Add Life and Color to Your Dormant Garden with Fall Annuals

As the crisp autumn air begins to set in and the long, hot days of summer give way to cooler weather, many gardens may start to look a bit tired and faded. But don’t let the end of summer blooms signal the end of your garden’s beauty! Fall is the perfect time to refresh your outdoor spaces with vibrant, seasonal plants that thrive in cooler weather and bring color back to your garden. Whether you’re in the heart of Maryland, like the picturesque town of Davidsonville, or anywhere with a change in seasons, locally grown fall annuals are waiting to breathe new life into your yard, patio, or container garden.

With a vast array of textures, colors, and plant varieties available, fall gardening allows you to embrace the serenity and charm of the season. Let’s explore some of the most popular fall plants and how they can transform your garden into a colorful oasis that lasts through the autumn and winter months.

Mums: The Quintessential Fall Blooms

No fall garden is complete without the vibrant, cheerful blooms of chrysanthemums, commonly known as mums. These autumnal favorites are a go-to for adding bold color to your garden. With dazzling shades of yellow, red, orange, and even cooler hues like purple and lavender, mums offer plenty of options to suit any design style. Whether you’re going for a traditional autumn palette or mixing in some unexpected tones, mums are sure to create a stunning visual impact.

What many gardeners might not realize is that mums are actually perennials. When planted in the ground, they can come back year after year, rewarding you with their bright blooms again and again. To ensure their survival through the winter, it’s best to plant mums in the ground early in the fall and mulch around the base to protect the roots from harsh frosts. Not only will you enjoy their beauty now, but you’ll also have a jumpstart on next year’s garden!

Cool-Weather Veggies: Extend Your Harvest

Fall isn’t just about ornamental plants; it’s also an excellent time to grow and harvest cool-weather vegetables. Even after the first frost, your garden can continue to provide fresh, nutritious produce. Hardy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard greens, turnips, and leafy greens thrive in the cooler temperatures of fall.

These crops not only bring healthy, homegrown food to your table but also lend a lush, green texture to your garden beds. Planting a fall vegetable garden is a rewarding way to make the most of your outdoor space as the days grow shorter. Many of these vegetables can tolerate light frost and will keep producing well into the season, ensuring you can harvest fresh ingredients even when the weather turns chilly.

Ornamental Kale and Cabbage: Colorful Cold Weather Champions

Looking to add bold foliage and vibrant texture to your fall landscape? Ornamental kale and cabbage are excellent choices! These sturdy plants are not only visually striking but are also incredibly hardy, thriving as temperatures drop. Their deep, rich colors actually intensify after the first frost, making them a standout in any garden or container.

While ornamental varieties of kale and cabbage are technically edible, they have been bred for their visual appeal rather than flavor. Their leaves tend to be tougher and more bitter than their culinary cousins, but their stunning appearance more than makes up for that. Whether tucked into borders, used in containers, or planted alongside fall flowers, ornamental kale and cabbage bring unique shapes and hues to the garden, lasting well into winter in milder climates.

Pansies: The Perfect Fall and Winter Blooms

If you’re looking for a versatile, cold-tolerant flower to brighten up your garden, look no further than pansies. These resilient blooms are beloved for their ability to maintain vibrant color throughout the fall and even survive into early winter. Pansies come in a wide range of colors, from soft pastels to bold, jewel tones, making them perfect for both subtle and dramatic garden displays.

Plant pansies in containers, hanging baskets, or directly in garden beds for a splash of long-lasting color. They pair beautifully with other fall favorites, like mums and ornamental kale, creating striking arrangements. One of the best things about pansies is their ability to withstand cooler temperatures, making them an excellent choice for extending the beauty of your garden well into the colder months.

The Joy of Fall Gardening: Less Maintenance, More Reward

One of the many benefits of fall gardening is the reduced need for constant maintenance. Cooler temperatures mean less evaporation, so your plants generally require less watering than in the heat of summer. Fall annuals are often hardier and more resilient, thriving with minimal effort once they are properly planted.

Additionally, fall gardening offers a slower pace that allows you to enjoy the process of creating a beautiful landscape. The pressure of peak summer gardening is gone, and you can focus on selecting plants that will last well into winter and beyond.

Visit Homestead Gardens for Expert Advice and a Wide Selection of Fall Plants

At Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, Maryland, we offer a wide variety of locally grown fall annuals, vegetables, and ornamental plants that are perfect for transforming your outdoor space. Whether you’re refreshing your garden beds, planting containers for your patio, or adding accents to your landscape, our selection has something for every gardener.

Our expert team is always on hand to provide advice and guidance to help you choose the right plants for your space. With a curated selection of high-quality plants and the knowledge to help you succeed, you can create a picture-perfect autumn garden to enjoy for months to come.

