A Busy Person’s Guide to Gardening

When it comes to his wife Ivy’s gardening skills, Ricky Eilerman has real opinions and he isn’t content just letting her know how he feels. Eilerman, an Army veteran and real estate agent, turned to the popular social media app TikTok to let the whole world know.

“How many dead plants do you have in your house? Let’s count,” he joked, while pointing to 10 plants around the couple’s Guyton home that have seen better days.

In the 50-second video, he also shows his wife who seems to be pruning a basil plant that is more stems than basil. “My wife insists on buying plants, but it’s a waste of money. That’s the one thing she doesn’t do well,” he says, saying he often sneaks her dead plants out of the house. “Our son, who is 19, bought her a plant, a southern cactus. He told her it would be a plant that wouldn’t die. It died.”

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

For her part, Ivy Eilerman said it’s not that she doesn’t like a pretty garden or plants, but her demanding work schedule as a mortgage company executive in Pooler doesn’t allow the time she knows a healthy garden requires. “I just can’t keep plants alive. My grandfather owned a successful family-operated, 50-acre flower nursery for many years, but I guess the gardening gene skipped me. I love plants and get excited, and then the excitement dies with the plants,” Eilerman said.

Gardening is Having a Moment

According to an Axiom 2021 gardening insights survey, the spring and summer of 2020 saw homeowners gardening in record numbers. The research, conducted by Axiom—a Minnesota-based marketing firm—found that 86 percent of homeowners plan to continue gardening in 2021. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed say they will plant about the same as last year. Approximately 47 percent said they will be planting more and expanding their garden spaces next season.

“With many of us spending more time at home and more time outside, gardening opened the door for positive activities and good feelings in a time where things were looking pretty bleak,” said Kathleen Hennessy, head of the horticulture marketing group for Axiom, which caters to the gardening industry. Hennessy said many homeowners surveyed said they were gardening in 2020 because it gave them something to do while stuck at home during the pandemic, provided a source of exercise and helped to cope with stress. But, overwhelmingly, most were gardening to add beauty in their lives. “More than half of those surveyed told us they just wanted a beautiful outdoor space.”

Heather Harrison of Pooler Plant Pickup Station and Olde Savannah Gardens said the two garden centers she owns with her husband, Ross, have seen an influx of

beginning and busy gardeners who want an instant garden.

“Almost everyone who comes into our stores say the same thing. ‘I want a beautiful garden, but I want it to be low maintenance.’ A garden is not set it and forget it,” Harrison said. She said she sees her role to help customers set realistic goals. Most gardens fail, Harrison said, because of the selection of the wrong plants for the climate, planting in the wrong location, improper spacing or unrealistic expectations once a garden is planted, which, she said, is compounded by the area’s less-than-ideal soil conditions.

“One of the problems we have in Pooler is horrible soil with low nutrient value,” which Harrison likens to gumbo when it rains. “We have customers who come in after reading a magazine and want a specific kind of plant or garden, but our soil here has very little nutrients, and you have to learn how to plant here.” Harrison, who grows 150,000 plants for both stores on 25 acres in Pooler, said she and her staff enjoy advising customers before purchasing plants so that they won’t waste their time and money. She said she also is selective in the plants she carries even if they are zoned for the area, and steers customers away from plants that she knows have difficulty growing. Those hardto-maintain plants on her list include dogwoods, cypress (especially the Leyland and Italian variations), Indian Hawthorn and Oleander. Other plants zoned for the area but that would be especially difficult for busy homeowners to maintain include Encore Azaleas, hybrid tea roses, Dwarf Bottlebrush, and Redbud and Cherry trees.

Harrison also said while the normal planting convention is to prepare the garden bed allowing a depth of at least 12-inches for annuals and 18-inches

With many of us spending more time “ at home and more time outside, gardening opened the door for positive activities and good feelings. “

for perennials, and planting flowers at the same soil level as they were in the container, she recommends planting three inches higher than ground level and use organic matter on the sides and below plants to supplement what is naturally lacking in the soil.

Have a Conversation with Garden Experts Before you Start

Garden experts recommend homeowners have an honest discussion with their local garden center staff before beginning any gardening project to let them know their individual planting conditions. Are you growing in sun? Are you growing in shade or have other conditions that will affect the plant’s chances for survival?

“If someone is designing a landscape, putting the right plants in the right place is key,” said Dr. Timothy S. Davis, coordinator of the University of Georgia’s Chatham County Extension Office, which also operates a consumer call center. “Consider the adult size of the plant and give it the appropriate space. You won’t have to prune anything if you give the appropriate amount of space in the first place. Consider environmental needs of the plants like how much sun, how much shade, how much water is needed. Some plants have more or less requirements – getting this right avoids most issues.”

