From backyard to balcony shock

18 years ago

Hey there!! I have been lurking on this forum for about a week. I have gone from a huge front yard and even bigger backyard to a 4x8 balony. I had to leave so many of my babies i cried for days. I see that many of you go vertical. I would like to use one vine but I just CAN'T give up the few roses i have left or even my cantankerous gardenia. My balcony gets s se exposure. My roses have a good flush. So I must get enough sun. My crepe myrtle is even budding out. (thankfully she's just 2 seasons old.) Any suggestions? Here's what I do have;; Crepe Myrtle(lavender), Gardenia, Purple Oxalis, Queen Palm(actually house plant but I have her outside for now) Bamboo, Hens & Chicks, Flying Saucer Coreopsis, 5 Pots of various Mums, Devils Trumpet Datura, Angel Face, Pink Peace, Brandy, unknown China Rose, Unknown Pink Mini Rose, unknown Red Mini Rose, Black Jade Mini Rose. Barrel Cactus(just a baby) and Texas Cactus (3 paddles high). These were all that survived my frantic digging and potting, then moving in a hot truck. I Figured out VERY quickly that with space this limited I really don't get to have babies that "might" go somewhere. I'm trying to cope. On the bright side I have this AWESOME atrium that i can winterize anything in! So on that note, anyone have any ideas?

Nikki~

P.S. Some of your balconies are just lovely.

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Comments (5)

jenny_in_se_pa
18 years ago
Just grow all of it. LOL

You may find that you can actually create space by using stair-step type shelves, where you can put more plants out there (at different heights) in the same given space as that without a shelf. You can use the rail to hang pots or windowboxes of perennials, etc. If there is a will, there is a way!
NikkiTX
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks Jenny!! I'm looking into some stair step type stands and shelving now. I figured out that some of my containers will have to be replaced though. All of my terracotta pots look good and there is a sense of unity. I will probably go with that. I have some white aquarium rock that I used as mulch on Pink Peace. Wow what a difference it made. Really shows up well in the evening too. So not much different than a backyard and actually a little more of a challenge. I love it!! LOL I have a couple of those coffee can pocket planters that I never used. I don't even know where they came from, but I'm going to do an herb garden wall right outside the backdoor with them. I am very excited. Thanks again jenny for the response. I saw from your page that you're in Philly! My baby sis' is still living there. I miss it so much! You're balcony looks so inviting. Beautiful plants.
Nikki~
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jenny_in_se_pa
18 years ago
Nikki - It's funny but about 30-some years ago, my family almost moved to Texas (Austin IIRC) due to the possibility of my father's job relocating there. It was then decided that his employer would stay put here. One of my BILs has a brother and family in Texas... small world!

Thanks for the compliments on my plants. You too can fill up your space so much that it is difficult to navigate from one end to the other. For me, it's faster to go from one end to the other via the inside (I have 2 doors to the outside). LOL But then it's one of my many hobbies and I enjoy it immensely.

Since you are using terracotta - you might consider getting the foam equivalent that is terracotta color. Most are painted to look aged to make them look even more like the real thing. However the foam will be able to weather the elements better and would definitely be lighter.

The herb wall sounds cool... uh oh.... heh... you are enabling me now. :-p

Anyway, wish you luck and if you can post pictures of your progress, that would be great!
NikkiTX
Original Author
18 years ago
Wow!! It really is a small world. I will definitely post pics. My cable to my camera is still packed in a box....somewhere...LOL.
Thanx for the foam suggestion on the terracotta. I'm going out tomorrow to look. That would be better for moisture too I would think with the hot dry weather down here in summer.

Yes the herb wall was actually my DH idea in a way. I love to cook and he's spoiled. Wanted to know where I was going to get my fresh herbs from with the herb garden 2 counties away. ;-)
Nikki~
jenny_in_se_pa
18 years ago
LOL about the DH! One of my BILs decided he wanted fresh herbs too (especially rosemary) and fortunately my sister always grows herbs so they have quite a little herb bed going. One time when I was over there when he was BBQing, I watched him go over to the rosemary and pick off a bunch of leaves to put on the meat while I cracked on him. He's just too funny.

And I know what you mean about cable stuff left in the box. These things come with so many cables and straps and attachments I try to make sure I don't toss the box with that stuff before I get it all out and put away in a drawer somewhere.

If you can find the foam or even fiberglass terracotta pots, then I think you'll like them and so many really do look amazingly real too.