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In this case, the plants Hens and Chicks, not the feathery friends.

Sempervivum, also known as Hens and Chicks or Houseleek, are a group of succulents that are becoming very popular in Southern Ontario. Here’s why these cold hardy perennial plants are gaining attention.

Low-maintenance

Low-maintenance is the item on everyone’s checklist, right? Hens and Chicks are known for being no-fuss. Sempervivum require very little soil, fertilizer or water. They’re sun-loving, hardy, resilient, and drought-tolerant. When you don’t have a lot of time to garden, you’ll be grateful that your Hens and Chicks need minimal care once they become established.

Versatile, and Did We Mention Low-maintenance?

Sempervivum will grow in full sun to partial shade, and average to poor soil as long as they have good drainage. They will manage just fine in poor soil and harsh conditions like heat and cold! This makes Hens and Chicks the perfect candidate for that spot in the garden where nothing else wants to grow. The spot that’s too hot, or too windy, the soil is rocky or gritty and not ideal or it’s eroding, like on a slope.

These rugged warriors can be grown on rooftops, ledges, walls, in rock gardens, hanging baskets, troughs and containers. Just make sure there are drainage holes. Too much water is their only enemy and will result in their roots rotting.

Chick Charms

While most Hens and Chicks are low-growing, 8-15 cm tall, they will all spread 30 cm and more - as much as you like, really. This is because they produce small plants, known as “chicks” or offsets around the main plant. The “Chick Charms”. Chicks can also be transplanted to start a whole new plant.

Tough and Beautiful

As a ground cover, Sempervivum can add visual interest and contrast to a border of annuals or perennials.

While they’re known for their pretty rosette-shaped clusters of foliage, you may not realize that Hens and Chicks also come in a variety of colours, and produce stunning blooms in summer.

Once a plant blooms, deadhead the flower and pull up the soft parent plant with it. The plant dies when it blooms, but new chicks will grow and replace it.

Hens and Chicks fleshy leaves make them less attractive to many garden pests and they are generally resistant to diseases. Tough plants for sure, and worthy of a spot in the garden. The next time you’re in Eising Garden Centre, we recommend that you peruse the Sempervivum section here in Simcoe and give these outstanding succulents a try!

It’s always nice to take some time away during the holiday season, but it’s kind of a hassle to arrange for a house sitter simply to take care of your houseplants. So, we recommend doing some thorough holiday-proofing before you go. With the right tools and a little prep work before you head off, you should be able to leave your plants for several weeks without worrying about them drying up. Here are the basics of holiday-proofing, so you can rest assured that your precious plants will be safe and sound through your vacation. 

Holiday-Proofing Your Houseplants

Is it about time to start holiday-proofing your houseplants in Simcoe? Follow these simple steps for getting them all holiday ready for while you’re away. 

First, water them thoroughly. Make sure the soil is thoroughly saturated, but if your pot doesn’t have drainage holes, try not to overdo it. If your pot has drainage holes and is placed on a dish, make sure you’ve watered it enough that water begins to collect on the dish. Be sure to dump the water in the dish before you leave so it doesn’t end up getting funky. 

Remove any dead plant material. When dried up plant parts remain on a plant, it will still end up directing its energy toward those limbs. Nipping off those pieces should help your plant to grow stronger and use up resources and nutrients more efficiently.

Move them away from cold drafts and direct sunlight. An icy breeze sneaking in through a frozen window could shock your plant, and a ton of sun will end up drying the soil out too quickly. To maintain a safe temperature and reduce sun exposure without depriving your plants of light, try moving them a few feet away from the window. 

Turn the thermostat down a bit. Indoor plants don’t mind a cooler base temperature as opposed to being in warm air. This will also help prevent the soil moisture from evaporating too quickly.

Huddle your plants together. It’s all about retaining that moisture, and plants that are all huddled in a bunch will be much better at conserving water.

How To Water Indoor Plants While On Vacation 

If you’re going to be away on a holiday for over a week, you’ll want to put together a plan to keep your plants watered while you’re gone. There are a few ways to keep your plants watered while you’re lounging on a beach on the other side of the world, so try some of these methods for self-watering.

Purchase a drip-irrigation system. These automatic watering systems slowly release water over an extended period. There are several different models and designs to choose from, ranging from high-end electronic drip systems, and more budget-friendly options like glass water globes or spikes. Evaluate the size and quantity of your plant collection and select your irrigation system accordingly.

Build a DIY irrigation system. If you’re a crafty type who enjoys saving money by going the DIY route, there are tons of tutorials online for creating your own irrigation system using everyday household materials like mason jars or wine bottles. Browse through Pinterest to see if you can find one that works for your plants.

