Proper Watering Habits for Winter

Did you know that your houseplant watering schedule should change with the seasons? Even though your indoor plants don’t endure the snow and chilly winds, their growing conditions still change throughout the year based on seasonal differences.

Winters in New England are known for colder temperatures and shorter, darker days. These changes affect how your plants grow, and that means adjusting your care routine is essential to keep them healthy through the season.

In winter, watering your plants less frequently is crucial, as slower growth means they require less water. Follow these steps below for a detailed step-by-step guide on how to keep your indoor plants thriving all season long.

Reduce Frequency: Plants naturally grow slower in the winter; therefore, they do not need as much water. Wait until the top 1-2 inches of soil are dry before watering. This might mean some plants only need watering every few weeks. 

Water Deeply:  When you do water, make sure you are watering thoroughly, until the water runs out the drainage holes. This promotes deeper root growth ultimately helping the plant thrive.

Use Room Temperature Water: Cold water can shock the roots of a plant. Ideally, the water for your plants should sit for a few hours, which will bring it to room temperature and allow chlorine and other chemicals to evaporate. 

Caring for your houseplants in the winter requires extra attention. Be mindful of overwatering and harsh dry conditions to keep your plants looking and growing optimally.

Need help? Visit our Garden Center for expert advice and everything you need to know to keep your plants thriving all season long. 

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Every Home Needs Houseplants!

Houseplants are significantly proven to increase mental well-being and enhance quality of life. Beyond their health benefits, they also can add warmth and charm to a living space. By incorporating houseplants into your decor, they can transform a gloomy area into a warm and inviting space.

There are many ways to incorporate houseplants into your space, whether you are new to plant care or a seasonal plant parent. Follow the steps below to add a touch of greenery and brighten up your home for the gloomy winter months ahead. 

Create Different Heights and Levels: When shopping for the proper houseplant for your space, make sure you familiarize yourself with the area. Look for corners, consider empty wall space, and think about incorporating plant stands for height. 

Arrange Plants Strategically: Depending on how many houseplants you are adding to your space, strategically place them in groups. Plant groupings give the individual plants a more cohesive and impactful feel rather than spacing them out across an area. Mix your plants into existing decor, such as bookshelves and furniture, or really any place you feel fits the intended ambiance. 

Enhance Them with Decor: Select decorative pots that compliment your space and color palette. You can incorporate other decorative items, such as lighting, baskets, and books to add a more cohesive look to the space.

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Protect Your Houseplants from the Cold This Season!

As the cooler weather settles in, your houseplants are ready to be moved back indoors. This step is essential to protect them from dropping temperatures, frost, and harsh weather conditions that could harm or even devastate them.

Keeping your houseplants outside during the summer months promotes healthier and more vigorous growth. Outdoor settings help plants boost their metabolism, and strengthen stems. However, moving them back inside is crucial for the safety of your houseplants. Follow these quick 4 steps to protect your plants and allow them for maximum growth.

Move Your Plants Inside: Ideally you want to move your houseplants indoors before nightly temperatures consistently hit 50 degrees. In New England, this is generally around late September.

Adjust Light Conditions: Plants need time to adjust to the lower light levels indoors. You can try moving them to a brighter spot or use grow lights.

Slow Down Watering Schedule: Make sure you adjust your watering schedule and stop fertilizing your plants once they are indoors. Plant growth slows down for the winter season.

Check Plants For Pests: Make sure you check your plants for any pests or bugs before moving them indoors. This will prevent these pests from infesting your home or spreading to your other plants.

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Prepping Your Garden For The Cooler Months Ahead

A thriving summer garden begins with proper winter care. Taking the time to prepare now will set the stage for a vibrant return in the spring. For planting your trees and shrubs follow these quick steps for a healthy and successful garden. 