Embrace the Beauty of the Season

Fall is the time to reimagine your garden and embrace the changing season with fresh color and texture. With the right plants, your outdoor space can remain vibrant and alive well into the colder months, offering beauty and enjoyment long after summer fades. So don’t let your garden go dormant—visit Homestead Gardens today and discover the endless possibilities for creating a colorful, lively autumn landscape. Happy planting!

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Fall Planting Preparation: How to Set Your Garden Up for Success

As the intense heat of summer fades, fall offers a refreshing change for gardeners. The cooler days bring the perfect opportunity to prepare your garden for the upcoming planting season. With a little planning and effort now, you can ensure a bountiful fall harvest and set your garden up for a successful spring. Follow these simple tips to refresh your garden and get ready for fall planting.

1. Start Composting: Turn Garden Waste into Gold

Fall is the ideal time to kickstart or refresh your composting routine. With an abundance of garden plant material (like dead annuals, vegetables, and grass clippings) and a bounty of autumn leaves, you have all the green and brown materials you need to create nutrient-rich compost.

Why Compost?

Composting helps to improve soil fertility by adding valuable organic matter, enhancing soil structure, and boosting its ability to retain moisture. Plus, it’s an environmentally friendly way to repurpose yard and kitchen waste, keeping it out of landfills. Not only does composting cut down on waste, but it also returns vital nutrients to your garden’s soil, creating a thriving environment for future plants.

How to Start:

• Layer Materials: Start with a layer of shredded autumn leaves (brown material) to add carbon. Follow with kitchen scraps or green plant material like vegetable waste (green material) to add nitrogen. Continue layering these materials.
• Shred Leaves: Run your lawnmower over the leaves to shred them. Smaller pieces decompose faster and will break down more easily, creating compost faster.
• Turn Your Pile: Aerate your compost by turning it regularly with a garden fork to speed up decomposition. Keep it slightly moist but not soggy.

By next planting season, you’ll have nutrient-packed compost ready to mix into your soil, giving your plants a head start.

2. Clean Up: Remove Old Annuals and Spent Vegetables

Tidying up your garden is an essential part of fall preparation. Removing old, dead plant material not only makes your garden look neat and tidy, but it also prevents the spread of disease and pests that can overwinter and affect next year’s garden.

What to Remove:

• Annuals and Spent Vegetables: Pull up dead or dying plants, but don’t just throw everything into the compost pile. Be careful to discard any diseased plants or vegetable remnants in the trash, as some diseases can survive winter and return in spring.
• Plants for Wildlife: Consider leaving seed-heavy plants like sunflowers standing through the fall and winter. They provide a valuable food source for birds and wildlife during the colder months.
• Perennials: Leave perennials in place for now, as their spent foliage can provide food, shelter, and nesting materials for butterflies, insects, and birds.

Taking the time to clean up now will help prevent overwintering pests and give you a blank slate for new fall plantings.

3. Test and Amend Your Soil: Feed Your Garden for Optimal Growth

Healthy soil is the foundation of any successful garden, and fall is the perfect time to test your soil and make necessary adjustments. Testing now will give you a head start on soil preparation, allowing time for amendments to break down and improve your garden’s nutrient profile by next planting season.

How to Test Your Soil:

• At-Home Test Kits: These are a convenient way to check your soil’s pH and nutrient levels. Available at most garden centers, they give you quick insights into what your soil may be lacking.
• Professional Testing: For more detailed results, many local extension services offer soil testing that provides specific recommendations for fertilizers and amendments tailored to your garden’s needs.

Soil Amendments:

Once you know what your soil needs, you can begin adding organic matter, like compost or well-aged manure, as well as specific nutrients such as lime (to raise pH) or sulfur (to lower pH) as needed. Fall is a great time to do this because it allows these amendments to integrate fully into the soil before the next growing season.

4. Scout for Pests: Prevent Overwintering Insects

Insects and pests often overwinter in plant debris or soil, lying in wait to cause problems in the spring. Now is the time to scout for these unwelcome visitors and apply preventative treatments to keep next year’s garden healthy.

Common Overwintering Pests:

• Asparagus Beetles: These pests hide in dead asparagus stalks over the winter. If you had an infestation this year, remove the stalks after they turn brown in fall and discard or burn them.
• Japanese Beetles: Their grubs overwinter in the soil. Applying milky spore (a beneficial fungus) or parasitic nematodes to your lawn and garden can help control the grub population, protecting your plants in spring.

By eliminating potential pests now, you’ll reduce the risk of infestations when warmer weather returns.

5. Treat Your Lawn: Control Winter Weeds

If you’ve battled weeds all summer, you’re not out of the woods yet. Many winter annual weeds, such as deadnettle and henbit, germinate in late summer and early fall, preparing to wreak havoc on your lawn when temperatures rise again in the spring.

