Not necessarily. Repotting should be done when your plant is root bound, the soil is not able to hold water any longer, or your plant is losing pallor and vigor. If you would like to repot your plant sooner, just make sure that your pot has a drainage hole and is no more than 1-2 sizes larger than it's grower pot. And guess what?! If the pot you purchase at Tonkadale doesn’t have a drainage hole, we are happy to drill one for you when you checkout! For more information read our Guide to Repotting Indoor Plants!

Deer in the garden is a struggle for even the most experienced gardener. The best way to prevent deer from foraging in your yard is to train them away by using repellants. Deer are pattern eaters and will continue to munch their lunch in the same space if allowed. Repellants tell them not here, not now, and they will learn to leave your leafy greens and juicy buds alone. Read more about repelling deer and other mammals in our blog How to Repel Warm Blooded Garden Pests: Keep Deer and Rabbits out of the Garden.

Yellowing leaves can often be part of the natural progression of leaf aging. Just like we humans lose hair and skin (gross), plants also cycle through tissues. Yellowing leaves here and there are nothing to worry about, simply pinch them off or cut back to the stem with a pruner.  

However, if several leaves are yellowing all at once, this could be an indication of an ailing plant. Plants that are overwatered or sitting in standing water for prolonged periods of time tend to look wilted and begin to yellow. If you see this, check your pot – is it draining correctly, is the saucer filling up with water? Next, check your soil -- how long does it take for the soil to dry down 1-2 inches? Most plants DO like to dry out a bit between watering and its best to err on the side of underwatering rather than overwatering. Sometimes plants just can’t use all the water they are given. In this case, move them to a higher light location and cut back on watering.

Yellowing leaves can also indicate underwatering. If this is the case, yellowing leaves will likely senesce (fall off) in response. Make sure plants are properly watered to avoid premature leaf drop. Soak plants until the soil is saturated, water drains out the bottom of the pot, and the weight of the plant has significantly increased. Let soil dry down between watering and repeat.

It depends on what you are growing!

For indoor plants, we recommend fertilizing with an all-purpose fertilizer such as Schultz Plant Food at least twice per month during active growth – generally spring through fall. Use a plant-specific fertilizer for certain plants like cactus, orchids, African violets, citrus, and palms. Cut back on fertilizer in the winter months when the sun is low in the sky and the days are short. Read more about Fertilizing Indoor Plants here!

For annual plants, fertilize with Miracle Grow or something similar at least once per week. Use Mir-Acid for plants that like a slightly more acidic soil such as Petunias, Calibrachoa, Hibiscus, and Mandevilla.

For perennial plants, trees, and shrubs, it is appropriate to fertilize with a garden amendment such as Plant Tone once per month during the growing season. This is an organic product that slowly releases to the plant in response to temperature and water. Premium Compost or Purple Cow Activated Compost are also great options for perennial beds and newly planted perennials, trees, and shrubs. Read more about Fertilizing Outdoor Plants here!

Deadheading refers to the process of removing faded or dead flowers from plants. Annuals will continue to bloom throughout the season with regular deadheading and perennials will give you a second flush of flowers depending on the plant.

Deadheading helps maintain the appearance of your plants and encourages them to focus on continually blooming rather than setting seed.

Deadheading is simple. As blooms fade, simply pinch or cut off the faded flower at the base. For blooms on longer stems, pinch or cut where the peduncle (flower stalk) meets the stem. Do this task early and often for the best results.

We all anxiously await those yummy spring days with crisp mornings and sunny afternoons! Plants, just like us, are excited to get outside for the season.

Indoor plants need to be acclimated to outdoor temperatures and natural light. Place indoor plants outside when temperatures are above 50 degrees F. Make sure to start them in a shady spot or dappled light to ensure that their leaves don't burn. Gradually move them into more sun as they are able to tolerate. It's good to note: plants that love bright light indoors generally don't tolerate full sun outdoors. However, there are some exceptions. Cactus and succulents with thrive in full sun. Palms will too but with lots of water and time to acclimate to higher light conditions.

When we garden, we often ask ourselves, when is it safe to plant? Broadly, annuals, tropical plants, and most vegetables can be planted outdoors for the season when the night time temperatures are consistently 50 degrees F or higher. Take a look at the 10 day forecast and if you see 50's across the board, its safe to plant! Of course, exceptions exist and there are many plants we can get started sooner such as pansies, lettuces, and cole crops.