Fall can be the perfect season to plant new trees and shrubs, as long as you plant them at the right time. The ideal planting window is at least one month before the ground freezes. In New Hampshire, this typically falls between mid-October and mid-November. To give your trees and shrubs the best chance to thrive, aim to plant them by mid-October. That way, they’ll have enough time to establish roots and be well-prepared for a vibrant spring. In addition to planting your trees and shrubs at the appropriate time, follow these 5 steps to ensure they are healthy and blooming come spring.   

Water: Make sure to keep already established shrubs and trees well watered into late fall. Moisture will help them survive the harsh New England winter conditions. 

Apply Mulch: Add a two to four inch layer of mulch around the base of the shrubs and trees. Make sure you are keeping this away from the trunk to prevent rotting. 

Prune: Make sure to prune your plants once they have entered dormancy. Dormancy is when plants growth naturally slows, this typically is triggered by shorter daylight and decreasing temperatures. Due to the dry summer that we experienced plants will most likely experience this earlier this season. 

Protect the Trunk: Consider wrapping your shrubs and trees to protect them from damage. You can use tree wraps or even consider guards for younger trees.

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DIY Fall Containers

Now that September has arrived, fall is the perfect time to give your garden and yard a cozy autumn makeover. Follow these simple, step-by-step instructions to transform your outdoor space, full of color, texture, and seasonal charm!

The crisp air, warm colors, and falling leaves set the stage for a seasonal refresh. From planting vibrant mums and ornamental kale to adding decorative pumpkins, there are so many easy ways to embrace the beauty of fall. Start by following these 4 steps for an easy DIY fall container.

Choose a Container:

Select a large pot that can accommodate all of your plants, you can choose from terra cotta pots, olive buckets, or galvanized tubs.

Gather Fall Plants: 

Choose fall ornamentals that thrive in brisk weather. Great options include ornamental kale and cabbage for bold color and texture. Add height and dimension with elements like fountain grass, or muhly grass. For visual additions, incorporate plants with contrasting foliage and color, such as grass, dusty miller, and pansies.

Assemble Your Planter: 

Fill your container with potting soil, for a classic look place taller plants in the center and shorter plants or trailing ivy around the edges. 

Adding the Finishing Touches:

Incorporate decorative branches for added height. To add a nice seasonal touch consider adding small pumpkins, gourds, or fall-themed decor, and finally add mulch to any gaps to fill out the container. 

If you have specific questions about your garden, planters, or anything related to outdoor living, we invite you to stop by the Garden Center at Studley’s. We are happy to help, offering expert advice and personalized recommendations!

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Prepping Your Garden For The Weather Ahead

Now that fall has arrived its time to start giving your gardens and beds some extra care. Preparing for the season is a multi-step process that involves a lot of tedious work. In early fall the focus should be on harvesting, removing summer plants, and preparing the beds for succession planting or overwintering.

Your garden brings so much beauty during its peak season, so it only makes sense to give it the care it needs to make it through the winter. Taking the time to prepare now will set the stage for a lush, vibrant return in the spring. Follow these four essential steps below to get your garden ready for the colder months ahead.

Remove Spent Plants: Clear away any annuals and vegetables that have finished producing to prevent pests and diseases from overwintering. For legumes like peas and beans, cut the plants at the soil level and leave the roots to decay. 

Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs: Now is the perfect time to plant spring bulbs like tulips, and daffodils, for an early vibrant spring display. 

Plant Cool Weather Vegetables:   Crops like spinach, kale, lettuce, radishes, and swiss chard can handle light frosts and are good to plant now. Focus on varieties with a shorter days to maturity listed on the seed-packet. 

Enrich The Soil: Add a generous layer of compost to replenish nutrients that was lost. You can gently work it into the top few inches of the soil.

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October is Emotional Wellness Month and we think that ties in perfectly with the ancestral traditions that have shaped our human bio-rhythms.

For our ancestors, tending to the fields for survival meant a lot of hard work to sustain through the winter. Thankfully, we are not as reliant on personal crops for survival these days, but we still take care to ensure our wellness through the cold winters, especially here in the Northeast.

Although times have changed, as fall begins, we still prepare our grounds and homes for our protection and comfort.

