Sunday, August 3, 2008

baskets of flowers and laundry

As the warm days continue, July into August, it happens every year. At least every year that I decide to have a balcony garden. There were a couple of bare summers during the construction phases, but usually, by June I can't resist the temptation and spend many happy visits to the garden centres to choose whatever beauty I can find. It matters not whether it is a perennial or annual, as by August it will be exhausted from the effort of living. The wind and the hot direct sunshine take its toll.

My first years here, I had very little money, but I saved all my tips and once I had enough to buy a plant, off I went again to the garden centre. As a result it was a bit of a hodgepodge garden. I planted herbs in old tin cans decorated with labels of fruit, tomato and beans. Some architectural details and whimsy were added. A couple of old sash windows found on garbage day lay against the common divider behind the 'tinned herbs'. Several milk crates were covered with an old sheet and a colourful floral vinyl table cloth from the dollar store creating a terrace. I put out some lanterns and even a fish bowl filled with glass fish. Side tables had pitchers and some sturdy glasses as a permanent accent piece. Empty, colourful terracotta pots were artfully placed in a corner. My balcony is huge, 19' long but only 4' and bit deep. Many days, the laundry adds a bit of colour.

The fish bowl needed fresh, clear water every day unless I wanted to be scrubbing slimy algae off the glass fishes. The little plants needed several waterings a day. The cat ate anything that was spiky leafed. And drank from the fish bowl. Sometimes she lay in comfort between the sheets on the clothes horse, so I would leave them out days longer than necessary to provide shade.

I have learned not to use the small pots that fit so nicely into my plant stand with nine 4" rings. Even the larger planters need watering at least two, maybe three, times a day. As cruelly enjoyable as it may be to watch the withering leaves come to life again, to stand erect, eventually it all becomes too much and the limp plants succumb to the elements. You can almost see the exhaustion in their leaves, their ever decreasing petals.

In the morning it is nice and cool, and I have my breakfast outside before slipping back into bed for sleep. By the afternoon the heat is far too intense for me, even the blinds are drawn against the sun and the view. By evening, it is perfect. Warm, with the sun moving far to the NW over the escarpment. Sometimes, I can see sailboats or even a barge on the lake between the trees (which will, in a couple of years, block my entire view of the lake). I water my baskets one more time and sit out with a glass of ... something fruity ... For some reason it is very quiet here on the weekends. And if I don't look down I can forget that I am high up overlooking a concrete parking lot.

They have 10 days, this garden of mine. I'll enjoy every moment with what's still living as I can.

How are the rest of you enjoying your gardens?

13 comments:

  1. What a lovely description, I felt I was there!

    I don't have a balcony but I can see a plan in almost every direction I look from my dining room table. I love the little bits of green it gives here and there.

    When I had a house, I had a big garden, fruit/veggies, flowers. I loved it and I miss it a lot. But I also know how much care it takes to make it flourish. So now I live vicariously through others :)

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  2. I'm loving my graden, although I've let the weeding slide now that it's so hot. In the fall, I'll do some clean-up. But I have tomatoes and squash in now, so that's cool.

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  3. I loved your writing Sanna.. i felt I was there...

    I Love gardens.. the early ones do the best here as it gets dry usually in August but this threatening thunderstorm may bring rain.... I can't have hanging plants on my verandah because of the wind... So I have perennials and I do enjoy flowering weeds too.. if they have flowers... I like them...

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  4. UA: I am so fortunate to live close by the Royal Botanical Gardens. And to have so many nice gardens to view in my neighbourhood.

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  5. Citizen: ooh, squash pie is so good! I gave up on the tomatoes as before they were ready the markets were overflowing with cheap ones to buy.

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  6. Gwen: Thanks.
    Some weeds are very pretty. It is too bad purple loosestrife is so invasive. No hanging planters here either, they all sit on the ground.

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  7. Mine is currently under a foot of water. It looks very different that way. I might even 'leaf" it like that, bring your fishes over!! Usually however, mine is a bit of this and that. I do like blue and purple in the garden tho'.

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  8. I'd love to see pictures of this...! It sounds utterly chatming, even though it doesn't last very long...!

    One of the great things about my Garden is there is always something happening...Special rare flowers; New growth on the existing plants; all sorts of Fruit that comes from the flowers--Etc., Etc. I love it!

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  9. Sagittarian: getting lots of rain are you still? one year, I did try a water garden in a couple of pails. it (the water) turned all green and attracted mosquitos.

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  10. Naomi: Unlike you, I don't have any photos of my garden. And every year, it is entirely different, as I start from scratch.

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  11. I loved this post. I am having mixed reults this year. I do container gardening of flowers on my deck. One flower box has failed twice and one pot is crazy thick and lush and everything else is in between. I don't know how those things stay alive in this heat.

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  12. geewits: I don't understand how that can happen, either. I have several times bought two containers from the same place and had one thrive, the other not.

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  13. My garden was a mess at the beginning of the year - I only moved into my house last year and the previous owners were so not into gardening. However I have turned it, i think, into something that is pretty and practical. I have huge patio doors in my living room which gives me a fantastic view of my little garden. I have 3 flower beds, one has shrubs in, one my annual plants and one my veggies. Am growing broad beans, runner beans, courgettes(zucchinis i believe to those over the pond) I also have pots and pots full of further flowering plants, hanging baskets. I did put some pics on my blog a few months ago. Will try and get some more recent ones up.
    MA

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