Perennials can be planted in the ground when the soil is workable and warm. Plants will tolerate temperatures in the low 40's depending on where they were grown. Plants coming directly out of a greenhouse will need to be hardened off before they are planted for good. Do know that swelling buds and new growth can be damaged by a frost. Not to worry, they will grow out of it and set new buds in most cases.

Conversely, it’s time to bring your houseplants and any tropical plants inside for the winter when the nighttime temperatures start dipping below 50 degrees F. If we are having a quick cold snap early in the fall, you can move plants indoors and out until cold temperatures set in, or you can cover plants for extra protection on chilly nights.

When bringing plants indoors, we recommend giving them a good hose down to remove dirt and dust accumulation as well as any pests that may have set up shop. It’s also a good idea to treat with a product such as Bonide’s Insecticidal Soap to be extra sure you aren’t introducing pests into the house.  

Late summer and fall are a great time to prune and re-pot plants while you can make the mess outside. This is especially important to keep in mind for larger specimens that are hard to maneuver in close quarters within the house.

Read more about Bringing Your Indoor Plants Back Indoors (After Their Summer Vacation Outdoors) on the blog!

Fiddle Leaf Figs are vigorous growers when placed in the perfect place. But what’s a plant parent to do when Baby Figgy becomes Big Figgy? Prune them of course! Don’t be afraid, pruning your fiddle leaf fig won’t hurt and you may have to prune it in several places. Grab a sharp pruner and cut at a 45-degree angle just above a node. What’s a node you say? A node is where the leaf meets the stem. When you remove the main growing tip, you release apical dominance signaling the auxiliary buds (the buds that lie dormant at the node) to release and start growing two growth tips instead of one. You can see, pruning serves two purposes – to check growth and to create a more branchy and compact shape and appearance.  

Pollinators are insects, birds, and mammals that move pollen from plant to plant resulting in genetic diversity, flower, fruit, and seed production, more generally plant reproduction. We can’t really exist without pollinators and that’s why they are so important. As gardeners we have the great privilege to provide habitat and hosts for our pollinator friends. You are already planting plants which is the most important first step!

Check out these blog resources for all the best information about Planting a Pollinator Garden with Continuous Color and 10 tips for Pollinator Planting.

We have a great video resource too! Tune in to Planting a Pollinator Perennial Garden.

Hummingbirds like flowers that are tubular in shape, and they love the color red! Hummingbirds drink nectar using their tongues. At its tip, the tongue divides in half creating two straw-like tubes running side by side which collect liquid by capillary action.

Some of their favorites in the perennial garden include Monarda (Bee Balm), Salvia, Lobelia (Cardinal Flower), Garden Phlox, Perennial Hibiscus, and Clematis.  

Hummingbirds can visit up to 1,000 flowers per day. The more flowers you have, the more hummingbirds will visit! Simple math, right?!

Keep in mind, nothing is 100% deer proof, but deer resistant is a great place to start. Some of the most popular deer resistant selections for sun are Echinacea (Coneflower), Monarda (Bee Balm), and Perovskia (Russian Sage).

We recommend these three super stars for shade or part sun – Heuchera (Coral Bells), Dicentra (Bleeding Heart),and Pulmonaria (Lungwort).

For further reading, check out our Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plant Guide!

Our collective love of plants and pets is inseparable. We love them both and treat them as members of the family. We name them, we feed them, we water them, we enjoy them. And both need to live in harmony as high-ranking members of the household.

Know Your Pet. Some animals never show interest in plants. Others will paw, shred, dig, and devour. Some will dump the whole plant over and tromp around in the dirt.

Best practices dictate that you keep plants out of reach. Dog owners usually find this doable while cat owners know this is easier said than done. Consider hanging plants, shelves, or even a glass cabinet to display your house plants while also keeping them out of reach. Buyer beware, cats can activate squirrel mode and hurtle through the air just to quell their curiosity for the jungle that awaits.

