The Current layout

This is going to be a lazy look pretty pictures blog! I am going to show my current lay out. Let me know what you think! Of course I am moving things around all the time. That is the beauty of hanging baskets, in my case buckets and pots.

Sideways picture again! Sorry that is the wooden crate in the far right.

The upside down blue pot is so I can walk across and water and tend to the plants on the other side. The cat has decided it is a perch for her to stare at birds. Well played kitty.

It's raining it's pouring

It has been raining for a few days. I am happy for the free watering but want the sun so I can check out how things are doing. My new set up gets a lot better drainage so I am not as worried as I was before about drowning plants. I do how ever have to water more often. I planted a ton of seeds two weeks ago and yesterday almost all have sprouted. I planted a wildflower mixture into the soil where the dayliles are. Fast growing annual mix to liven things up a bit. Next to the now giant hosta that last year looked all but dead. I planted some love lies bleeding and that seems to be growing nicely next to the driveway. It can be weedy elsewhere but here is an annual. Not to mention contained by the house on one side and the driveway on the other.

 A sideways view of the giant Hosta. Sorry I didn't rotate it. You can see the leaves from the now spent tulips and crocus next to it.

My once pretty bucket full of done flowers. I have planted some flowers and by the time the leaves have saved enough energy the new flowers should be popping up. In the background you can see my pot with the teddy bear sunflowers. My neighbor said she hates sunflowers so I suggested she just not look at them then ha ha.

Garden Update

I got almost nothing done in May. I know that is when I should do the most. As this is the first year I am trying to establish this garden, no blooms yet. My winter-sown plants have more than doubled in size. Quite a few didn't ever sprout, that had more to do with old seeds and poor watering. A few scraggly looking scabiosa have bloomed the last few days. They are by far my new favorite this season.

I have divided this planter since the picture to give the plants some more room. They seem to be happy with that decision. My best plans of writing out a chart of what is where is long gone and the only plant I'm sure of id the butterfly weed. My garden seems to be following an orange and yellow theme this year. The funny thing is I didn't plan it that way. The yellow cosmo and orange corpeous. Butterfly's have been paying me a visit even without the blooms so that makes me happy. My rose bushes from last year have buds so next week I should have some real color.

Last year  I had two large blue plastic bins, a ton of pots and three wooden crates. I decided to do it a bit different this year. That meant starting over with new plants but for a nicer and more streamlined design I decided it was worth it. The box to the left with the snowy fern leaf marigold in it had fallen apart after a few years of use and is now a vintage looking shelf indoors. To maximize space I got an old horse trough rubbed it with neem oil and it now runs the length up front. The large box in the front is holding steady but I rejuvenated the soil by adding new with the old some fertilizer and  per-lite.

Frost!

Logan Airport is advising there is a chance of frost for most of Massachusetts today. Proving that even though the weather has been in the 70's and 80's this week sneeze and it can change. The last frost date was April 21st. A common mistake gardeners often make is planting early. It is much better to plant a week or two after the suspected frost date.
In areas where a late spring frost or even an early hard frost threaten garden plant, being prepared is your best defense. I just have to pop the top back onto the winter sown seeds. I can throw a blanket over the roses and a few other not quite cold hardy plants. I find the plants most vulnerable to frost are soft woods, blooming , and potted plants. I happen to have all three. The bloomers will have to stick it out as they are already past prime and covering is useless at this point. Frost usually occurs overnight and I can drag everything in and covering everything but I will probably forget and make it worse off. Common signs of frost damage are black leaves, mushy leaves and buds.
Many people mistakenly use plastic to protect plants from frost and while this can be effective, it is a practice that some expert gardeners warn against. Plastic doesn't breathe, but rather trap moisture inside. If the temperature drops low enough, the increase in moisture presents a greater threat to the plants if it should freeze. Since I winter-sowed using plastic covers  that are well ventilated I am popping them back on. You can also make cloches by cutting a soda bottle in half and putting it over your tender plants and it's o.k. to leave them on if you forget. Just make sure that you remove them before the real heat sets in.

A fabric covering will allow moisture to escape, but will still protect plants from frost by preventing the freezing air from coming into direct contact with the moisture. Bed sheets an old duvet or thin blanket are ideal for covering large plants and shrubs as well as tender sprouts.

What to put here?

The front by the steps. It has a few tulips. when they are done I'm debating what next.

I was thinking of Lord Baltimore hibiscus?