How to Control Winter Weeds:

• Pre-Emergent Herbicide: Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in early fall can prevent these weeds from germinating. Be sure to follow the instructions on the package for optimal timing and application.
• Keep Mowing: Even if your grass has stopped growing, continuing to mow your lawn helps discourage the growth of winter annuals. The action of mowing cuts down weeds before they can establish and spread.
• Broadleaf Herbicide: For perennial weeds like broadleaf plantain, apply a broadleaf herbicide in fall to knock them back before they settle in for winter dormancy.

Proper lawn care in the fall will keep winter weeds in check and help ensure your grass looks lush and green when spring rolls around.

Conclusion: Prep Now for a Productive Garden Year Ahead

Fall planting preparation is your opportunity to refresh your garden, eliminate pests, and improve your soil for the growing seasons to come. By composting, cleaning up old plants, testing and amending your soil, scouting for pests, and treating your lawn for winter weeds, you’ll give your garden the best possible start. Taking these steps now will set you up for a fruitful fall harvest and an even more productive spring garden. Happy fall gardening!

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Get a Jump on Spring with Fall Planting: Why It’s the Perfect Time to Grow

As the weather cools down and the days become shorter, it might feel like your gardening season is winding down. However, fall is actually one of the best times to get your hands dirty and plant for the upcoming year. The crisp autumn air provides ideal working conditions for gardeners, and it’s also an excellent time for planting trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs. Fall planting offers a unique advantage that spring doesn’t—plants can focus on root development, rather than battling heat, pests, and weeds. Let’s explore why fall is an ideal time for planting and how you can use this season to set your garden up for success next year.

Why Fall is the Best Time to Plant

Unlike spring, where plants must juggle the demands of root, leaf, and flower growth all at once, fall gives them a chance to concentrate on establishing strong root systems. With cooler air temperatures, plants experience less stress, making it easier for them to thrive. Additionally, the warm soil temperatures that linger into the fall months help roots grow vigorously until the ground freezes.

This extended period of root growth sets fall-planted perennials, shrubs, and trees up for success in the spring. When warm weather returns, these plants will have already developed a strong underground foundation, allowing them to burst forth with lush growth, often appearing as if they’ve been in the ground for a full year. In contrast, spring-planted varieties must juggle leaf and root growth at the same time, leading to slower establishment.

Advantages of Fall Planting

1. Cooler Temperatures: Reduced heat stress on plants and gardeners alike.
2. Fewer Pests: Cooler weather means fewer insects and weeds to manage.
3. Extended Root Growth: Plants continue to develop roots until the ground freezes, ensuring a strong start for the spring.
4. Water Efficiency: Plants require less water in fall due to reduced evaporation.
5. Year-Round Landscape Appeal: Plant now to enjoy color, texture, and structure through every season.

What to Plant in Fall: Perennials, Shrubs, and Trees

Perennials to Plant Now

Many gardeners think of fall as the time when the garden goes to sleep, but it’s actually the perfect time to plant perennials. Fall-blooming varieties like asters, Joe-Pye weed, sedum, caryopteris, heleniums, and goldenrods provide late-season interest and attract pollinators preparing for winter. Even if you’re planting non-blooming perennials, fall gives them a head start for next year’s growing season.

Trees and Shrubs

For year-round visual appeal, consider planting trees and shrubs that offer more than just spring and summer interest. Evergreens like holly, rhododendron, spruce, yew, cypress, and boxwood are great for maintaining structure and color in the winter landscape. Another excellent option is camellias, which bloom in fall and winter, adding color during the cooler months. Their glossy, evergreen leaves provide texture and contrast year-round.

Deciduous trees are also great for fall planting. Fruit trees like apple, pear, and cherry are ideal if you’re dreaming of a home orchard. For shade, consider hardy varieties like maple, linden, sycamore, or elm. For spring blossoms, plant ornamental trees such as crabapple, dogwood, or redbud. Shrubs like forsythia, hydrangea, and butterfly bush can also be planted in fall, and they’ll reward you with beautiful flowers next summer.

Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs in Fall

Fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs like daffodils, tulips, crocuses, hyacinths, and alliums. These bulbs need time to establish themselves before the ground freezes in order to bloom next spring. Planting bulbs before the first hard frost ensures they’ll have time to settle in and produce the vibrant blooms you’re looking forward to when winter ends.

A quick tip: when planting bulbs, make sure they’re placed at the proper depth—typically three times the height of the bulb—and in well-draining soil. Adding a little bulb fertilizer at planting can also help with root establishment before winter arrives.

How Late is Too Late to Plant?

