I once again will apologize to everyone for being out of touch for so long, but those of you who know me and my habits, know that winter time, is hockey time for me, both as a diehard fan, and player. Im sure you call know that my much loved Washingon Capitals did HORRIBLE this year, but look out, were building an awesome new team for the future now! WAHOO!

At any rate, I belive my last postings last year were just after hurricane isabel came through and pretty much brought an abrupt end to my wonderful garden last september. I did salvage some of it, and kept growing some things, but for all intents and purposes, most of it was destroyed by the 80-100 MPH winds that buffed our 14th floor, ESE facing balconey for the better part of 24 hours.

Well, its a new season, and its time once again to to start anew as usual, and im psyched.

Also, Alot has happend this past winter. Suffice it to say im doing just great, but im unsure if i will be staying in my current apartment, so I may be posting new pics of an entirely new setup for me! For those of you who remember the pics of my old set up, It was pretty darn nice, and I will miss it if I have to go, but, I also look foward to sharing the challenges of a new space with you all!

I hope no one takes my annual "disappearing" act personally, its just me, and my seasonal hobbies. Like i said last year to my friends on the hockey message boards (though most of th em I know in real life as well) Summer is my gardening hobby time, and I wont be posting much on the hockey boards at all over the summer, as I dont post here much at all over the winter.

So... I just wanted to wish everyone a happy spring, and im looking foward to getting reaquainted with those of you who I have grown to know and love, and miss, as well as seeing and getting to know all of those wonderful new names im seeing on here.

With that, Ill say LET THE GROWING BEGIN!!!! WAHOOO!!!!!

Its nice to finally have the warm weather back, and to come back to my online gardening home forum!

Ken

Have a bunch of new things that I will be trying this year and will post about them in greenfreak's thread.

Just as an FYI, there's a new poster here named Ruggy and he is a vine guy. I think you 2 should exchange some ideas since I know your balcony was completely engulfed in vines. LOL

And, Ken, if there are some favorite seeds you want to grow this year, I have a stash that's more than what I and my son in Ohio are going to be able to grow this year. Better to share them this year while they have a better germination rate than hoard them for next year. So, tell us what you'd like to put on that balcony!

girlsaylor

That's right, did you have vines finding their way into your bathroom window?? And didn't you have those awesome storm photos? How exciting, a new place. I hope it's even better than where you are now!

Jenny, Nice to see you are still here! So there is ANOTHER "vine guy" here now huh? LOL! You see, im not the only nutcase thats obsessed with vines, lol!

Im not exactly sure what im going to be doing this summer, or where im going to be doing it, but you can rest assured that there will be vines involved. I already have 6 MF seeds that are now just sprouting, and 14 MG seeds that are all sprouted too, and ready to go in thier starter pots. =o)

Girlsaylor, thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate that. I just try and pass along what ive learned myself here or just from my experiences. Im not sure yet if there is anything I want or need that I dont already have, but rest assured that if I do come across something I want and cant easily find, ill definately be asking YOU! =o)

Greenfrank, Yep. That would be me. The MF vine was growing into my bedroom window. LOL! And yes those were my storm photos. We had WAY more than out fair share of sever thunderstorms here last summer, and most of those photos were takin one night when we got hit by 5 severe thunderstorms in a ROW, one right after the other.

I still dont know yet exactly what my living situation is going to be, but you can rest assured, as I said earlier, that I WILL be gardening, and it WILL include vines! =o)

I will definately keep you all posted on what im growin and how its doing. I can tell you my Clematis has already come back, as well as my Catmint, and some of my hosta's too. Theres other things just randomly coming up on my balcony now, but im not exactly sure what they are. I belive that some of them are Catnip seeds, and some are the lambs quarters. Last year I allowed a couple of lambs quaters "weeds" to live on my balcony, but I dont think I will be do ing that ever again, as they are PROLIFIC seeders just like Catnip , and then some.

I havent done anything to my balcony yet, its still in the same sad, sorry, and VERY MESSY state its been in all winter. I havent gotten started on it yet because I am unsure if I will be living there this summer or not, and I dont want to start my garden there only to have to take it all down when/ if I move. If a move is going to take place, it probably will happen before the end of may though, so Ill still have a whole summer to get stuff going.

Right now, im just starting things for my S/O's balcony. He is also interested in gardening too, and wants to do a very nice garden on his balcony. So well both be d oing that together. =o)

Thanks again for all the kind words!

Like lemmings coming home, we come to the GW Balcony Gardening forum in spring. Like Canadian Geese go south for the winter, like the swallows returning to that town in some distant foreign land I cannot remember.... Were BAAAACK!!! LOL!

Anyway, So how is everyones gardnes doing this year???? Lets hear it! SInce I may have to at least partially live vicariously through you all this summer... I want DETAILS and PICS! =o)

Nice to see everyone popping out of the winter woodwork like seeds popping out of the winter soil in spring! =o)

I'm also hoping for a new set-up this year-maybe even a bit of real dirt? lol. I kinda like the "high life" so maybe not.

As for the balcony, all I can say is that the toad lilies are growing better than anything else. The gooseberries are also doing well so far, and various other things are starting to show up again. Gotta love those perennials....

Which reminds me, I need to update my page with my new 'chids.

(Background: I generally grow shade perennials on my balcony. It's just over one year since I started, so everything in the picture was planted about a year ago.)

I think I looked at your member page and website for the first time. I really miss Boston - thanks for the photos.

Here = Balcony gardening, there = Orchids :)

Did you live in Boston? My boyfriend and I love the city so much, he went to BU for four years.