Rooftop Gardens

When I lived in Manhattan, I was lucky enough to have a large terrace, and I was passionate about rooftop container gardening. There was something about blasting horns, screeching brakes and masses of people below which compelled me to hoist, drag, rent cars to get supplies, and hoard every ounce of soil I brought home …and make a garden

It took a long time, but over the course of ten years, I had large rhododendrons, a hawthorn tree, climbing roses, yews and an assortment of both annuals and perennials, and a wonderful wisteria vine which was lost when new railings went up on the building. Before drip systems, I went home and diligently watered every single container every night which sometimes wasn’t all that easy after a few drinks with friends on the way home.

There was enormous satisfaction derived from every single plant and pot because I’d gone through so much to get it there and keep it growing. I would clip, fuss, fertilize and nurture what seemed like every single leaf. I clipped root systems to keep the plants happy in their containers. I clipped evergreens within millimeters of perfection. Nevertheless, to open windows and doors in Manhattan and smell fresh flowers and water on soil was heaven to me.

Life rolls on and that garden isn’t there anymore. I was away when 9/11 happened and when I did return several weeks later, most everything had dried up beyond repair or was covered in ash. My heart wasn’t in it anymore, and I gave up the apartment and the garden for a life in the country. But I loved that garden, and for any of you who have any space at all in the city …garden it!

The Fire in the Diamond

Trees are green and leafy, spreading their vast canopies far overhead to provide shade to the poor over-worked gardener below. Shrubs are staunchly patrolling the hedgy borders and standing sentry up against your house. Perenials plants such as tiger and Asiatic lilies, garden phlox, coreopsis, liatris, and others have either ceased blooming, blooming madly, or gearing up to bloom soon. Color! Color in swaths and sparkling spots! Your garden is laid out like the deep green velvet of a jeweler's case.

There are not too many perenials that continue to bloom throughout the entire season. The best way to get continuous, vibrant color in your garden is through the use of annuals. Annuals, as you can tell by their name, only last one year. You must either reseed or buy new plants each Spring. Annuals are excellent for filling in spaces between other plants that have not reached maturity yet, and for adding a quick and easy rainbow of color to your garden.

Ruby red salvia stands relatively tall and blooms continuously if you deadhead. Topaz tinged marigolds not only add bright oranges and yellows, but help to repel insects from other plants. Sapphire blue, not a common color in flowers, can be found in the fuzzy-looking flowers of ageratum. Amethyst purples come in waves of petunias, torenia, and calabrachoa.

Annuals give your garden sparkle!

I love clipped hedges, herbaceous borders, beds of annuals and lawns. What I’m not crazy about are too many garden ornaments. I know everyone is different, but outside of a good bench, some outdoor entertaining furniture and an umbrella, I don’t like too much that takes away from the plants themselves.

That said, I’m not a purist either and love finding just the right piece that might fit into the garden. Some are old and some are new, and buying on a limited budget is a must for me so I’ve had to learn some tricks over the years.

The best prices for old urns, gates, and other larger items is at estate sales. About half the time when an estate is being sold off, the garden items are often forgotten and unmarked so it pays to scope out the gardens and see what’s there. If they aren’t marked, ask …then make a low offer. I’ve also gotten great pots already planted that way as well.

Surprisingly, EBAY can also be terrific for large items. I bought a set of English driveway gates a couple of years ago for $225 including shipping from upstate New York to Connecticut. Don’t be afraid to delve into EBAY’s landscaping dealers …they’ll work with you.

I’m also not adverse to reproductions. With a season of aging and a little moss, they can look just as good as the old things.

But my favorite is to look for shards of stone, marble or any interesting piece and find a place for it somewhere in the garden. Architectural elements will work as well …just make them a showpiece and let them stand on their own.

P.S. In the photograph above ...I got the pair of plinths at an estate sale for $10, the folk art sheep was $5.

The Twining Vine

I love groundcovers: they are so useful to fill barren patches of ground quickly. I love trees: they provide shade and invite sweetly-singing birds into your yard. I love bushes and shrubs: they can form a hedge for privacy or provide a backdrop for your garden. I love bedding plants: they are the jewels in the crown of your yard. BUT… I love vines most of all.