At the end of the day, if your pet eats a non-toxic or even a mildly toxic plant, keep a close eye on them. Eating a lot of a little never feels good. What exactly does toxic mean when it comes to plants? Plants considered toxic can vary significantly in the level of potential harm. Most toxic plants cause mild symptoms such as skin irritation, drooling, and perhaps vomiting and stomach upset. Usually, pets learn not to chew on specific plants after an uncomfortable experience. However, some plants are dangerous, and the myths surrounding some plants make it difficult to tell the difference between mild and dangerous toxicity. Poinsettias, for example, would need to be eaten in large quantities to cause significant harm, but only a small amount of an Easter Lily needs to be ingested to cause a painful death for kitties.

If you’re unsure how your pet will react to plants, start with varieties known to be safe. Check out thePet Friendly Plants blog for a detailed list of pet-safe plants.

Well, we are really good at loading plants into tight spaces and have lots of practice, but if you just don’t want to cram it all in your car or the plant is just too big, we do deliver. Our delivery fees are based on your zip code, and you can find this information on our website on the Services page! We also deliver AND set up Christmas trees!

So glad you asked, and we actually have an amazing blog about soils for all kinds of houseplant situations! Tonkadale’s Custom Indoor Plant Soil Recipes 

Pruning hydrangeas is important for optimal performance, shapeliness, and longevity. There are three types of Hydrangeas that are hardy in our area. These include Paniculata or Panicle Hydrangea (think Limelight and Quick Fire), Macrophylla or Bigleaf Hydrangea (think Endless Summer and Seaside Serenade), and Arborescens or Smooth Hydrangea (think Annabelle and Incrediball). Each should be treated a little bit differently. Read all about Pruning Hydrangeas on the blog! 

Fall or early spring is the best time to reseed your lawn! With warm and sunny days, cool nights, and a little bit of rain, grass is loving life! Insider tip – sprinkle a bit of Tonka Terra, our in-house potting mix, down after you prepare your site. It’s full of all kinds of good nutrients and organic matter that will get your grass greener than the other side of the fence.  

For new plantings or for patching larger areas, consider native grasses or even a bee lawn. The grass varieties chosen for these blends support pollinators and our local ecosystems. Native grass requires far less inputs such as mowing and watering. We love the mixes we source from Twin City Seed Company! They came for a visit not long ago to teach us all about the benefits of bee lawns. Check out out this video all about Bee Lawns or listen to the podcast!

Oh boy, fungus gnats are the worst. Just spray, pray, and walk away! Only kidding. There are actually several strategies for eliminating gnats – both cultural and chemical.

Cultural practices are the methods in which you care for your plant so let’s start there. First, make sure you are using a nice, organic potting soil. When you open the bag, there shouldn’t be little black bugs flying around. If this happens, return the potting soil to where it came from so they can take it off the shelf. Next, make sure you understand the light and water requirements of your plant. Low light in combination with too much water is the perfect breeding ground for fungus gnats. Also make sure your pot or planter has a drainage hole to allow for excess water to run through with each watering. Lastly, you can create a barrier to prevent entry. Fungus gnats lay their eggs in the soil. When the larvae hatch, they feed on organic matter, algae and even plant roots which gives fungal infections a chance to invade. Adding a layer of gravel to the top of your soil is both decorative and functional. Check out this video about Soil Covers to learn more!

While cultural practices are mostly preventative, chemical practices are more reactive but also sometimes necessary when pest populations are high. In addition to choosing an insecticide such as Eight, it is a good idea to trap adult fungus gnats using yellow sticky cards. A very effective method for killing larvae in the soil is to apply a biological insecticide such as Thuricide.

So glad you asked, and there are so many options! Some of our favorites are ZZ Plants, Peperomia, Hoya, Monstera, and Pothos. Check out our Plant Parent Starter Pack blog here. 

In general, you can expect to see new houseplant shipments every Monday (or Tuesday depending on the truck’s ETA) and every other Friday. With each shipment, we post an unboxing video on social media. The best way to see what’s new is to follow @tonkadale on Instagram and watch our stories often. You can also visit our online store, click the shop tab, click on indoor plants, then sort by newest items. Check back often for the latest arrivals!

So glad you asked. Shrubs are the backbone of any well-planned garden, adding structure and interest all season long. We want your trees and shrubs to live their best life when you take them home. This starts with preparing your site and preparing your plant. Check out this video about How to Plant a Tree and this super informational blog - Planting Tips for Healthy Trees and Shurbs.

As always, if you have any questions at all, don’t be shy! You can email us hello@tonkadale.com, send a message on social media, stop in the store, or give us a call!