Mimic a humid climate with a water tray. If you’ve got plants that prefer humid environments and need to be misted occasionally, this is a great way to increase the moisture in the air. Simply fill a tray with pebbles or river stones, then pour some water in. Place your potted plant on top of the tray so it can enjoy some humid tropical air while you’re out soaking in the tropical sun!

Houseplants For Frequent Flyers

If holiday travelling is common practice for you, it might be worth sticking to plants that are low-maintenance and more tolerant of dry spells. These are our favourite options for all you globetrotters out there:

There’s no need to go to the trouble of paying a house sitter to come by your home just to water your plants. These tricks should keep your plants well-watered while you’re away on vacation. If you need to purchase any irrigation systems for while you’re away, come visit Eising and we’ll help you pick out the right models for your plant collection. Enjoy your holiday!

Gardening goes with your kitchen like peanut butter pairs with jelly. They just seem to make each other that much better! You’ll love growing useful plants and flavors, and your kitchen will love all of the garden-fresh ingredients to elevate your dishes to the next level. But you don’t need a bit garden plot to get the best of both worlds — in fact, you can grow everything you need to step up your dinner table experience right in your kitchen!

Herbs in the Kitchen

Most of your kitchen’s favourite herb flavors are hardy growers that are happy to sprout anywhere - including the windowsill in your kitchen. All you need is a spot with a little bit of sunlight and you’ll have freshest herbs on-hand to take bits of for everyday dishes.

There’s tonnes of benefits to having your herbs grow in your kitchen, and only a few of them are all of the awesome fresh flavors that you’ll get — though we promise that once you try fresh you’ll never want to go back to dried. Think about all of these other perks that go further than what you eat:

A little bit of something green and thriving is a perfect indoor pick-me-up. There’s nothing like something that you’ve nurtured and grown sitting right there in your living space to be enjoyed - especially when the weather is cold.

These herbs pack quite the flavor, but they are also fragrant aromatics. If you want your kitchen to feel a bit homier, and to have that faint fresh scent all the time, growing aromatic herbs is a great place to start!

The rest of your garden is pretty bound by the seasons, but indoor plants can thrive all year long! You don’t quit looking for the best flavor when the weather outside is frozen, so why should your cooking suffer? Fresh herbs are welcome in your food all days of the year, and growing indoors is the perfect way to step up your kitchen, every day and every season.

The Perfect Herbs for Kitchen Gardens

Realistically, the best herbs to grow in your kitchen are the ones that you already use a lot of in your cooking, because you’ll make the most of them. Most herbs are aggressive growers and will thrive the more you tear off branches to use in your cooking, so your most common flavors are sure to do the best in your kitchen!

Here are some of our favourite herbs that grow great in a little pot indoors, and how we love to see their flavors show up on our kitchen table:

Rosemary: This Mediterranean herb is a foolproof way to start your kitchen garden. Given a spot with some light and some well-draining soil, you’ll be thrilled to see how well it grows. Supremely aromatic and flavorful, this is a great choice for Mediterranean cooking or pairing with steaks and poultry. The flavor releases with more heat, so add it early in the cooking stages to get the best taste.

Thyme: Another dry-condition grower, this herb is a great partner to grow with rosemary. With finer leaves and a bushy habit, thyme is ideal for pairing with poultry dishes. You’ll really appreciate the fresh herbs in colder weather, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, which is when this herb shines most.

Basil: With a bit of a reputation as a tougher plant to grow, basil can thrive in your kitchen if you find that “just right” middle ground for growing conditions. A Goldilocks plant, it doesn’t like things too moist or too dry, and prefers just the right amount of light. Once you’ve found that sweet spot, though, you’ll have more bountiful basil than you know what to do with! Try mixing these fragrant leaves into summer salads or on the barbeque. The complex flavors of this plant are sensitive to heat, so add it at the very end of cooking for the best effect.

Mint: For a taste of something different from the rest of your more “earthy” herbs, grow some mint! This herb is from a more moist homeland, so keep their container well-watered (but not soggy!) for the best results. Mint is a surprise addition to any dish and is also the perfect ingredient to take your cocktails and beverages to the next level.

Sage: For a bold taste that tastes so much better fresh than dried, try sage. These plants are easy to please with some good drainage and a consistent care schedule, you won’t be stressed keeping them alive. Not only tasting great, they also smell amazing, which you’ll notice every time you walk past or touch them. Try sage in your poultry dishes by including it in your marinade.

Growing herbs in the kitchen is the perfect way to pick up your mood and elevate your cooking every day! Feel free to tear into your herbs as they only grow back more enthusiastically — as long as you don’t take away more than 1/3 of the plant at once. If you grow your own fresh herbs right there in the kitchen, you’ll have an oh-so convenient way to rake in the compliments for your cooking.