Timing is key when planting in the fall. Aim to have all of your plants in the ground at least two to three weeks before the average first freeze. For many gardeners in Maryland, this means finishing your planting by early November. Keep an eye on weather forecasts and soil temperatures to ensure your plants have enough time to settle before winter.

Caring for Fall-Planted Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials

Even though fall brings cooler temperatures, your newly planted additions still need proper care to ensure they survive the winter and thrive in the spring.

Watering

Continue to water your plants regularly until the ground freezes. Even though cooler weather reduces evaporation, new plants need consistent moisture to establish their roots. A good rule of thumb is to water two to three times per week, depending on rainfall and soil conditions.

Mulching

Adding a thick layer of mulch around your plants is essential for protecting roots during winter. Mulch helps retain soil moisture and insulates plants against fluctuating temperatures. When applying mulch, make sure to keep it at least two inches away from the stems of trees, shrubs, and perennials to avoid moisture-related rot.

Avoid Fertilizing

Unlike in spring, fall is not the time to apply fertilizer. Fertilizing in the fall can stimulate top growth rather than root growth, which is not beneficial as plants prepare to go dormant. Excessive new growth is vulnerable to winter damage, so it’s best to wait until spring to feed your plants.

Get Ahead on Next Year’s Garden with Fall Planting

Fall planting is a simple way to ensure your garden bursts to life with vigor come spring. Whether you’re adding perennials, planting shrubs and trees for structure, or laying the groundwork for spring bulbs, fall provides the perfect conditions for plants to establish themselves. By taking advantage of the fall planting season, you’re not only beautifying your landscape today but also setting your garden up for a vibrant, healthy start next year. So grab your gardening gloves, and take advantage of the cool temperatures to give your plants a head start.

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It’s that time of year again! Thursday, July 10th – Monday, July 14th, join us for our Annual Crape Myrtle Festival. This festival is all about celebrating our loyal customers and thanking you for your business. Visit Homestead Gardens for events, great food, and great deals when you use your Crape Myrtle Money.

The Crape Myrtle Tree

The festival is named for a popular tree in our region, the Crape Myrtle. These trees are a great choice for Maryland homeowners because they bloom during the heat of summer with stunning blossoms. As a bonus, many varieties offer stunning fall colors!

During the festival, you can purchase over 50 varieties of Crape Myrtle trees from Homestead Gardens. Varieties range from 11-20+ feet tall, with a variety of bloom colors including reds, purples, pinks, and white. This year, we’ll be offering some special varieties, including:

1. Proven Winners ColorChoice Infinitini Purple
2. First Editions Enduring Summer Lavender
3. Proven Winners ColorChoice Infinitini Watermelon
4. First Editions Ruffled Red Magic
5. Black Diamond Blush
6. Black Diamond Pure White

Grow Crape Myrtles as single specimen shrubs or trees or group together to create stunning hedges or privacy screens. Don’t miss this great opportunity to add some perennial color to your landscape.

How to Use Myrtle Money

You, our loyal customers, have been building up Myrtle Money all spring. For every $10 you spent this spring (up until July 18th), we gave you $1 back in Myrtle Money. During the annual Crape Myrtle Festival, you have four days to use your money for up to 50% off thousands of items throughout the store. This is a great opportunity to check a few items off your garden wish list.

This Year’s Events

On Saturday and Sunday, the festival will also include some awesome events!

Along with events, there will also be a selection of food vendors including Beards Creek BBQ, Java 2 Go, and Kernel Gunther’s Funnel Cakes. Enjoy a tasty treat while you shop.

For more information about this event and more, visit our events page.

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Heuchera

Also known as coral bells, Heuchera are native to North America. They vary from forms only several inches high to forms over two and a half feet tall. Most cultivars produce dainty flowers arranged along several tall inflorescences, creating a wispy flowering effect. All of the pink and red flowered Heuchera are great nectar sources and are frequently visited by hummingbirds. Foliage can be seen from chartreuse, dark green, silver, purple, caramel and bronze to almost black.

Hostas

Known mainly for their beautiful foliage, Hostas are extremely popular. Leaves come in a wide range of shapes, sizes colors and textures. Leaves may be solid in color or variegated in different combinations of blue, green, white, and gold. Miniature Hostas are only a few inches in diameter while some cultivars reach six to eight feet around. All hostas bloom in summer with spikes of lavender to white, lily-like flowers, which can be quite showy.

Ferns

Ferns have been around for more than 300 million years and grow in many different habitats throughout the world. They can provide height and movement as well as texture and color. Ferns add a delicate and airy feeling to containers and the landscape. While most ferns average between one and three feet tall and wide, some, like royal and ostrich ferns, can tower to six feet.

