The Perfect Summer Host Gift

Summer is full of reasons to gather, sunny backyard BBQs, weekend dinner parties and casual porch hangs. If you’ve been invited to celebrate the season with friends or family, bring a hostess gift to make a real impression. A thoughtful gift goes a long way and is always a welcome surprise. Our fresh flower bouquets are the perfect way to show your appreciation.

Ancient Origins

In Classical Antiquity, the concept of xenia in Ancient Greece laid the foundation for modern-day hospitality traditions. Guests were expected to bring gifts as tokens of respect, and hosts reciprocated with generosity. This mutual exchange reinforced social bonds and obligations. Although the tradition of the host or hostess gift has evolved in many ways over time, we prefer to stick to our roots!

Fresh Flowers

As a universally recognized sign of gratitude and goodwill, fresh flowers are an excellent host gift choice because they immediately brighten up a room and bring elegance to a space. A bouquet in a vase provides a short-term burst of seasonal beauty and their temporary nature is a low-pressure option in a world of possibilities. Even a modest bouquet can feel luxurious for the receiver, and the arrangement can also be tailored to suit an event or feature seasonal blooms.

At Studley’s Flower Gardens, we make it easy to show your gratitude with fresh flowers. Our ready-to-go floral arrangements are designed with seasonal blooms in bright, cheerful colors, perfect for any summertime celebration. Want something more personal? Let us design a custom bouquet that fits your host’s style.

For our latest fresh flower bouquets, shop our Summer Bouquets!

Houseplants

Unlike cut flowers, a houseplant is enduring and provides a long-term reminder of the gift-giver’s appreciation. From a health perspective, houseplants help purify the air and add a sense of calm to indoor environments. The variety selected can serve as a conversation starter and complement the host’s personality or style. Finally, plants are a sustainable and environmentally conscious gift, continuing to give back to the home and environment as long as it continues to thrive.

Whether you are looking for a stunning single plant or a robust planter, Studley’s offers a wide selection of plant gifts.

Traveling to your destination? We also offer shipping for our houseplants! Our houseplants ship every Tuesday so you can coordinate with your arrival or even send as thank you following your visit. Choose from planters like the Dish Garden Selection or the Succulent Selection, or stunning plants like the Purple Oxalis or Orange Scented Geranium.

Shop the wide selection of houseplants lovingly grown in our greenhouses year-round. 

Memorable Gifts are Always the Right Size

Bringing flowers or a plant to your next summer gathering is a simple, meaningful gesture that’s always appreciated. Whether it’s a small thank-you for a grilled meal or a thoughtful token for a weekend stay, we’re here to help you make it memorable.

Visit Studley Flower Gardens in Rochester or peruse our online offerings to find the perfect host or hostess gift for every summer occasion. Thoughtful, fresh, and always beautiful!  

The post Looking For The Perfect Summer Host Gift? appeared first on Studley Flower Gardens.

• Raised beds or planting on slopes can help prevent water from pooling. This requires some pre-planning, but if you see pooling once, plan on seeing it again.
• Mulching with organic material can aid in moisture regulation, preventing excessive moisture from sitting at plant roots. This is always a recommendation for healthy plants, rain or shine, but if your plants are suffering from too much water, this is a solution to try.

• Be sure plants have adequate air circulation with proper pruning and spacing. Regular pruning is recommended in spring or fall, when plants are not budding or in bloom. In extreme cases, the benefit outweighs the risk and it’s ok to trim a few branches to allow air to flow.
• Covering plants can help protect against damage from heavy rainfall. This can be especially helpful for vegetable gardens and other tender annuals or to keep things tidy before an event where presentation is important.

Finally, when the garden gets too much rain, excess moisture can contribute to the spread of fungal infections. Be sure to regularly inspect plants for signs of stress, disease, or pest infestations during prolonged rainy periods, and remove diseased or damaged plant parts.