Succulents are undoubtedly the must-have houseplant of 2019, and with good reason: they’re easy to look after and their vivid, spiralling foliage is seriously eye-catching. They have a distinctive appearance that adds some personality to your home décor without looking too garish or flashy, so they’ll complement whatever aesthetic you’re going for.

With hundreds of varieties to choose from, you may find it tricky to settle on just one (or three, or five…) so peruse through this list of popular succulent houseplants to find some that suit your style!

Our Favourite Small Succulents for Indoors

Placing potted succulents onto bookshelves, coffee tables, or work desks will instantly brighten up the energy in a room with little effort. These are our favourite picks for placing in indoor containers:

Burro’s Tail: This funky, little plant has long, spiralling ropes of foliage with plump, little leaves that kind of look like green grapes from afar. They start out small, but as they grow, they can actually get pretty long, spilling out from their container in a cascade of greenery.

Flaming Katy: This particular variety of succulent comes by its name honestly– its neon flowers are total showstoppers. It’s also one of the best plants for air purification, helping to filter out toxins like methane and formaldehyde.

Jade Plant: Practitioners of the Chinese art of Feng Shui will tell you that the jade plant is heralded for bringing forth good luck and prosperity. That’s how it earned its nickname, the money tree! The leaves are vivid emerald green, and sometimes in the autumn, they’ll surprise you with tiny pink star-shaped blossoms.

Roseum: As the name suggests, this succulent has overlapping petal-like leaves that resemble a rose. Some roseum succulents have a pretty, pink border along the edges of their lime green leaves, adding a sweet, feminine flair.

Snake Plant: This striped plant with its spiky vertical leaves might not look like a succulent at first glance, but it’s one of the most popular options for indoors because it requires very little light, making it great for small offices or bathrooms.

Great Options for an Outdoor Succulent Garden

Succulents make for great ground cover in large gardens with a variety of different plants, but a garden made entirely from succulents can be pretty spectacular too. Check out these succulents that thrive in outdoor conditions:

Dudleya: This grey-green succulent has a muted, chalky tone that adds some softness to your garden, and can live up to a century old if taken care of properly (which isn’t too hard to do, as they are famously low-maintenance).

Plush Plant: Also known as the Red Echeveria, this Mexico native features green leaves with a deep red border and fabulous orange-gold flowers that are wildly popular among hummingbirds and pollinators.

Sunburst: This absolute beauty produces simple, white blossoms in the summer, but its leaves really bring the wow-factor. Green, yellow, and white with a subtle red trim, they add a little burst of rainbow colour to your succulent garden.

Torch Plant: Many folks are quick to assume that succulents are typically small in size, but the torch plant is anything but petite. This behemoth of a succulent can reach up to 10 feet tall, with blazing orange summer blooms and spiny leaves that deepen in colour the sunnier it gets.

Hens-and-Chicks: These adorable, little succulents do pretty well both indoors and outdoors, but we particularly love the look of a mass of hens-and-chicks all clustered together in a garden. They tend to reproduce at a pretty speedy rate, so if you enjoy gifting baby plants to friends and family, you’ll get a kick out of this one.

Sedum: This über-trendy groundcover plant comes in so many different colour varieties with blossoms of all shapes and sizes. Also known as stonecrop, this fleshy-leafed plant is hardy and resilient, sometimes creeping its way up walls and stones. We particularly love the blue spruce sedum, with its blue-green leaves that surprise us with a hot pink stem that bursts forth every summer, producing a lemon-yellow blossom on top.

How to Care for Succulents

While these delightfully fuss-free plants don’t need much to keep them happy, there’s still a few things to keep in mind when caring for your succulents:

Most of them prefer lots of sunlight. While there’s the odd succulent here and there that won’t mind a bit of shade, as is the case with the snake plant, your typical succulent is going to want a decent amount of direct sunlight. Try to keep your indoor plants near a south-facing window, and your outdoor plants in a spot that isn’t too shaded.

Water the soil, not the leaves. Watering around the plant so it goes directly to the roots will help prevent rotting. Make sure to let that soil dry out between watering, too, because too much moisture is just as bad as too little.

When leaves start to dry up and wither, carefully pick them off with tweezers. Don’t be alarmed if you notice some leaves starting to get dry— this is just part of its natural growing process.