Carex

Technically a sedge and not a grass, Carex can be used much like small ornamental grasses. Carex form arching clumps or upright tufts of grass-like foliage which come in a range of colors from greens, blues, yellows, browns, oranges and some striking variegations. Unlike grasses, carex are grown for their foliage and not their blooms.

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Like grass lawns in last month’s timely tip, shrubs and trees are also in need of nutrients in the fall of the year. Leaves of shrubs and trees need feeding in order to restore their health and vigor after enduring the stresses of spring and the heat of summer. These green leaves need nutrients at this time of year to continue to manufacture sugar sap, which will soon be converted into complex carbohydrates called starches that will to be stored in the roots over the winter as a future energy source. This energy source is what promotes the growth of roots, new leaves, flowers and branches in the spring.

Fertilizers should be applied in early fall, when the leaves on deciduous shrubs and trees (plants that lose all their leaves in the fall and are dormant through winter) are still green and active in producing sugar. Evergreen coniferous and broadleaf shrubs and trees should be fed in late spring. Feeding evergreen plants too early in the fall can stimulate new growth on plants that retain their leaves year-round. This new growth will be too tender to tolerate the frosts that come in late fall. Late fall feeding will be at a time when it is too cool to stimulate new growth and evergreen plants will actively take in fertilizer through early winter.

Cool-Season Veggies

It’s time again to think about planting cool-season vegetables to take over for your summer tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, squash and melons. These are edibles that you may have grown in early spring, such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, kale, collards, and Brussels sprouts, which died back when summer heat had arrived.

Seeds for transplants should be started in August and direct seeding should begin in early September. These crops love the cold and some, such as the cabbage, kale, collards and Brussels sprouts will go through the frosts of late fall and come out tasting even sweeter. You can also plant root vegetables, such as beets and turnips at this time.

We have already received some cool-season vegetable transplants and more will be coming for later fall planting.

The Perfect Indoor Container Garden

You may have experienced problems growing indoor container gardens, especially those dish gardens that contain many different houseplants. Pretty as they may be, they are difficult to keep alive, given many are planted with houseplants that may look great, but have incompatible environmental needs when planted together. To make matters worse, the dish container itself has no drain hole, which means watering can be very tricky since drainage of excess water is non-existent.

The good news is that there are types of planted indoor dish gardens that are populated with special plants that are widely varied in their leaf and flower colors, and their forms range from simple to wildly exotic. And furthermore, they all like the same environmental conditions while their nutrient and water needs are almost nil. I am speaking of indoor gardens planted with cacti and succulents.

We have a large and varied selection of many cacti and succulent species and varieties, in all sizes from 2-inch pots to large specimens. You can also choose from a wide assortment of pots in which to plant them. We also have cacti gardens, already planted up, to grace your home or office, or to give to a student going off to college – the perfect little living plant garden for a dorm room.

Late Summer Lawn Preparation

The summer season is still with us, but as the days start getting shorter, we’re reminded that fall is not all that far off. Sooner than we think, it will be time to ready our lawns for their winter dormancy. Proper care in the coming weeks and months will assure a healthy and beautiful awakening next spring. Here are some things you should be thinking about very soon…

First, late summer is the time to kill and remove lawn weeds from your existing lawn, particularly if you plan to reseed your existing lawn or plant or sod a new lawn this fall.

Neither grass seed nor sod can root in soil that has not been cleared of physical obstructions such as dead grass, debris and growing weeds. It takes time for herbicides to kill weeds and for the dead weeds to be cleared. This is why August is an excellent time to clear out the weeds in time to plant your seed or sod in September.

By September, you should be thinking about applying fertilizer to your lawn. Late summer fertilization is essential for restoring your lawn’s condition after a long spring/summer growing season. Getting the lawn back to health before winter is very important.

This feeding also encourages the restored lawn to create and build up large amounts of sugar which they then convert to concentrated carbohydrates stored in the roots. This stored energy will make your lawn really “take off” in the spring.

If you have any questions about how to prepare your lawn for fall or need some help with planting a new one, please ask a staff member in our Garden Supply department. You’ll find that they are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about lawn care. And they love sharing what they know!

Preparing your lawn for fall seeding

Since fall is the best time to start a new lawn or reseed your existing one, prepping the lawn early is very important to the final results of all your efforts. One very important task is to get rid of the weeds prior to preparing garden beds and lawns for reseeding or new plantings. Weeds take time to die, and there are required wait times after applying weed killers before seed can be applied to treated areas. So, if you want to seed your lawn in September, the eradication of existing lawn weeds in August is essential!

Summer Watering Tips

Well, summer and the higher temperatures that normally come with it are now officially here. Lawns and gardens will really feel the heat over the next couple of months, and possibly the lack of regular rainfall amounts that often mark summertime in the mid-Atlantic.

