As the days get shorter it is now time to start thinking about what we need to do to over-winter our plants. While your plants have enjoyed being outside this summer they need to come in before the temperatures dip below 50 degrees consistently. Now that covers most plants. But, there is one plant that over-winters very differently, Figs.

Follow these simple rules.

1) Let the fig tree get hit by the first frost or two.

2) Once the frost has done its job it’s time to take the remainder of the leaves off and trim up your fig tree. You basically want to make your tree look like a stumpy stick figure by trimming the branches way back.

3) Next wrap it up loosely in some burlap and place it in a cool dark spot for the winter. Usually, an attached garage, basement, or attic works best.

4) Now that your plant is ready for its long winter sleep, you will give it about 1 cup of water every month during this time. It’s enough to keep it alive but not letting it come out of dormancy

5) Sometime around mid-April slowly bring your fig tree out of hibernation. Do this by unwrapping your fig tree and bringing it to a nice cozy sunny location in your house. You can now start to water your fig tree as you would if it was outside. Your fig tree will stay in its new location until it can safely be put back outside for the summer, which will be after the last chance of frost. This is usually around the last week of May. Give or take a week or so either way.

6) Once your fig tree returns to its home outside you will start fertilizing again with Espoma 5-10-5 garden food monthly. And don’t forget to add 1 cup of lime just once when you give your plant its first application of garden food. The lime will give your plant the magnesium and calcium it needs for a healthy growing season.

We are always here to help, any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to call or email us.

June is right around the corner, there’s no time like the present to turn your home into a tropical oasis of your very own.

As the weather starts warming up there’s nothing like sitting in your own backyard surrounded by tropical plants making memories to last a lifetime with your family.

I always seem to talk so much about all our tropical flowers, let me spend some time talking about all the tropical palms that will really give you that lush tropical feeling like you get when you are on vacation.

Our favorite Palms for your porch or patio are:

• Phoenix Robellini- (pygmy date palm) the palm that most of us think of as the perfect tropical palm. This palm loves the sun, can tolerate some shade, and likes to go dry between waterings.
• Spindle Palm- a slow-growing palm, giving you the true tropical flare. This palm is a great container plant because of its slow-growing habit. Imagine this palm with some tropical hibiscus surrounding it in your favorite container.
• Areca Palm- (butterfly palm) This is a great porch or patio palm, as it likes bright indirect lighting, so if you have a covered porch with good lighting this is the palm for you.I like this one for its feathery fronds. I can just picture swinging in my porch swing with the wind blowing through the palm.
• Majesty Palm- This is your classic palm, a great container palm for your shady area. This palm unlike other palms also likes to be kept on the wetter side and loves humidity.

So as you can see palms are very different and all do not like sunny conditions as one often associates with palms. So no matter what your lighting conditions are there is a palm for you to help you create your own backyard oasis.

As the days get shorter it is now time to start thinking about what we need to do to over-winter our plants. While your plants have enjoyed being outside this summer they need to come in before the temperatures dip below 50 degrees.

The proper way to handle the transition is to slowly inch their way back inside, from being out in full sun to under a tree or a covered porch. This will give your plant time to acclimate slowly to the changing temperatures.

Houseplants, tropicals, and citrus are the plants that require this method. By transitioning slowly, you will help your plants in a big way. They are less likely to stress out and cause leaves to drop from your treasured plants. Before bringing them inside there are a few things you should do.

• Trim off any dead or unhealthy-looking branches. This helps the plant to direct its energy to all the parts of the plant that need it most.
• Thoroughly hose down your plant by washing off any unwanted hitch-hikers from coming inside with your plant.
• This tip is in my opinion the most important. Apply some systemic to your plant. This will help keep your plant bug-free from the bottom up. I always recommend to my customers that they should always have a spray like a neem oil or safer insect soap for the top part of your plant to kill any bugs you may see. And the systemic for the soil, for bugs you can’t see. Especially important in the over-wintering.
• And lastly, find the perfect spot for your treasured plants to vacation for the rest of the fall and winter months.
• Remember no fertilizing from November to March.
• Watering is important …water the plant as you would normally, remember the roots are at the bottom of that pot so you need to make sure you water the plant enough to ensure the roots can gather up that water. If you only give the plant a little each time it only goes down a few inches in the soil, which is not helping the plant.

Now that covers most plants. But, there is one plant that over-winters very differently.

