How to Get the Most out of Your Outdoor Plants
Spring in the Midwest means one thing: lots of time outdoors! If refreshing your flower beds and elevating your outdoor curb appeal is on your seasonal to-do list, Heinen’s annual Garden Celebration is the perfect place to start.
Occurring every May, Heinen’s Garden Celebration features a premium selection of beautiful hanging baskets, potted plants, and fresh aromatic herbs grown by trusted partners like Flora Pack, Millcreek Gardens, and Eagle Creek Growers who share our passion for sustainability and quality.
Our knowledgeable Floral Associates are available in-store everyday to help you find the plants that best meet your needs and offer care tips and gardening techniques, so you can enjoy the benefits of a beautiful garden even if it doesn’t come naturally.
Whether you’re a first-time gardener, a seasoned green thumb, or someone who may forget a watering or two, discover how to get the most out of your outdoor plants with simple tips for caring for our most popular outdoor floral finds!
Boston Compacta Fern
Fresh ferns are the best-selling item at our Garden Celebration each year, and for good reason! These low-maintenance plants offer a vibrant green touch to any garden, porch, or garage overhang. We carry the compacta variety, which offers up to 18 inches of leafy green goodness, and is perfect for those looking for a small, but sturdy plant.
This particular fern is special because it doubles as a non-toxic indoor house plant. When the outdoor season ends, you can either repot the fern or propagate it to create a new, smaller fern. If propagating, you will want to split off an entire section of the fern vertically through the root ball. You can choose as small or as big of a section as you like!
- Light: Indirect sunlight or morning sun
- Water: Every few days, ensuring the soil remains moist
- Temperature: 50°F to 85°F
- Soil: Fast-draining, loamy soil
- Growing Season: Spring to early fall outdoors, or year-round indoors
- Common Mistake: Overwatering can lead to root rot, yellow fronds, and drooping
Calibrachoa
If you’re seeking an easy-to-care-for plant that’s forgiving of the forgetful gardener, calibrachoas are the perfect plant for you! These beautiful florals are available in hanging baskets and bowls, are drought tolerant, pollinator attractors, and deer resistant. Their blooms are also bright and colorful from spring to frost!
- Light: Direct sunlight, part shade
- Water: Water every few days, ensuring the soil remains moist
- Temperature: 55°F to 65°F
- Soil: Rich, well-draining soil
- Food: Use a diluted liquid fertilizer every two weeks
- Growing Season: Spring to frost
- Common Mistake: Underfeeding or lack of sunlight can lead to light green or yellow leaves
Rieger Begonia (Elatior Begonias)
Similar to calibrachoa, Rieger begonias don’t require much maintenance. They can be kept as hanging baskets, or the hanger can be removed to make a planter. Either way, these shade-loving blooms with heart-shaped green leaves are sure to brighten your patio.
Rieger begonias are also a common houseplant and can easily be brought indoors by repotting or propagating. To propagate, simply cut a leaf with a stem from the plant and place into a small pot and spritz with water every few days. For best results, cover with a plastic bag to increase humidity.
- Light: Indirect sunlight, partial sun
- Water: Water when the top of the soil feels dry, avoid overwatering
- Temperature: 60°F to 75°F
- Soil: Rich, well-draining soil
- Food: Use a diluted liquid fertilizer every two weeks
- Growing Season: Spring to frost, or year-round indoors
- Maintenance: Remove dead flowers and leaves as necessary
- Common Mistake: Too much sunlight can lead to scorched leaves and flowers
Campanula
Available in bowls and 4-inch pots, these beautiful, vintage-looking campanulas add a burst of color and whimsical eye appeal to any garden. Unlike other plants in the bellflower family, campanulas a perennial in our region, aren’t picky about sun or soil, and don’t need frequent watering. If you’re seeking a low-maintenance plant, campanulas are the way to go.
- Light: Direct sunlight or partial shade
- Water: Water once a week and more frequently during heat spells
- Temperature: 60°F to 70°F
- Soil: Any well-draining soil
- Growing Season: Spring to early Fall
- Maintenance: Remove dead flowers and leaves to promote new blooms
- Common Mistake: Overwatering can lead to yellowing leaves
Potted Herbs
Grown by Millcreek Gardens in Ohio, our potted herbs will be a functional addition to your garden and a delicious addition to your favorite recipes. Millcreek Gardens grows over 100 varieties of herbs, including basil, rosemary, Italian parsley, chives, cilantro, dill, French thyme, Italian oregano, and mojito mint, all of which are available at Heinen’s! You can leave them in their original pots, or create your own an easy stacked herb garden.
- Light: Direct sunlight
- Water: Water once a week, or when the top of the soil feels dry
- Temperature: 65°F to 75°F
- Soil: Any well-draining soil.
- Common Mistake: Not enough sunlight will lead to thin, spindly stems and overwatering will lead to yellowing leaves
