no blooms, that could indicate you have a phosphorous problem. Try Espoma’s Flower-Tone Fertilizer to get large, healthy blooms.
Now that you know basic care for growing cut flowers, check out our list of the 7 best flowers to grow from seed as a beginner!
Sunflowers are some of the easiest annual flowers to grow from seed. You can directly sow them outdoors in full sun with minimal effort. They come in so many sizes and colors too!
Zinnias are another easy annual flower to grow from seed in full sun. They only take about 60-70 days to bloom from seed, and there are tons of varieties like double flowered, dwarfs, cactus, and giant zinnias. They also come in a wide range of stunning colors!
Unlike sunflowers and zinnias, daisies are a perennial flower that will come back year after year. You can start them from seed outdoors as long as you keep them moist for up to twenty days. Otherwise, they grow great from transplants and continue to spread every year. They come in whites, yellows, pinks, and reds.
Sweet peas are an annual flower that can deal with cooler temperatures. Plant them in very early Spring and you’ll have beautiful pastel bouquets in a couple of months. Since they are vining plants, give them something to climb like a trellis.
While snapdragons will need to be started from seed indoors 2-3 months before your last frost, the payoff in blooms will be worth it. Pay attention to the seed packet for best germination methods. The more you cut snapdragon blooms and create branching, the more blooms you’ll get. And snapdragons come in so many different colors that you’ll be creating gorgeous bouquets for weeks!
Cosmos are another easy-to-grow annual that produce tons of Summer blooms. They come in a variety of heights and colors, and their long, slender stems make for an easy addition to any cut flower bouquet.
And finally we have the humble, yet unmistakable strawflower. This annual is another easy-to-grow flower from seed that can handle any soil quality you have. Its textured petals feel similar to straw and make gorgeous cut or dried flower bouquets.
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To give your cut flowers a healthy start, try using Espoma’s Flower-Tone Fertilizer during the growing season for larger, more abundant blooms.
About Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast
Bloom & Grow Radio Podcast helps people care for plants successfully and cultivate more joy in their lives. Host Maria Failla, a former plant killer turned happy plant lady, interviews experts on various aspects of plant care, and encourages listeners to not only care for plants, but learn to care for themselves along the way.
About Our Interviewee
Brooklyn Sherri is a flower farmer with many skills. She runs her own flower farm, Petal & Herb, where they produce flowers, vegetables, berries, herbs, and microgreens all on 5 acres of land in Colorado. Brooklyn also hosts Ya Grandma’s Garden & Houseplants on Clubhouse and teaches horticulture at The Cool Choice to improve the opportunities for children and families in her neighborhood.
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