The fruit-bearing fig tree you will over-winter completely the opposite from those plants we discussed above.

Follow these simple rules.

1)Let the fig tree get hit by the first frost or two.

2) Once the frost has done its job it’s time to take the remainder of the leaves off and trim up your fig tree. You basically want to make your tree look like a stumpy stick figure by trimming the branches way back.

3) next wrap it up loosely in some burlap and place it in a cool dark spot for the winter. Usually, an attached garage or attic works best.

4) Now that your plant is ready for its long winter sleep, you will give it about 1 cup of water every month during this time. It’s enough to keep it alive but not letting it come out of dormancy.

We are always here to help, any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to call or email us.

I think we have all dreamed of being able to re-create that feeling we get when we are on vacation in the tropics.

The large palms, beautiful flowering trees, and fragrant climbing vines have a few of us doing our best to transform our yards into our own personal oasis, that we can come home to every night.

What are your favorites? Here are a few of ours here at Van Wilgen’s.

• Robellini Palm – If you are looking for the typical palm tree you see in Florida this would be your choice, only in a smaller manageable size perfect for your patio. ( my personal favorite). Sun-loving
• Adonidia Palm—Also known as the Christmas palm in Florida, because of the flowers and berries it produces around Christmas time in Florida. This palm is also an easy-care plant its self-cleaning which means when fronds die off they shed and fall off by themselves. And we can’t forget that this palm is also on the deer-resistant list. Sun-loving.
• Majesty Palm—A great robust palm with graceful feathery type fronds. Although this plant can be planted out on your patio it does much better in bright but indirect lighting conditions.
• Tropical Hibiscus—What can I say, if you’re looking for a big show of color, this is your plant. This plant produces exotic large flowers, that will bloom from now thru fall. Loves full sun and lots of water. (Tip to remember) This plant likes to be slightly potbound this sends all the energy up to those beautiful flowers.
• Mandevilla vines—These vines have become a very popular plant over the last few years. The trumpet-shaped flowers not only look amazing climbing up a trellis, but here at the greenhouse, the hummingbirds have been adding this plant to their (favorites list).
• Star Jasmine—If you are looking for a plant to block those nosey neighbors, this is your plant. Not only is this one of the most fragrant tropical for your patio, but its foliage also becomes a strong vine, creating a barrier where needed. Sun-loving but can handle some shade.
• Gardenia—There is nothing like walking into our tropical paradise here at Van Wilgen’s and smelling all the gardenia’s every day. They’re the best smelling flowering plant in my opinion. Like the hibiscus, this plant does better slightly pot bound, and likes its water. It is a plant that will do better in an indirect lighting situation like a covered porch.

With a combination of any of the above, you can surely make that tropical oasis we all dream about. Just in time for summer.

The wait is over! Our courtyard here at Van Wilgen’s is filled with Lemons, Limes, and Brown Turkey Figs. The amazing smell of citrus fills the room. Growing Your own citrus or figs can be a very rewarding experience. By just providing them with their basic needs you will be able to sit back and reap the rewards.

Citrus need:

• Full sun for adequate growth.
• Well-drained slightly acidic soil.
• Water sufficiently so the water is reaching the root ball. Once or twice a week.
• A high temperature of 70 to 85 degrees is ideal, and the low temperature should never go below 50 degrees.
• Remember plants are living organisms, and just like you or I, they need food too. Apply espoma citrus tone once a month from March to November.
• Citrus is a tropical plant and can’t be left out in our zone over the winter. So, don’t hesitate to come in or call us in the fall and we will walk you thru the best way to bring your citrus in for the winter.

Figs need:

• Full sun for adequate growth
• Ph should be between 6.0 and 6.5.
• Water thoroughly once or twice a week as needed.
• Fertilize during the summer months with espoma garden food 5-10-5.
• At the beginning of the season or as soon as you buy the fig you will add approx. a cup to a cup and a half of lime just once for the entire year, this slightly raises the alkalinity of the soil which is what the figs need to thrive.
• Figs are a tropical plant so give us a call in the fall and we will walk you thru overwintering it properly.

There’s nothing like homemade lemonade or lemon tarts made from your very own citrus tree. We love to get pictures and stories from our customers, so at the end of the season send us pictures of your tree and what you have made with your harvest.

Darlene Granese, Greenhouse Manager