Saturday, June 10, 2006

The Back Wall

Have been working on the back wall. put up the hanging baskets and did a few more plantings. trying to bring some color, while avoiding making it crazy and conflicting.


Lean & Green: The Free Edition

Because I'm a big giant garden geek, sometimes I sit around on the deck and revel in all the plants I got "for free." i.e., plants I bought a season, or several seasons ago, that return, and often do better than the year before. (God bless perennials.)

It is not unusual for me to count them. I never tire of this exercise; always extremely satisfying. (This is not counting the many fab containers I got at Odd Job--RIP Odd Job, we miss you--which I obsessively researched online to see how much of a bargain I was getting. Again, always extremely satisfying to go to Lowe's or Home Depot and see similar, or the same containers for mind-blowing prices. ps: Closeout Connection on Court Street near Borough Hall has many contianers and gardening stuf for cheap right now.

When I moved out of my apartment where I was graced with a GIANT garden, I went back and took plants out of the earth, because they were mine, and they contained my history, as well as a sentimental moss-covered brick.
. (I left the bulbs, as a gift to the next residents.) It was my first real garden. I loved it.

Anyway, in a recurring feature, I present some of the plants I've gotten for "free."




The Long View

Some overview shots...

Hi. I Killed it.

OK, maybe not killed, but this is a case where the photos reveal negative progress. The Purple Bells vine is growing, sending out some bells and whatnot, but clearly, it's not loving life. Perhaps not sunny enough. The rest of the basket seems to be faring well. Let's go to the videotape:


Up Close & Personal







Friday, June 09, 2006

More In Progress Photos

Already, things are getting a bit, um, unruly. In a good way, but still, pruning is becoming all the more important.


Thursday, June 08, 2006

Bounty from the Garden

First of all, this rain has to stop. Ix-nay on the Ain-ray. It's good for the garden, but COME ON! All the moisture leads to fungus and slugs, and just bad times overall. I once took a class at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and I was really looking forward to knowing where the hell slugs came from. Especially on a roof garden two stories up! I mean, what do they slither up the side of the building? The woman teaching looked at me when I asked and said "From hell. They come from hell." Great. Thanks. So much for that. Internet research provided little enlightenment, at which point I became extremely fascinated with slugs. I mean, I guess their eggs (?) are in the soil already or something. I am already beginnning to find them this year. and yes, I know about beer and trapping them.

anyway...went out to the garden to get some flowers for the living room. My results.



Mystery Plant Update

A kind and knowledgable reader over at GardenWeb has revealed the identity of the mystery plant:

"Paulownia tomentosa. A very fast growing tree with lovely purple flowers."

Further research shows that it's known for growing in all sorts of inhospitable places, like cracks in gas staiton pavement, etc. Was source of packing material in China--the hulls of the seeds, or something--prior to synthetic replacements. Traditionally planted when a baby girl was born, and used to make gifts when she was married. Also, according to legend the only tree a phoenix will land on, which signifies the era of a great leader or something. (I could be remembering that incorrectly. All of that, as a matter of fact.)

The upshot is this thing IS growing really fast, and I am torn as to whether or not I should yank it. It's starting to encroach on the Clemtatis...but then again, I supposed it's keeping the Clematis' "feet" cool, as they're supposed to like. The current state of the mystery plant:



Wednesday, June 07, 2006

The Magic of Before and After: In Gardens and in Blogs

And here we have one of the reasons I created this: to actually see the progress that can go unnoticed in the garden.

A sample, that I was amazed to see myself. Mission accomplished. (Yo, plants are amazing. Give it up for plants!)