My reasons are....
* Large, tropical flowers
* Virtually maintenance free
* Highly adaptable to various soils
* Showy for up front
This hardy hibiscus looks like it came from the tropics, but is cold hardy. Produces deep red blooms. They are huge and reach sizes up to 10 inches across.  It will add a tropical feel to the front landscape, without having to replant every year. Lord Baltimore hibiscus is low maintenance requiring almost no care. Drought and frost are no match for this hardy shrub. It produces a spectacular show year after year.
Demonstrates extreme tolerance to almost any soil condition.
Will not crowd out or kill the already established plants. 
       Perhaps some rock roses?

 
 The Rock Rose grows in full sun. As you can see from the previous photo the spot get's sun most of the day but not full sun. The reason I think rock roses may be a better choice it that it is tolerant of dry, stony soils that lack organic matter. This spot is neglected and hard for me to get to on the third floor. Rock Roses look good and showy even in hot dry areas.That will help when I can't get down to water it often in august. The Cistus aka rock rose  is one of those plants you can use in a drought tolerant garden that can make a landscape look lush and colorful. Rock Roses need excellent drainage and are tough enough to withstand desert sun and hot temperatures.They can also withstand salt. This is important for a plant next to the driveway. The hot asphalt won't kill it. I can group them in a hedge. A little more carefree than my already carefree lord Baltimore. The problems I have with this plant is that it isn't very cold hardy. I will have to plant again next year. With apartment living it doesn't much matter though as I may not even be here next year.
What are your garden plans?

Backyard redone

                                                         My Backyard Before

                    and this
 
The amount of garbage I pulled out surprised me as I already had cleaned up a ton. Now for the after:

 
Looking a little sad before a trim and some water. I'm going to make the raised bed using tarp and staple gun on the frame. The day lilies should fill in front nicely and I have kept a path to go through. I'm also going to put some climbers such as morning glories to crawl up the chain link fence in the back. I'm looking to put a few sunflowers somewhere as well. 

Ditch Lilies!!

Ditch lilies!  They are often called a weed and do spread. Well I for one love them. I love the deep orange color. They are edible, I found a wonderful recipe that calls to stuff it with cheese yummy.  My back yard is barren and weedy.I hope they push out the crappy bamboo some genius planted and I have been pulling up and fighting all spring. I can really use some hardy and fast blooming plants. I plan to surround my raised bed with them adding color when in bloom and foliage when not. I have about 20 right now. These flowers are resistant to everything. They grow in all conditions seriously anything above zone 4 and your golden. Since our back yard is only weeds and debris you can see the value of planting them and why I am putting them near the raised bed but not in it. They will quickly overpower any nearby weeds and leave a pretty yard instead of crap dirty weed yard. They are spread with underground runners. I plan to dig down and protect the raised bed from being over run but know that I may lose that battle but not before I move. I want them to take over. This place needs some beauty. One can often find them planted along old buildings and vacant lot's where homes once stood. They are a good plant to give as gifts in large pots as they are plentiful and impossible to kill, giving even the blackest thumb some joy. So plant snobs I have come out of the closet. While not the most distinguished of flowers it will be finding a place in my garden. I am hoping the butterfly's and my neighbors agree.

tulips!!

My first tulip blooms!! I must say I am impressed by the photos I can take with my phone.
I'm glad it takes such wonderful photos. I don't have to buy a separate camera for my garden adventures.
I love the red and yellow and black together. It is so pretty.
Since I planted so many in so many random places every one is a surprise and I like it that way. Sure purple, yellow and red look silly together but I wouldn't have it any other way! What are your spring surprises?

How my Winter sown seedlings are growing in my apartment garden

Winter sown seedlings!I am having about 70% success and even more at the program. I'm guessing the program ones are doing better due to the bottom watering. It is always so exciting to see the little sprouts pushing through the earth. How is your winter-sowing doing? I must admit I'm a believer after a few years of doing it and relived to avoid a costly clumsy light set up. If you have ever seen winter-sown roots you would see how great and strong they are. Keeping that in mind I'm going to take a chance and plant a few things out this weekend. I saw a great idea of using cloches in this post Seed Starting Tips for Beginner Gardeners. While I am not a beginner gardener I am always scouring blogs for tips and tricks. I have only gardened once in a real yard. Living in my apartment doesn't allow for much in the way of ground. All of my garden is done in containers and hanging baskets.I found some wonderful metal tins at Target in the $1 isle using my trusty drill I have a few more make shift containers. When I have some more time I shall post pictures of those as well.  My boss asked if we could plant out the seedlings at the program since it has been so warm. He was worse than the kids when I said no it isn't quite over yet. In fact next week we are expecting snow!