Tag Archive for: soil amendment

VIDEO: A Formal Garden Tour with Summer Rayne Oakes

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In this garden tour, Summer Rayne Oakes takes us somewhere unexpected. Tucked down a quiet dirt road at the edge of forest and estuary is a formal garden designed by Serge Brunner, a third-generation member of the Espoma Organic family. Inspired by the grandeur and symmetry of Longwood Gardens, Serge reimagined an overgrown landscape into a thoughtfully designed retreat filled with clipped hedges, native statuary, water features, and moments of surprise. While the style leans formal, the philosophy is rooted in patience, soil health, and letting the garden evolve naturally over time. Maintaining long-term plant health in a garden like this relies on building strong soil with organic inputs such as Espoma Organic plant foods and soil amendments.

 

Garden Design & Maintenance Takeaways from Serge’s Garden

1. Reimagine Overgrown Landscapes Instead of Letting Them Hide Your Home

One of the most common landscaping mistakes Serge sees is ignoring foundation plantings for decades. When shrubs and hedges outgrow their space, it’s an opportunity to step back and reimagine rather than simply trim. Renovation can restore balance and highlight your home again.

2. Symmetry Creates Calm and Intention

This garden relies on mirror images, straight lines, and repeated plantings to create structure. Formal gardens may look precise, but they require consistency and healthy plants to maintain that crisp look. Feeding hedges and shrubs with an organic plant food like Espoma Organic Plant-tone helps support steady, manageable growth without harsh flushes.

3. Feed the Soil for Long-Term Success

A garden that’s evolved over 35 years depends on healthy soil biology. Organic fertilizers improve soil structure over time, helping plants develop stronger root systems and better resilience. This is especially important for clipped boxwood, holly hedges, and ornamental trees.

4. Choose Native and Deer-Resistant Plants

With a resident deer population, every plant in this garden was chosen carefully. Serge relies on deer-resistant plants such as hollies, boxwood, and lantana to maintain color and structure. Feeding acid-loving plants with Espoma Organic Holly-tone helps keep foliage healthy and supports long-term performance.

5. Embrace Art and Serendipity

Sculptures, statuary, and even a reclaimed tree turned into a wildlife totem add personality throughout the space. Gardens don’t need to be rigid. A mix of planning and happy accidents often leads to the most memorable results.

6. Remember That a Garden Is Never Finished

Perhaps the most important takeaway: gardens are always evolving. As plants mature, light changes, and new needs arise, adjustments are part of the process. Organic gardening supports this slow, natural progression, feeding plants as they need it rather than forcing quick results.

A Garden Built on Time, Patience, and Healthy Soil

This formal garden may look polished today, but it’s the result of decades of observation, thoughtful plant choices, and soil-first gardening practices. Whether your style is formal or naturalistic, building healthy soil with Espoma Organic plant foods sets the foundation for a garden that grows better with time.

Ready to start your own long-term garden transformation? Watch the full video for inspiration, explore Espoma Organic plant foods, and let’s get growing naturally. 🌱

Learn more about Flock Finger Lakes here:

Website: flockfingerlakes.com

Instagram – @flockfingerlakes

YouTube –Flock Finger Lakes

X – @flockny

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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

 

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VIDEO: Installing a NEW Perennial Bed & Path with Wise Guide ?

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Join Kaleb from  Wyse Guide as he takes you through his latest landscaping project. Watch as he creates a new garden space, from installing a beautiful hardscape path to amending new garden beds for perennial plants. Kaleb guides you through each step of the process, sharing tips and insights along the way. Kaleb amends his new garden beds with Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost to enrich his native soil with organic matter, which is beneficial to plants and also improves soil structure and drainage.

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/

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