This blog has been created to further improve your experience as an Esposito Garden Center customer. Articles on varied topics will be posted regularly and questions are always welcome. If you have any specific topics that you would be interested in learning more about, please comment with suggestions below!
Monthly Archives: November 2014
Furry, Flighty, and Ferociously Hungry: Planting a Deer Resistant Garden
After spending a few months working at the garden center, I’ve received more than a handful of complaints involving deer. I used to think of them as cute, cuddly, innocent creatures, but their looks can be deceiving. These little buggers will consume copious amounts of plant material without discrimination. Impatiens, Daylilies, English Ivy and Firespike are only a few of the common victims when it comes to the “dinner plate” of the hungry deer in Tallahassee. So, what’s a gardener to do? Some might suggest hanging scented soap from a rope or spreading animal feces pellets around or even urinating on your roses, but these methods can be time consuming, embarrassing, and let’s face it, downright smelly! A more practical way to deal with the problem is to plant distasteful (to deer, at least) plants. Nothing can be guaranteed, but the following plants are far less likely to be consumed by those pesky deer:
- Angel’s Trumpet
- Borage
- Carolina Jessamine
- Cross Vine
- Dusty Miller
- Hens and Chicks
- Jacobina
- Lamb’s Ear
- Larkspur
- Plumbago
- Red Hot Poker
- Salvia
- Shrimp Plant
- Snapdragon
- Spider Flower
- Torenia
- Vinca
- Zinnia
Deer Resistant Herbs:
- Basil
- Beebalm
- Lavender
- Lemon Balm
- Mint
- Onion Chives
- Rosemary
- Rue
- Sage
- Thyme
Deer Resistant Plants that Attract Butterflies:
- Anise Hyssop
- Astilbe
- Alyssum
- Black-eyed Susan
- Butterfly Bush
- Cosmos
- Evening Primrose
- Foxglove
- Goldenrod
- Lobelia
- Monarda
- Purple Cone Flower
- Sage
- Shasta Daisy
- Verbena
- Yarrow
Sayonara Mosquitos: Insect Repelling Herbs and Flowers for Your Garden
What do mosquitos, aphids, and fleas have in common? They’re not welcome in my garden! Unfortunately, my incessant pleading doesn’t stop them from making themselves right at home. There are some other techniques that do work, however, one of which involves plants! It just so happens that many of the flowers and herbs you know and love repel bothersome insects. Some of them are even edible, which makes them even more useful!
Edible Plants that Repel Insects:
- Rue repels fleas
- Basil repels flies and mosquitos
- Lemon Thyme repels mosquitos
- Lemongrass repels mosquitos
- Cilantro repels aphids
Other Plants that Repel Insects
- Sweet Alyssum attracts flower flies that eat aphids
- Citronella repels mosquitos
- Marigolds repel nematodes
Making Friends with Monarchs: Attracting Butterflies to the Garden
Nothing excites me more than seeing a cart loaded down with milkweed headed out the door and on its way to someone’s garden. Monarch populations are rapidly decreasing due to an increase in monoculture (single crop) farms and deforestation. Butterflies extremely necessary when it comes to pollinating many of our favorite foods, and they are also really cool. They are beautiful, fun to watch, and they don’t bite! These wonderful, amazing creatures desperately need YOUR help. They need you to plant host plants for them to lay eggs on and nectar plants for them to feed on in order to thrive. Fortunately, creating a butterfly sanctuary is easy and rewarding.
Nectar Plants for Butterflies:
- Alyssum
- Anise Hyssop
- Coneflower
- Blanket Flower
- Blazing Star
- Butterfly Bush
- Dill
- Fennel
- Ironweed
- Milkweed
- Pentas
- Plumbago
- Porterweed
- Sage
- Salvia
- Wild Petunia
Larval Host Plants for Butterflies:
- Black Swallowtail – Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Carrot, Rue
- Giant Swallowtail – Citrus Trees, Prickly Ash, Gas Plant
- Gulf Fritillary – Passion Flower Vine
- Monarch – Milkweed
- Pipevine Swallowtail – Dutchman’s Pipe (Pipevine)
- Zebra Longwing – Passion Flower Vine
- Zebra Swallowtail – Papaw Tree
Plants for the Rain Garden that Attract Butterflies:
- Blue Lobelia
- Goldenrod
- Ironweed
- Joe Pye Weed
- Swamp Azalea
- Swamp Milkweed
- Switchgrass
- Vervain
Deer Resistant Plants that Attract Butterflies:
- Anise Hyssop
- Astilbe
- Alyssum
- Black-eyed Susan
- Butterfly Bush
- Cosmos
- Evening Primrose
- Foxglove
- Goldenrod
- Lobelia
- Monarda
- Purple Cone Flower
- Sage
- Shasta Daisy
- Verbena
- Yarrow
Christmas Open House – November 15, 2014
Join us at Esposito Garden Center on Saturday, November 15, 2014 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. for a wonderful holiday shopping experience. Complementary refreshments will be served and our knowledgeable staff will be ready to help you along the way. There will be hourly opportunities for atendees to win prizes and one lucky winner will go home with a $250 gift card to be used for any Christmas items within the store. Although “Garden Center” is part of our name, we have much more than gardening supplies to offer!
Holiday Shopping Guide:
Gifts for Sports Enthusiasts
*Click on photos for high resolution, large images.
We have ornaments representing your favorite team, custom bird baths, jewelry and apparal with your team’s logo, everything you need to design a sports themed Christmas tree, and much more!
Gifts for Children
We offer an assortment of adorable plush animals, gardening kits and tools for children, and hundreds of unique ornaments that make perfect holiday gifts.
Gifts for Nature Enthusiasts
We have many decorative nature themed items, custom terrariums, gardening tools, beautiful bulbs, bird baths, bird seed, butterfly/bat/bird houses, rain chains, lawn decor, glazed pots, fairy garden supplies, nature themed Christmas decorations, and more!
Thanksgiving Decorations
At Esposito Garden Center you can find custom floral arrangements, yard ornaments, decorative flags, ribbon and bows, beautiful centerpieces, and several other items that will help you create the perfect atmosphere in your home.
Christmas Decorations
The selection of Christmas decor at Esposito Garden Center is so immense, you simply must see it for yourself. We carry trees, wreaths, and garlands and all of the accessories needed to customize them. We have nutcrackers of every color, thousands of unique and commemorative ornaments, dozens of beautiful stockings, gorgeous large and small statues, diverse nativity and village pieces, beautiful lights, and anything else you could possibly need to decorate your home impeccably for the holidays. If you are interested in having someone come to your house and put up decorations for you, we can do that as well. We aim to provide exemplary service that sets us apart from competitors, so don’t hesitate to make special requests! We are here to make your holiday season as stress free as possible.
Outdoor Decorations and Accessories
We carry gorgeous ceramic and concrete pots, concrete statues, unique figurines, potted plants, porch swings, outdoor tables and chairs, rain chains, bird feeders, flags, and so much more!
Cool Season Plants
Camellias are getting ready to bloom and make excellent gifts for friends and family. We have Camellias in many different colors that are suited for various conditions. We also have a lovely selection of mums, pansies, petunias, and violas that are perfect for providing cool season color. In our floral department, we carry many houseplants that will enhance the atmosphere of any home while purifying the air as well!
Other holiday services we offer include the following:
Esposito Garden Center 