Succulents are fantastic houseplants for beginners and seasoned experts alike, so why not treat yourself to some succulents today? Keep in mind, collecting these adorable little waxy-leafed plants can become pretty addicting - don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Having a tropical plant in your home is like creating a tiny little oasis of lush greenery that’s with you no matter what life throws at you. Especially after a chilly winter like the one we’ve had, it’s easy to see the appeal of having a leafy green friend inside to help us mentally escape the frostbite-inducing temperatures outside. It’s no wonder how having these green acquaintances in our homes has become so popular - and with your own, you’ll have a little bit of homegrown happiness in your everyday life.

Tropical plants don’t have to be difficult to care for, even though they are so far away from their balmy and sunny homes! We have all the tips to make sure that your new tropical friend is happy, healthy, and ready to flourish in your home. Here’s how to have a tropical getaway inside, no matter how green your thumb is (or isn’t).

How To Take Care of Tropical Plants

The secret to keeping a plant healthy - and alive - is to picture their homeland, and do what you can to replicate those conditions. Your plants might have grown up in a greenhouse but their species has spent a long time adapting to their native territory. Giving them an environment that meets their needs will reduce the work and fussing you have to put in to keep your plant looking fabulous.

For example, while you might try to make sure that a cactus or succulent is kept dry and sunny, your tropicals are going to love some moisture and humidity. In the tropical landscapes most of them come from, water is not in short supply, and while they enjoy some sunlight, many times they’re used to sharing the sun with so many plants and in such high humidity that they prefer indirect or partial light. No plant likes soggy roots, but you’ll generally be watering tropicals regularly and trying to keep the humidity at a nice level - usually not much of a struggle in our neighbourhood of Southern Ontario.

Each tropical plant will have its own care requirements that are unique to that plant so checking the tag or doing a quick search is the best way to make sure that you care is specific to its needs. That said, there are a few rules of thumb that you can stick to:

Watering Tropical Plants

The right amount of moisture can be tricky when you can’t just ask your plant if it’s thirsty! Generally, waiting until your plant is wilting is stressful for your cute leafy friend and should be avoided, so you can test the soil to anticipate when they’ll need a drink. Nobody likes soggy soil and roots, but you won’t want to dry out - tropical plants are a little like Goldilocks in that respect. Too much water will stifle the roots and prevent them from getting crucial oxygen, but too little will leave them parched. There are two great ways to check the moisture of your plant to tell you when to water to keep that level just right:

More Watering Tips:  Some tropicals are quite sensitive, and the salts and minerals dissolved in our tap water can burn their roots, even if they’re safe for us to drink. When you water, keep going until water pours out the drainage holes at the bottom of the container, flushing out any leftover salts from last time you watered. You can even choose to use distilled water to avoid build-up in the soil. When you’re watering use a dish under the plant to catch what flows from the bottom, or for even less mess, relocate your plant to the sink or bathtub to water them, let them drain for a few minutes, and put them back.

Light for Tropical Plants

Each plant from different areas of the world might have different requirements, so lighting isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Many tropicals love to soak up the sun, but aren’t used to getting too many direct rays and might be prone to getting sunburns. Check the tag on your plant to get an idea of its needs and find a spot in your home that suits them - while plants don’t like being moved around too much, you can always relocate if you need to.

Your beautiful tropical can’t talk to you, but if you pay attention you can see signs of what it needs. Look out for pale or yellowing leaves, or a “stretching” plant that seems lanky - these are signs your tropical is craving a little bit more sunlight. Brown spots on the leaves, though, could be a sign of burning from too much direct light.

Fertilizing Tropicals

We want our plants to grow big and strong, and giving them the right fuel is certainly a way to do that. Fertilizer is an option to give your plant a little boost - especially during the growing season - to grow more lush and healthy. Be careful, though, as your plant’s roots are already in cramped quarters in a container, so only use half concentration doses, and only once or twice a year. Just a little goes a long way! Choose a fertilizer with close to equal numbers, like a 20-20-20 for a healthy mix to meet your plant’s needs.

Growing Tropicals - Moving Up in Size

With a happy and healthy plant, you’re sure to eventually need to give your plant a bigger home to let it stretch out its roots! When the plant looks “rootbound” or that almost all of the soil and space in the container is roots, it’s time to size up. You might notice visible roots at the top of the container, growing out the bottom, or that you need to water your plant more because it has less soil to hold on to water.

Sizing up is as easy as getting a larger container and repotting. It’s simple, but it can get messy. Here are some of our tips for sizing up for a healthy, growing tropical:

Tropicals are one of our favorite ways to embrace the trend of houseplants, and we can’t get enough of their rich green and glossy leaves. They’re perfectly suited to our cozy, temperature-controlled homes and can be easy to take care of when you know how to give them what they need and speak their language. Taking home a tropical is a great way to boost your mood at home with a chic and stylish living decoration that’s ready to impress for years to come.

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