 Like us, plants will be consuming water in larger amounts. It will likely be necessary for you to supply additional water to these plants when it is needed in order to keep them healthy and beautiful. Follow these watering tips to help your plants make it through this stressful time.

1. Water all outdoor plants and grass lawns (except for plants in containers), with the idea of watering deeply and infrequently. What I mean by this is to apply water to in-ground plant roots slowly, for a period of time that allows that water to travel down deep, passing below the bottom of the plant’s roots zone. Stop watering for a while to allow the top of the soil/mulch layer to turn dry. This action causes a “wicking up” of that deep water toward the surface, providing a second watering from bottom to top. Watering this way will encourage deeper-growing roots and more drought-resistance in your plants.

2. Apply and maintain a 2-inch layer of mulch on top of the soil surround the plants’ root area. This mulch layer drastically slows down the evaporation of soil water, helping to maintain an adequate level of moisture in the soil. Before watering again, check the moisture level of the soil under the mulch layer. Watering is only necessary if the soil beneath the mulch is dry, not moist or wet..

3. The very best time to apply water to lawns and landscape plants is in the early morning, before 10:00 am. Early watering allows plants to take up the maximum amount of water in the coolest part of the day and prepares them to better handle the higher temperatures to come.

4. Keep water off of leaves, particularly during the heat of the day. Water on leaves can cause foliage burns from the sunlight and heat magnified through the water drops.

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When kids are home on winter vacation, it’s easy for cabin fever to set in. Even if the weather makes it easy to curl up and enjoy a movie marathon, it’s important to keep your kids active during the break. Make the most of your kid’s winter vacation with a few of these activities. They’re great ways to bond as a family, exercise, and learn. 

Make a Terrarium

Creating a terrarium is fun, no matter how old you are! Stop by Homestead for containers, miniature plants, and accessories. You can work with your children to create closed terrariums for moisture-loving plants like ferns and moss, open terrariums for succulents and cacti, or even fairy gardens. Check out our terrarium how-to sheet to get started.

Go for a Winter Hike and Play “I Spy”

Finding ways to enjoy the outdoors can be tough this time of year, but is no less important than it is in warmer weather. Playing outside allows children to exercise and develop an appreciation for nature. Being outside also reduces stress and anxiety. Hiking is a great family activity. Play a game of “I spy” to keep young children engaged and interested.

Visit Homestead and Pick Out Houseplants

Getting your children a few houseplants is a great way to help them become enthusiastic about science and nature. At this time of year, houseplants are also a wonderful way to bring a bit of color and life to your home. Pick out a couple of plants with your child and teach them to care for them. Wondering which houseplant to pick? Just ask! We’re happy to help you find one that will thrive where you’re planning to enjoy it. We have options that are pet-safe, tolerate low-light conditions, and are easy to care for.

Have a Campfire and Make S’mores

Building a campfire and making s’mores is always a good idea. Bundle up the kids, heat some hot cocoa, gather the s’more supplies, and cozy up around the fire. Spend your time relaxing, telling stories, and taking in the stars.

Nighttime Walk with a Star Chart 

Did you know that in the northern hemisphere, stars appear sharper and brighter during the winter months? During winter in the northern hemisphere, we’re facing more stars that are closer to us. It’s the perfect time of year to get outdoors for an astronomy lesson with the kids. Pick up a star chart and take a family walk. Bring glow sticks for a little extra fun and safety.

Build a Snow Fort

Join the kids for a day of fun in the snow! Create a simple fort by mounding snow with a shovel, or use a container to create snow bricks. Let your kids’ imaginations run wild. If you’re feeling brave, give them some food coloring to “paint” their snow houses.

Don’t let your kids spend their winter vacation sitting on the couch. Try some of these activities to help your kids learn and stay active. No cabin fever allowed!

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The crisp fall weather has finally arrived. While this may mean the end for your summer annuals, it’s time to start thinking about your indoor garden and bring plants inside for winter. Many of the plants that brought color to your patio during the summer months can liven up your indoor space throughout the winter.

Which Plants Can Be Brought Indoors?

The first and most obvious are any houseplants you transitioned outdoors in the spring. Bring them back inside before the temperatures drop below 50 degrees at night. You’ll want to move bromeliads, spider plants, pothos vines, and any other houseplants indoors.
Citrus trees also need to be brought indoors. To help them thrive, place them in the sunniest spots in your home and make sure your home isn’t too dry. Citrus trees, and many other tropical plants, prefer high humidity. During the winter, it can be helpful to run a humidifier in the room where they’re growing. Tropical ferns, as well as other tropical plants like birds of paradise, dracaenas, and sago palms, should also be brought in.
Lastly, most succulents should be brought inside for the winter. While there are a few hardy succulents such as sedum or hens and chicks, many succulents need a frost-free environment. Succulents that you used in patio planters can be repotted to use as houseplants.

