Espoma Holly-Tone has always been a part of my life. Many people know my Dad was my ultimate garden buddy. Dad would tell you that any gardener that knew what he was doing had to have Holly-Tone in the house. The red and white bag was considered a necessity when he tended our garden.
While we could not afford all of the latest amendments for a beautiful yard, there was always an Espoma product in our house. It was Organic and that was important to the Gardener of the house. There were a few “other” items that my Mom would politely say, “Speight, we can’t have that around the kids”. Those items stayed outside, no matter the weather, but not the Espoma Holly-Tone.
Espoma has been a part of many households since 1929. For 90 years, Espoma has been a leader in the organic movement. It is still family owned and operated four generations later. This speaks volumes when most businesses sell out or go under. HG. Sanders, Founder of Espoma, created a product that worked WITH the earth. Did you know that at one time, Espoma employees mixed the product by hand? Even back in those days, Espoma worked hard to develop a winning track record of complementing nature. The results in the landscape were and continue to be stellar, naturally. With an ever-increasing product line including insect control, soil amendments to bloom enhancer’s, Espoma plans on sticking around for a while.
As the saying goes, only the strong survive and Espoma is more than surviving! I remember my Mom scratching it in at the base of her roses. My Dad was eager to feed his azaleas at least two times a year. Dad would carry that bag around – as I watched – making sure each and every shrub got the right amount. It was truly an exercise of love. As an adult, I make a habit of using Espoma Holly-Tone. I feed my Camellias and Azaleas as well…two times a year, just like Dad.
This year I will be using another Espoma product. This product is new to me, but I have confidence it will enhance my garden planter. The Bio-Tone starter will be my amendment of choice in a planter from last year. The directions state that a trench should go down the middle of the planter. A granular fertilizer should fill the trench. In doing this, the nutrients would be readily available below the surface of the soil. Rains would feed the roots naturally as the fertilizer was easily and evenly dispersed. I will also use a burlap remnant instead of weed block. Confident this will prove to be successful, I will share as the season evolves. Aren’t garden experiments wonderful to try to learn from?
My siblings and I are all too familiar with the red and white bag. We will each secure some Espoma Holly-Tone before long and it will be our way of following our Dad’s environmental footprint. Thank you, Mr. Sanders, for creating a product that we can all feel good about using in our gardens from generation to generation!
Let the growing season begin organically,
Teri, Cottage In the Court
Click Espoma, to find out more about this reliable friend to have on hand for a successful garden.
The endorsement of this product is my opinion. I have not been paid to share these words about a more than worthy product.
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