As always, our Garden Center pros are here to guide you with plant selection for naturally damp spaces, or to advise on pest or disease control. Bring a photo when you visit and we’ll do our best to offer a suggested remedy.

If it’s time to address water regulation on your property, request a Landscaping Consult with our pros to address drainage, consider hardscapes, or how irrigation controls help bring efficiency and protect your landscape investment.

Pro Tip:

Cut fresh or “ready to bloom” buds before significant storms and enjoy them indoors!

See you at Studley’s!

The post When The Garden Gets Too Much Rain appeared first on Studley Flower Gardens.

In landscape design, we often use ornamental grass as an anchor plant, along with trees and shrubs, because they are so easy to integrate with all garden styles. The variety and versatility of ornamental grasses offer a range of options to create great density, beauty, texture and movement in the garden, with little maintenance required.

These are some of our favorites for function and form attributes…

The Tall Ones

Oktoberfest Maiden Grass

Huron Sunrise Maiden Grass

Porcupine Grass

The Shorter Ones

Festina Blue Fescue

Sky Rocket Fountain Grass

Grassy-Leaved Sweet Flag

The Fancy Ones

Bunny Tails Grass

All Gold Hakone Grass

Flame Grass

Sustainability

Since most ornamental grasses are drought tolerant once established, they are becoming a more popular choice for sustainability as well. More grasses and less lawn, mean water conservation and when properly installed, they can help control soil erosion. As another benefit, the thick growth habit of ornamental grass creates natural habitat for wildlife, and their late season seed heads extend food supply.

The UNH Cooperative Extension includes Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum) as one of the best NH native ornamental grass species, and highlights it a good choice for naturalized areas or rain gardens.

Planting Ornamental Grass

Perennial grasses can be planted right up until fall, but the earlier the better to allow roots be well-established before the frost arrives. Annual ornamental grasses can also still be mixed with cold season annuals in containers to highlight harvest planter themes.

View our inventory of Ornamental Grasses and visit the Garden Center to find your favorites.

My Pro Tip:

A container filled with ornamental grass as a lone specimen has been a big trend as of late. This makes for an elegant and sophisticated statement that will last from spring through fall, without much care. A great solution for business environments.

In the Garden Center, we like to mix ornamental grass in containers with flowers for drama, height and thriller appeal. Spiralis Corkscrew Rush and Purple Fountain Grass are a couple of our go to annual favorites.

Finally, be sure to keep ornamental grass in mind for adding interest to the winter landscape, bringing form and structure, even in the snowiest of seasons.

See you at Studley’s!

The post Ornamental Grass | Top Picks appeared first on Studley Flower Gardens.

Here are some of our favorite water-wise drought tolerant plants, that once established, will survive dry conditions and heat up your garden landscape with colorful blooms and texture all summer long![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_column_text]

Favorite Drought Tolerant Plants

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Bandana Pink Lantana

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Happy Hour Banana Portulaca

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Cherry Tart Stonecrop

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Belleza Gaura

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Spice Hot Paprika Tickseed

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Sunburst False Sunflower

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][vc_column_text]The right drought tolerant plant choices with minimal water needs can make a big difference in your water bill and toward conservation for a better environment.

Learn more about how to save water and still have healthy plants from the UNH Cooperation Extension.

Visit our Garden Center for more drought tolerant plants and to get pro advice from our staff on making the right selections for your garden space. Ask our Landscaping Pros about the water wise Benefits of Irrigation and installation of a RainBird automatic sprinkler system.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]My Pro Tip:

For more beneficial landscaping practices, consider native plants. Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. When you plant something native, you not only help to preserve biodiversity for the sustainability of pollinators, birds and other wildlife, you can also reduce watering needs, maintenance requirements, and soil erosion.

Native plants are not only a great option as drought tolerant plants, but also because of their striking visual quality. Ask us about the many benefits of native plants and our pro conservation landscaping services.

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