Traditionally, autumn was better known as harvest season, a time to reap the hard-earned benefits of the growing season. It still is to some degree…

When summer ends, we come inside, make our spaces comfortable and warm, and prepare to give thanks and celebrate abundance with holiday celebrations. We don’t think of it this way, but it is a routine for emotional wellness.

October is the perfect time to mindfully practice self-care, by bringing in the benefits of plants and flowers to ready our nest, and make it the most comfortable and pleasant for ourselves and our family.

Here’s a few things we know about the power of flowers and the magic of plants for emotional wellness:

We’ve always know life is better with flowers and plants, but don’t take our word for it. Check out what the good people at thatflowerfeeling.org have to say about it…

My Pro Tip:

As humans, we have an innate instinct to connect with nature, it’s called biophilia, and it’s a whole thing! It’s how we know Life Is Better With Flowers & Plants. As the cold weather moves in, we invite you to come wander the greenhouses here at Studley’s. Experiencing the warmth, the smell of the earth, the scent of flowers lingering in the air, amongst all the lush greenery is good therapy. Taking home a little something extra is just another practice in self-care.

Not local? You can browse our greenhouse online to find all our plants in the Houseplants Collection, for nationwide shipping.

All of us at Studley’s wishing you wellness in mind, body and soul this month and always.

See you at Studley’s!

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1. Chrysanthemum

This iconic fall favorite naturally makes the top of our list. Loved for their versatility, these traditional autumn bloomers are a sure signal of the transition from summer to fall in the garden. Think about the overall color palette for your container and choose a mum color that will serve as your thriller and anchor the design. Look for plants with lots of buds and ideally, not yet bloomed. The fall season is short, so we recommend always going for the biggest container of mums to fill at least 1/3, if not 1/2 of the container.  Ask our pros about the variety you purchase, most are sold as annuals here in the Northeast and will not winter over.

2. Ornamental Kale & Cabbage

A relative of edible cabbage and kale, these plants look a lot like the ones we eat, but are grown purely as ornamental in the garden. A cool weather loving plant, their colors get richer as temps drop, making them a perfect choice for a spiller in outdoor containers this time of year.  With crinkled leaves, ruffled edges, and rosettes saturated in blue-greens, purples, pinks and whites, the only problem we have with these plants is choosing a favorite! You’ll find them in a variety of colors and textures here in our garden center.  As a frost tolerant annual, they have been known to survive right into November or December here.

3. Coral Bells

Coral Bells are a great option as a foliage filler for your recipe, and they’re available in a number of varieties here. With choices like Cinnabar Silver,  Forever Red,  Lemon Supreme, Silver Scrolls, Palace Purple, you’re sure to find the perfect complement to your recipe. As perennials, Coral Bells can be planted in the ground while soil is still warm, usually right up until it October. They prefer partial shade, but will take more sun in the cooler weather, so they work great in late season planters.

4. Sedum

Sedum is another perennial that will do double duty as a cold tolerant option that can later be planted in the
ground. Upright varieties like Autumn Joy or Neon Stonecrop are best planted near the center of your pot as a thriller. Ground cover sedum like Dragon’s Blood or Little Miss Sunshine are better spillers to be placed near the outside edge of containers.

5. Grasses

We like to incorporate some annual grasses for height, textural interest and movement. The leaves of Purple Fountain Grass are a rich plum color, and become a darker red in the fall, with fluffy red and tan plumes that wave above the foliage. Another go to is Red Rooster Sedge for it’s earthy copper-bronze leaf color with showy red variegation.

If you’re short on time or don’t want to venture out, you can order a pre-made Fall Container Garden or Bushel Basket Mums online for local delivery to your door or pick-up here at the Garden Center. For more fall plant ideas, visit our Plant Finder and search by season.