Related Blog: Caring for Houseplants in Winter

Repotting Plants

While early spring is the ideal time to repot plants, some may need to be repotted before you move them inside for winter. Plants should be repotted if they’re showing signs of having outgrown their pot, or if you need to use a different planter for indoor use. Your plant probably needs a larger pot if it needs to be watered more frequently than normal, if you can see roots above the soil or growing out of the drainage hole, or the pot feels light or tips over easily.
When repotting plants, look for a new pot that’s about three inches larger in diameter for small plants, and six inches larger in diameter for large plants. Oversized planters can slow plant growth. It’s also important to use a good-quality potting mix (not outdoor garden soil) and use your hands to loosen the roots if your plant is root-bound. Water your plant thoroughly after repotting.
To avoid bringing pests into your home, you can use houseplant insecticide or insecticidal soap on the plants. Repotting is an optimal time to take these precautions.

Why Is My Plant Dropping Leaves?

Don’t worry if your plant drops a few leaves when you move it inside for winter. Plants often drop a few leaves when they’re quickly moved to a new environment. They have to adapt to different temperature, light, and humidity levels, which stresses them out a bit!

Pet Safety

Pet owners need to take precautions when moving plants indoors. Many common houseplants, such as pothos, aloe vera, sago palms, alocasias, and ZZ plants, are toxic to pets. Always keep houseplants out of reach of your furry friends unless you know for certain that they’re non-toxic.

Fall doesn’t have to bring an end to gardening. It just means that it’s time to bring the garden indoors. Move your houseplants, succulents, citrus, and tropical plants indoors to ensure they survive the winter and green your home. Fall is also an excellent time to share houseplants with others. They make wonderful gifts for college students to bring life to dorm rooms.

Looking for more houseplant tips? Check out this informative article from Redfin https://www.redfin.com/blog/indoor-plant-care-mistakes/

The post It’s Time to Bring Houseplants Inside for Winter appeared first on Homestead Gardens, Inc..

During the fall, changes in daylight and temperature can be tough on plants, including houseplants. Here are some of the most common questions that our experts are asked when it comes to houseplant woes, along with simple solutions to help your houseplant thrive.

What Are the Red Dots on My Houseplant?

If you see red dots on your houseplant, they’re probably spider mites. These common pests can infest houseplants that have been moved outdoors for the summer, or can be brought in by other infested plants or non-sterile potting soil. Spider mites may also be tan or black, but all types create small webs on the plants. It’s important to get them under control as soon as you notice them because they multiply quickly and can kill houseplants. Immediately isolate any plants that appear to be infested.
Thankfully, there are home-safe insecticidal soaps that we recommend, which are available specifically for dealing with spider mites. Just be sure to follow the instructions when using any insecticidal treatment and keep the treatments and plants away from pets and children. Some people have luck treating spider mites with a solution of one liter of water, one teaspoon of mild dish soap, and one and a half teaspoons of neem oil. Whether you use an insecticide or a homemade spray, be sure to get the underside of the leaves where spider mites often hide. And remember — more is not better when it comes to treating plant problems. Always follow the dosage instructions on the label.

What Is the White Fuzz on My Houseplant?

Commonly mistaken for a fungus or mildew, scale and mealybugs both look like white fuzz on a houseplant. Both bugs suck the sap out of a plant’s leaves and stems. They’re not as quickly devastating as spider mites, but they will eventually kill a plant if you don’t control them.
Just like with spider mites, there are houseplant insecticides available to kill scale and mealybugs. You can also try the neem oil solution mentioned above, though it may take multiple applications. Additionally, scale and mealybugs can be killed by wiping them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. However, the rubbing alcohol must come in direct contact with the bugs to kill them, and you don’t want to get the alcohol on the plant’s leaves.

What Are Those Annoying Bugs Flying Around My Houseplant?

Resembling fruit flies, fungus gnats are more of a nuisance than an actual problem for your plants. Their larvae live in the top inch of soil and the adults can be seen flying around. Fortunately, fungus gnats are easy to eradicate. You can use an insecticidal soap on the plants, which is also a good preventative measure to take when bringing plants indoors. Sticky traps hung just above infested plants can also help keep flies from spreading to other plants.
While it’s easy for fungus gnats to get to your houseplants, as they can simply fly through an open window or come in on soil, there are a few things you can do to prevent them in the first place. First, avoid overwatering your plants, because fungus gnats like very moist soil. Our experts highly recommend watering plants from the bottom, to keep the upper soil relatively dry and inhospitable to fungus gnats. You can also use a decorative soil cover in pots, such as sand, pebbles, or moss, to keep fungus gnats from reaching the soil to lay their eggs.