Davis also advises busy gardeners to choose low maintenance plants and when it comes to grasses, choose a turfgrass such as centipede grass that needs to be mowed every five to seven days rather than Bermuda grass that needs to be mowed every three days.

He also suggests investing in an irrigation system that uses technology such as soil probes to automatically irrigate when the soil reaches a certain level of dryness and turns off when the proper level of soil moisture is achieved.

Polk’s Produce and Plants Has Decades of Experience Advising Busy Gardeners

For Becky Polk-Bashlor—whose family has a 70-plus year history of selling flowers and produce mostly in Savannah and, in the last decade, Pooler, where she operates Polk’s Produce and Plants and Polks on the Go, a food delivery service— her store has become a refuge of sorts for experienced and novice gardeners this past year.

Customers can meander the outdoor garden, enjoy fresh-picked produce or even sit down to enjoy the change of scenery. Bashlor, who regularly travels nine hours back and forth to Florida to handpick most of the plants she sells, said she shops understanding that some of her buyers have time to plant their flower purchases while others enjoy them in containers or hanging baskets.

“People will come in and say ‘I don’t have a clue what to plant,’ so I will take them back and help them choose what’s best for them. If they say, ‘I don’t like to water,’ I will say stay away from the ferns.”

For her customers who are too busy to tend to plants, Bashlor recommends Hibiscus, Passion Vines, Mandevilla, Dipladenia, Loropetalum, Sage, Petunia and Geraniums, which are easier to maintain.

Since the pandemic started, Bashlor said it’s not uncommon now to see as many as 100 customers a day, but she said she loves every minute of it. “I say if you have to be stuck at home, why not make it pretty.” n

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SELLING A HOME IN TODAY’S MARKET

Selling your house and moving is a big transition to make, but it doesn’t need to be a stressful experience.

No matter what else is going on in the world, selling your house is always a big deal. You probably have countless memories there, and you’ve spent time, money and effort making it a special place. Just remember, if selling is the right thing for you and your family, it’s worth it to make a move, and you want to do it the smart way.

Stage Your House and Get it Ready

Even in a seller’s market, if you skip this important step you could be leaving money on the table. This starts with deep cleaning—scrub every surface until it sparkles. I can’t emphasize this enough! You need to polish your home and keep it clean during showings. Do those pesky repairs you’ve been putting off so that no one has any reason to start subtracting off of your home value later.

Other great staging tips include applying fresh paint where needed, deep cleaning all carpets and rugs, decluttering to maximize space and don’t forget to stage your outdoor areas with fresh mulch, plants, pressure washing, etc.

Price Your Home to Sell

Remember this: Your home is only worth what buyers are willing to pay (and what it will appraise for if your offer isn’t cash). You need to think objectively about your home’s value. Stick to the facts when you estimate how much your home could sell for. Work with your agent to set a competitive price that’s based on fact, not emotion.

If you’re priced right, you’ll get more offers and therefore have better terms to choose from. If you’re priced too high, you’ll sit on the market longer and have to settle for a lot less in the long run.

Give Your Home Maximum Exposure by Having Professional Real Estate Photos

Professional shots show off your home’s features. Your agent should help coordinate the photo shoot, so that’s less pressure on you. And whatever you do—don’t list with an agent that skips the professional photography step. This could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in your pocket by your home not getting the maximum positive exposure it can get.

Find a Stellar Real Estate Professional

Real estate agents are a dime a dozen these days. That’s why you don’t need just any agent. You need the right agent.

Find someone who will super-serve you, negotiate the best deal, and sell your house fast! As tempting as it is to do it yourself or have a relative, a friend, or your cousin’s husband’s buddy help you, always stick with a vetted professional who has experience and can sell your home for the most money, for the best return, in the shortest amount of time. Don’t leave your largest investment in the hands of an amateur or you will be the one paying that price (and it may be a steep one).

The right real estate agent can help you get your home ready, will hire professional Interior Designers to help with the staging, professional photographers for the pictures and videography and have full in-house marketing departments to maximize your home’s exposure and ensure that you have the best home selling experience possible.

Trisha Cook is a local Realtor & the CEO of The Trisha Cook Team at Keller Williams Realty. She and her team of specialists served over 400 buyers and sellers across the Greater Savannah and Bluffton/Hilton Head Island market in 2020. They specialize in residential, commercial, and luxury real estate as well as new construction and military relocation. Their main office is located at 920 Morgan’s Corner Road, Pooler, GA 31322. If you are interested in learning more about selling your home, contact Trisha at 912-844-8662 or at TrishaCook.com.