My Pro Tip:

This is the last big garden show, so I always go big to stretch out the season. Create multiple containers and place them around the property to maintain bright color and interest as garden beds begin to die back for winter. I like the tried and true favorites, but have been known to get creative with uncommon or unexpected container plants like Rudbeckia and Ornamental Peppers. For larger containers, try Dwarf Alberta Spruce and then later transition it to a holiday container. Add pumpkins and gourds to make your seasonal theme complete and try a solar lantern or fairy lights to cast your work in a flattering evening glow.

Most of all, have fun and savor the rest of the season.

See you at Studley’s!

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As sad as we may be to see summer end, the weather is right for working outdoors. Studley’s has all your tips for investments that will pay off in spades next spring!

Garden Care

To reduce disease and pest infestation risk, pull spent annuals at the root, and remove weed and leaf debris. Harvest the remains of any fruits or vegetables and toss anything rotting in the compost pile. Trim back perennials that have passed their bloom period. With the exception of woody plants and perennial vines, a good rule of thumb is, “If it’s brown – cut it down.” When trimming, leave a couple of inches above the soil so returning growth will be easy to spot next year.

When it comes to trees and shrubs, we do not recommend pruning in the fall. These plants are preparing to go dormant now and pruning will stimulate new growth that could be damaged when the temperature drops.

Once your beds are clean, this is a good time to mix fertilizer or organic compost into the soil to refresh nutrients that will make it ripe for rich spring growth. Be sure to also clear out containers and bring tender plants inside for the winter.

Divide Plants

With any extraneous material removed from your garden beds, this is a great time to take stock of opportunities for improvement in your landscape. Do you have perennials that are becoming too large for their space or overcrowding other plants? Are there areas that appear bare or are ideal for a new garden?

You can divide large perennials to control growth and re-purpose them in another location. Most bulbs can also be easily dug up and pulled apart. For perennials or large bulbous plants, pop the entire root ball out of the ground, divide at the roots with a sharp spade and replant in sparse areas or share them with a friend!

What To Plant Now

Fall is the right time to prepare your garden for a gorgeous spring show of color! Now is the time to plant spring blooming bulbs such as Alliums, Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacynth, and Tulips. This is also the time to plant Garlic bulbs. Garlic is not only delicious, but highly nutritious, low in calories and full of medicinal and health purposes. Plant some now to have a fresh supply on hand next summer, your diet will thank you for it!

While you can technically plant until you can no longer dig in the ground, your bulbs will do best if planted about 6 weeks before the ground freezes – long enough to take hold before going dormant, but not enough time to risk premature sprouting. Get more details in our blog article, Savvy Gardeners Are Planting Fall Bulbs Now For Big Spring Bloom Rewards.

Fall is also an ideal time to plant new deciduous and/or coniferous trees and shrubs. There is still plenty of time to allow roots systems to establish before the frost really sets in. We recommend you apply a layer of mulch around newly planted trees to protect through the winter, starting a few inches from the trunk and extend out to at least the drip line.

Visit our online Plant Finder to search our current inventory and find plants to add to your garden this fall!

Fall Ornamentals

Just because annual and perennial plants have passed their peak, doesn’t mean your landscape can’t boast vivid color. Use cool weather loving fall ornamental plants like chrysanthemums, asters, ornamental kale, and grasses to extend your garden display. While mums do well in pots, you can also plant them directly in the ground to dress up your garden beds. When selecting mums, look for plants with the most unopened buds and deadhead spent flowers for the optimum bloom show. Ornamental kale, a relative of cabbage, will pair well with your fall mums and is available in a variety of colors and texture.

Pro Services

A well-designed and maintained garden enhances the look and functionality of your home. If you don’t have the time or the gumption to tackle your fall garden care, let the Landscaping pros at Studley’s do it for you. Visit our Garden Center for all the supplies and helpful expert advice you need – we stock premium bulbs for all the spring blooming flowers mentioned here. We also grow all our own mums to bring you only the freshest plants in a wide variety of brilliant colors.

Our Bushel Basket Mums are also available for purchase online for local delivery to your home or business!