Why Are My Plant’s Leaves Yellow?

The most common cause of yellow leaves is a simple one to fix — too much water. This is often a problem during the fall because plants begin to use less water when they’re no longer putting on summer growth and the temperatures are cooler. Cut back on watering.

Why Is My Plant Dropping Leaves?

There are several reasons that plants drop leaves. However, if it’s just a few, it might not be a big deal. Plants that are moved indoors in the fall are stressed and commonly drop a few leaves. Plants in drafty locations, such as near a window or near a door, may drop leaves and need to be moved to a warmer spot as the temperatures drop. Leaves can also drop if you’re overwatering your plant, though they often turn yellow first.

Why Won’t My Plant Bloom?

Many plants will take a break from blooming in the fall and winter. This is especially true for plants that have been moved indoors from a porch or patio and are receiving significantly less light.

What Are Those Spots on My African Violet’s Leaves?

Those are typically from water sitting on the leaves. African violets are sensitive to this problem, so it may be worth repotting them into an African Violet self-watering pot or watering the bottom from a soaking tray for 20 minutes every 10-15 days.

Why Are the Edges of My Houseplant Leaves Brown?

Brown edges often indicate that your plant isn’t getting enough water or light. Watering is easy to correct, but your home may not offer enough light during the winter months for plants that prefer full sun. Place sun-loving plants in front of south-facing windows if possible, and consider purchasing an artificial light source. Homestead Gardens has affordable light options to help you grow the indoor jungle of your dreams.

Is My Plant Hungry? Do I Need to Fertilize My Houseplant in the Winter?

Generally, houseplants do not need to be fertilized during the fall or winter. Fall’s dwindling daylight sends plants into dormancy. While they’ll still be green and alive, they won’t grow much during the winter, so they’ll need fewer nutrients. This also means they’ll use less water. You should adjust your schedule accordingly in the fall and check the soil before watering.

Try these tips to keep your houseplants thriving this fall. If you can’t determine what’s wrong with your plant, we’re happy to help. Bring your plant in and chat with an authority from our Diagnostic team to get your plant back on track.

The post Is My Houseplant Stressed? appeared first on Homestead Gardens, Inc..

The best part of fall? Pumpkins! From the front porch to the kitchen, placing a few here and there is the perfect way to make your home feel festive. Not all varieties are alike. Whether you’re hoping for the best farmhouse porch display, awesome jack o’ lanterns, or the tastiest ones for baking, there’s a variety that perfectly fits your needs.

Pie Pumpkins

Pie pumpkins are better suited to baking. Their thick, buttery flesh makes the best pie filling and baked goods. Look for ones labeled “sugar” or “pie pumpkins” and varieties like Winter Luxury, New England Pie Pumpkins, or New England Cheddar (see cheese pumpkins).

To make fresh puree, halve your pumpkin and scrape out the seeds and string. Place the halves upside down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Bake at 350°F for one to two hours, or until the flesh is soft. Scrape out the flesh, then mash it or run it through a food processor until it is smooth.

Jack O’ Lantern Pumpkins

Also called field pumpkins, these are your typical large, orange variety. They are perfect for carving. You can’t celebrate Halloween without a few of these! (Pro tip: use a serrated knife for easy carving.)

Cinderella Pumpkins

Just like the name suggests, these large, somewhat flattened ones look just like the one the fairy godmother turned into a carriage in the popular Disney movie. Add a touch of whimsy to your fall display with these bright red-orange beauties or use their sweet flesh for baking.

Mini Pumpkins

We love miniature pumpkins for indoor uses, such as autumn centerpieces or windowsill decorations. They also make lovely additions to outdoor fall displays, and are an adorable way to dress up a porch railing. They’re an excellent choice for apartment dwellers and those with limited space. Look for varieties like Baby Boo (striped), Jack-Be-Little (orange), or Munchkin (orange).

Decorative Gourds

Decorative gourds are perfect for indoor and outdoor displays. Their size lends them easily to apartments and small homes. They also last a long time, keeping your home festive right through Thanksgiving.

Jumbo Gourds

Jumbo gourds add fun texture to fall displays. Around Halloween, their witch or goblin-like appearance is perfect for inspiring young imaginations.

Cheese Pumpkins

These are thought to resemble large wheels of cheese. Their subdued color is perfect for pairing with mums for unique fall decor. Their flattened shape is also great for creating your own stacked topiaries. Many of them are also good for baking. Look for varieties like New England Cheddar, Long Island Cheese, and Musee de Provence.

There’s more to the season than pumpkin spice. Spice up your décor and your dinner table with the real deal!

The post All About Pumpkins: Decor and More appeared first on Homestead Gardens, Inc..