PINSPIRATION in POOLER

Who needs to let loose and have some fun? We all do! Spring is in the air and everyone is ready for fun, creativity, and good times.

Welcome to Pinspiration in Pooler where you can tap into your inner artist and create home décor, accessories, kids’ crafts, gifts, holiday crafts, and more. They offer individual craft projects, group events and the extremely popular paint Splatter Room.

Pinspiration Pooler owner Raquel Brinson says. “We give everyone a chance to get inspired and creative while relaxing and having a great time.”

Splatter Room

For a totally unique experience, check out the famous Splatter Room, where you and your group enjoy an hour of wild paint throwing and splashing, on each other, on the walls and onto your own canvas. Every guest takes home their very own unique artwork—a splatter masterpiece! It’s a paint filled blast which can be booked for anything from kids parties to date nights.

The Splatter Room at Pinspiration in Pooler has been so popular that they are expanding and will open a second Splatter Room in June. The new room will offer a more private date night experience and will continue to offer the Splatter Date option that includes an upgraded 16×20 canvas, champagne and chocolates for two, and the glow upgrade with blacklights and UV neon paint.

Any Craft–Any Time

“My favorite feature is that every project is available anytime, which is really a very different concept. You don’t need to reserve a group class or to make the same craft that everyone is making,” says Raquel. “Our crafts are a springboard for guests to personalize their projects to their décor.” They have crafts for kids and adults, and they even have great guy stuff. (Think etched beer steins!)

Good times include snacks and sips, so enjoy great nibbles like a charcuterie board, jalapeno poppers, beer-battered pickle spears, mozzarella sticks, vegetarian egg rolls, pizza, chicken tenders, and even table-side S’mores! Soft drinks are on hand as well as champagne, wine, beer, and mimosas to set the creative mood.

Choose from hundreds of the hottest DIY projects such as acrylic pours, quote boards, guided painting canvases, fiber arts, container boxes, trays, porch signs, growth charts, beaded signs, customized book sets, painted and etched wine glasses, beer steins, and soap dispensers, dog leash plaques, wine bottle racks, soy candles, organic custom soaps, and many more!

Crafts for Kids

Projects include crafts for kids of all ages and skill levels. Raquel, who holds an Art Education degree and was formerly a local elementary school teacher, says, “It’s awesome to see the look on a child’s face when they create something. We will be hosting a Kids Crafting Camp this summer so watch our Facebook page & website for dates and details.”

And don’t forget, the gorgeous VIP Room is available for groups and parties, such as Team Building, Birthday & Anniversary Parties, Girl’s & Guy’s Night Out, Wedding Showers, Bachelorette & Bachelor Parties, and Gender Reveal & Baby Showers. Book one today for a fabulous creative event!

/pinspirationpooler

(912) 988-7461

1011 Towne Center Blvd., Suite 105, Pooler, GA 31322

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TIPS FOR GARDENING WITH KIDS

After months of cool weather, the first hint of warmth will likely have the whole family eager to dive into outdoor activities. This year, as you begin tackling the garden, find ways to get the youngest family members in on the action, too. Not only is gardening an activity you can enjoy together, there are numerous ways to incorporate age-appropriate, teachable moments from counting and colors to responsible care of living things. Creating a positive first experience with gardening can start with this simple advice:

DEDICATE A SPOT FOR A JUNIOR GARDEN, which

allows you to instill a sense of pride and ownership in the little gardener while protecting your own garden areas from ambitious young hands.

2PROVIDE APPROPRIATE TOOLS IN CHILD SIZES. Just as you would teach a child the finer points of baseball using a bat and glove, demonstrate the joys of gardening with tools such as a rake, hoe and trowel, all of which can be found in sizes more manageable for little helpers. 3 LET THE KIDS CHOOSE WHAT TO PLANT. Whether flowers or food plants, allow children to make their own decisions (within reason) about what they would like to grow. This can help them engage in the magic of watching items they selected emerge from the ground and grow into their finished forms.

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ENCOURAGE EXPOSURE TO

UNFAMILIAR PLANTS that entice

the senses with appealing smells and flavors. Herbs such as chives, mint and basil are good choices, or consider edible flowers such as pansies or violets.

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SET AN EXAMPLE FOR YOUR CHILD TO IMITATE by giving

regular and proper care to your own garden.

Remember to bring the lesson full circle by enjoying the bounty of your garden together, whether it’s a small hand-cut bouquet or a meal featuring your child’s fresh-grown produce.