My Pro Tip

Get creative with your fall containers. Choose unusual items as your container and to use as accents. The natural hues found in all things old are an excellent complement to autumn colors. A shiny or aged patina copper bin, galvanized or rusty tub, an old wooden trunk, or plants stacked on the rungs of an old ladder make for a fun an unexpected display. Use a combination of mums and kale as foundation plants, add tall grasses or corn stalks to gain height. Accent with other organic elements such as pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, bright leaves, tree branches, and pine cones for added interest. Weave in some dried vines as an accent, but avoid Bittersweet as it is highly invasive. Punch up the color by painting pumpkins, branches and pine cones to complement your design. Finally – add a solar lantern or fairy lights to highlight the mystique of the season and showcase your display day or night!

Use houseplants for the same effects indoors. Check out our selection of Mail Order Plants online or visit our Greenhouse in store.

See you at Studley’s!

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There is something dreamy and romantically sentimental about those showy and abundant clusters of colorful flowers in shades of blue, pink, purple and white that we just can’t resist! It is for this reason gardeners get frustrated when their hydrangea won’t perform as expected.

If your Hydrangeas fail to grow or bloom, it might be due to plant selection or pruning needs. At Studley’s, we first advocate choosing a Hydrangea variety that thrives in our local zones. We typically carry three types in our garden center, each of them known to be reliably hardy in New England zones: macrophylla, paniculata and arborescens.

These Hydrangeas either bloom on growth from the previous season or they bloom on growth from the current season. What does this mean for you? They are ideal selections because they don’t typically require annual pruning to look their best.

Macrophylla, also known as, “Big Leaf Hydrangea,” come in several varieties:

–Bloom Struck Hydrangea
–Blushing Bride Hydrangea
–Endless Summer Hydrangea
–Twist-n-Shout Hydrangea

Big Leaf Hydrangea boasts large, beautiful flowers in pink, purple or blue, and will typically bloom from last year’s growth. The best advice is to NOT prune Big Leaf Hydrangea varieties, unless the shrub has grown too big. If you prune them in the fall or early spring, you risk pruning off the flower buds.

Endless Summer blooms on both last season’s growth AND the current season’s growth. This is an advantage for New England gardeners. Even if these varieties of hydrangea experience any winter die back, you will still enjoy flowers in the summer. Just be patient – and know this is a variety that will take longer to bloom on the new growth.

Pruning Big Leaf Hydrangea To Control Growth

If you feel your shrub has grown too large, the best strategy to control growth is to prune 1/3 of the shrub every year after flowering. This ensures you still have 2/3 of the plant to flower each summer. To do this, wait until the spring when the trees begin leafing out and check your Big Leaf Hydrangea for the leaves to begin emerging. You can then prune back any dead stems to where you see new leaves.

Paniculata and Arborescens Hydrangea Varieties

The other two popular types of Hydrangea recommended for NH are Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens, sometimes called ‘Annabelle’ Hydrangea, and panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea , also known as ‘PeeGee’ Hydrangea. Arborescens and panicle Hydrangea flower on new wood, so while they do not strictly require regular pruning, they can be pruned in late fall or early spring and still produce abundant flowers in the summer.

With these types of Hydrangea, it’s a good idea to go out in early spring and remove any skeletons from last year’s blooms that are still on the plant, as these may not fall off naturally and can spoil the look of this year’s flowers. If you prune them in the spring, a good rule of thumb is to remove one-third of their height to encourage new growth and branching if desired.

Plant Hydrangea Now For Blooms Next Summer

With proper selection and care, you can achieve the gorgeous growth and spectacular show Hydrangeas are known for. Whichever type of you may have in your garden, or plan to add to your garden, you can be sure of lots of gorgeous blooms if you follow these simple pruning tips. Enjoy the reward of these stunning blooms in the garden or bring them indoors as cut flowers!

Fall is the best time of year to plant new shrubs in your garden. Plan for beautiful blooms next summer by planting a new Hydrangea today!

See you at Studley’s!

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