VIDEO: One Last Autumn Stroll 🍁🍂 with Summer Rayne Oakes

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.

*****

Featured Products:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

The post VIDEO: One Last Autumn Stroll with Summer Rayne Oakes first appeared on Espoma Organic.

from Espoma Organic https://www.espoma.com/blog/2025-one-last-autumn-stroll-%f0%9f%8d%81%f0%9f%8d%82-with-summer-rayne-oakes/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/12/11/video-one-last-autumn-stroll-%f0%9f%8d%81%f0%9f%8d%82-with-summer-rayne-oakes/

VIDEO: How to Plant Spring Bulbs in Containers 🌱🌷 with Garden Answer

Laura from Garden Answer shows how to plant spring-blooming bulbs in large containers for a big, colorful show next season. She fills eight pots with Menton tulips and Spanish bluebells, feeding them with Espoma Organic Bulb-tone and then topdressing with Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost to refresh the tired soil and support strong, natural growth.

The Planting Plan: A “Bouquet” in Every Pot

Laura creates a layered “bouquet” effect in each container:

• Center: Menton tulips
• Outer edge: Spanish bluebells

Both bloom late in the season, so the colors overlap beautifully. Spanish bluebells grow about 14–18″ tall, while Menton tulips reach 23–25″, giving each pot a soft, tiered look. Planting in raised containers keeps everything at waist height, which makes bulb planting much easier than digging in the ground.

Step-by-Step: How Laura Plants Her Bulb Containers

1. Prepare the Container

Laura removes soil down to about 6 inches deep. This makes room for the first layer of bulbs and ensures they’re planted at the proper depth.

2. Amend the Soil with an Organic Fertilizer

Before placing any bulbs, she sprinkles Espoma Organic Bulb-tone into the container.

Why it helps:

• Provides slow-release, organic nutrition right where roots grow.
• Encourages strong root development, which is key for bulbs to overwinter and bloom well.
• Gentle, natural formula that’s safe for people, pets, and pollinator-friendly gardens when used as directed.

3. Plant Tulips “Shoulder to Shoulder”

Menton tulip bulbs go in first at 6 inches deep, planted:

• Pointy side up, flat side down.
• Very close together—“shoulder to shoulder”—rather than spaced as they would be in the ground.

This tight spacing lets her fit about 100 tulip bulbs per pot, creating a dense, show-stopping spring display.

4. Add Spanish Bluebells

She covers the tulips with a couple of inches of soil, then plants the Spanish bluebells in a ring around the outer edge at about 4 inches deep. Bluebell bulbs look a bit different, but the rule still applies: roots down, growth point up.

5. Add compost

Because the potting mix has been used before and is showing roots and wear, Laura doesn’t just add more regular soil. Instead, she topdresses each container with Espoma Organic Land & Sea Compost.

Why it helps:

• Adds rich organic matter back into tired soil.
• Improves soil structure and moisture retention, which bulbs love.
• Supplies a gentle nutrient boost from premium ingredients like lobster and kelp meal, helping bulbs grow strong and bloom beautifully.

6. Water Thoroughly

After planting and topdressing, Laura waters each container deeply.

Her key watering tip:

• Aim for even moisture across the entire soil surface, not just one side of the pot.
• In winter, check containers every 2–3 weeks. The goal is soil that’s slightly moist, never soggy, and never bone dry.

Bulb-Specific Tips for Container Success

Laura’s main bulb care reminders:

• Chill time matters:
  • Tulips and daffodils generally need 12–16 weeks of consistent cold (around 35–45°F).
  • Hyacinths often need 8–10 weeks; crocus and snowdrops around 6–8 weeks.
• Mild climate? Go pre-chilled:
  If you garden in a warmer region, order pre-chilled bulbs so they arrive ready to plant and still bloom well.
• Drainage is essential:
  Containers must have drainage holes so bulbs don’t sit in water and rot. In very wet climates, you may need to protect pots from constant rainfall; in dry climates, remember to water occasionally.

With the right chill, good drainage, consistent moisture, and organic nutrition from Bulb-tone and Land & Sea Compost, these containers are now set up for a spectacular spring show—naturally.

*****

Featured Products:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

The post VIDEO: How to Plant Spring Bulbs in Containers with Garden Answer first appeared on Espoma Organic.

from Espoma Organic https://www.espoma.com/espoma-videos/2025-how-to-plant-spring-bulbs-in-containers-%f0%9f%8c%b1%f0%9f%8c%b7-with-garden-answer/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/12/09/video-how-to-plant-spring-bulbs-in-containers-%f0%9f%8c%b1%f0%9f%8c%b7-with-garden-answer/

Our Favorite Things of 2025

You asked and we answered! Yes, due to popular demand, we have put on our Oprah hats (are they berets? fedoras? what would Oprah wear?), and made a list of our favorite home/life/everything purchases from the past year. These are all items we bought with our own money and loved in 2025… so much so that when we took a look back, they stood out as some of our best buys and favorite additions to our life. So you’re still searching for holiday gifts (or struggling to tell someone what you want), this post might help.

Continue reading Our Favorite Things of 2025 at Young House Love.

from Young House Love https://www.younghouselove.com/favorite-things-of-2025/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/our-favorite-things-of-2025/

After Five Years Of Living Here – We’re Renovating!!

Cue the demo dust! After 5+ years of living in this house, we’re embarking on a renovation! Of course over the holidays (because we are nothing if not consistent). We’ve tackled some sizable projects over the last five years here, like adding a pool in 2021, gutting & rebuilding our kitchen in 2022, and replacing all of our windows & doors with hurricane grade ones two years ago… but this is the first time since we moved in that we’re removing walls and changing rooms. The chaos you see above is from early 2020, but actually some of those walls being open is a preview of the new view we’ll gain from our kitchen and living area downstairs! We are VERY EXCITED.

Continue reading After Five Years Of Living Here – We’re Renovating!! at Young House Love.

from Young House Love https://www.younghouselove.com/why-we-are-renovating-again/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/11/25/after-five-years-of-living-here-were-renovating/

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

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:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where to Buy

 

The post VIDEO: Bringing In Your Plants for Winter with Summer Rayne Oakes first appeared on Espoma Organic.

from Espoma Organic https://www.espoma.com/espoma-videos/2025-video-bringing-in-your-plants-for-winter-%f0%9f%aa%b4%e2%9d%84%ef%b8%8f-with-summer-rayne-oakes/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/video-bringing-in-your-plants-for-winter-%f0%9f%aa%b4%e2%9d%84%ef%b8%8f-with-summer-rayne-oakes/

25 Holiday Gift Exchange Theme Ideas

Every year, people ask us for theme ideas from my family’s annual Christmas gift exchange. We first mentioned this tradition on a podcast episode in 2016 and now, nearly a decade later, we’re putting the full, updated list in an easy-to-reference blog post. So if you or your family are feeling stuck or overwhelmed by your holiday shopping list, see why introducing a theme might do the trick!

Continue reading 25 Holiday Gift Exchange Theme Ideas at Young House Love.

from Young House Love https://www.younghouselove.com/holiday-gift-exchange-theme-ideas/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/11/19/25-holiday-gift-exchange-theme-ideas/

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

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:

Where to Buy

The post Final Fall Plantings & Tips for Bringing Plants Inside for Winter with Wyse Guide first appeared on Espoma Organic.

from Espoma Organic https://www.espoma.com/trees-shrubs/2025-final-fall-plantings-and-storing/

from
https://summerblakeley.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/final-fall-plantings-tips-for-bringing-plants-inside-for-winter-%f0%9f%8d%81%f0%9f%aa%b4-with-wyse-guide/