Summer is upon us! With the heat starting to kick up a notch, we thought it would be a good idea to go over some fundamental tips for caring for your flowers and plants during these summer months. There are some special precautions that you should take to maximize the health and lifespan of your flowers and plants. As your trusted flower shop in Burlington, Chappell’s Florist is here to help your plants and flowers thrive. Contact us with any of your questions!

In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to keep your flowers and plants healthy and happy as the summer heat washes over them.

1. Pay Attention To Humidity

Living in Vermont, we are familiar with the humidity during the summer. Sure, we don’t have it as bad as some places, but things can get pretty darn humid. Some people love the humidity, some people hate it, but one thing we know for sure is that plants usually benefit from higher humidity.

It’s great that plants can enjoy the increased humidity during the summer, but know that part of the reason why humidity is good for plants is that it helps keep them consistently hydrated. This means that there’s a greater risk of over-watering your plants and flowers. This is very, very bad, and a quick way to have dead plants on your hands. Speaking of watering…

2. Water Deeply

The humidity can be great to help with the hydration of your flowers. Nevertheless, the humidity will be competing with increased temperatures. The heat can make water evaporate from the soil/growing medium at a much faster rate. This is why you need to ensure that the water is reaching the roots of your plants.

The water on the surface will evaporate the fastest. One way to ensure that the water gets deeper into the soil is to water slowly. Don’t poor the water on too quickly. Give it time to absorb deep into the soil.

This might seem like conflicting information. Indeed, it’s a bit of a balancing act to provide a deep watering while making sure not to over-water. When in doubt, do the trusty “finger test.” Stick your finger one to two inches into the soil. Most plants need water when it’s dry at these depths. Contact your Burlington flower shop if you need other tips for testing the hydration of your plant.

3. Account For Temperatures

Just like people, too much heat can be uncomfortable and ultimately dangerous for plants. This, too, is a balancing act, since you obviously want to ensure that your plants get enough sunlight, but you don’t want to fry them from extreme heat. As things heat up, your first intuition might be to stick your flowers or plants near an air conditioning unit. This is not the best strategy, since the dry air from a/c units can dry out the plants, rendering useless the benefits of the increased summer humidity.

A more effective way to control for the summer heat is to strategically place your plants throughout your home. Specifically, you want to keep plants away from the hottest areas of your home. This might mean moving them throughout the day. The sunlight beaming down on them during the middle of the day can be very damaging, especially if you have sensitive plants. This will, ultimately, depend on the needs of the specific plant.

4. Look For Signs Of Stress

Different plants and flowers call for different levels of attention and care. As you adjust to their specific needs, it’s important to stay vigilant of signs that your plants are struggling. This might include the following:

• Pale foliage
• Unexpected Wilting
• Brown or yellow patches on leaves and stems
• Flowers and petals dropping off

Other Steps

These are just a few of the things that you should do to keep your plants safe during the summer. You also want to be careful about how much you re-pot, fertilize, and prune, as these are all affected by temperatures. If you have any questions about taking care of your plants, Chappell’s Florist is here to help. As your trusted flower shop in the Burlington area, we want to work with you to help keep your flowers and plants healthy all year long.