Vines can be either perennial (like clematis, climbing roses, and ivy) or annual (like morning glory and moon flower). Some will wrap their delicate green tendrils around anything or work their hair-like roots into the tiniest crack to climb skyward. Some have thick, woody stems and prefer to lean on an arbor or gate for support.

They can be used for many different purposes in the garden. Vines on a lattice work arbor or fence can be used to provide privacy and shade around a section of your yard, a patio, or even a hot tub. Vines, especially the wide variety of ivy and vinca, can give a lush, beautiful ground cover to almost any space. Vines can also be used to soften the corners of sturdy fences, sheds, and even your home. They can re-beautify a dead tree or any lawn ornaments like bird baths and statuary.

Of course, you will have to prune your vines and give them helpful nudges in the right directions to grow. With minimal attention, vines can provide beauty and utility for any yard.

Oh, the precious clematis

The first clematis vine I ever bought was treated with kid gloves. Almost literally too! I went around reading everything I could about the vine because I kept being told that pruning was not only necessary but quite difficult.

I studied English gardening books (who could possibly know better?!?) and walked away with a confused understanding. There are three groups of clematis ..early, middle and late, and each one is treated differently with pruning. The early ones need a little help after blooming to shape them up, but be careful what you cut. The middle and late ones were said to need pruning in the early spring before they started to bud. And, it was always noted and underlined to only cut the dead wood back! Now, if something hasn’t bloom or leafed yet, how do you know? I took a lesson from a master garden friend while he pruned his and could in no way translate the information once I was back home with a pair of scissors in my hand.

So, that first clematis got fussed over so much that I would spend hours fooling around with it, and then I sort of got bored and just let it go. It seemed to do fine and the bits of dead vine got to where they didn’t bother me.

Then, I up and leave new England for Scotland where there’s clematis everywhere.
Walls, fences, in trees …you name the spot and it’s there. And guess what? They don’t do anything to it here! Great huge clumps are it are on fences and even in winter it looks interesting. And the blooms? I’ve never seen so many!!!!

Garden Gnomes?

I have to admit, I actually LIKE garden gnomes. No, not the plastic garishly painted evil grinning ones, but the type my grandmother had in her garden - hand-painted ceramic with pleasant fae faces. Mostly though, garden gnomes are a topic of ridicule, rather like flourescent plastic flamingos.

So, how DO you decorate your garden? Umm... flowers. That's what most would say! But some non-plant accent pieces will really bring interest and personality into your garden. The most popular seem to be benches, trellises, and bird baths. You can get these at any garden center or home store in wood, cement, and other materials. Many people also use windchimes to add both visual and aural interst to their garden.

Some more unusual garden ornaments include Victorian style gazing balls - those bowling-ball-size glass orbs in varying colors - sundials and weathervanes, statuary of everything from rabbits to the Venus de Milo, and hanging ornaments for year round outdoors decoration.

How you decorate your garden says a lot about your personality... just as much as what you have in the inside of your house. With all the options available today, the possibilities are limitless.

I'm late with my blog post simply because I took it upon myself to move to a state I visited only once during my interview. Then I was flown into the state and left in a similar fashion. This time I was compelled to manage a 26 foot UHaul with a loaded family van behind. In true Clark Griswold fashion I drove my family nuts as we traveled the fruited plains and had lengthy visits with roadside crews as we waited for the demolishing to end.

I gazed at wheat that is ready to be harvested and corn that thrives in 100 degree temperatures. I drove the less-than-a-year-old UHaul with no air conditioning in such conditions and allowed the sun to fry my brain to a crisp.

Tonight? Well Harley is next door waiting for my daughter to wake up and come pet him. My wife is unpacking dishes and I have resigned myself to the basement where I am frantically trying to make sense of the transpanted garden I call my family.

With nourishment I'm sure we will survive the transplant - but being moved is hard on any growing plant.

Thanks for waiting for me. I'm glad to be back.

My Houseplants Escaped!

I'm not satisfied with plants outdoors during the Spring, Summer and Fall. Cut flowers are fine, but I want real honest to goodness growing green things IN my house all year long.

I love houseplants. They add aesthetic interest and actually can improve the air quality indoors. But, now that the weather is getting warmer, my houseplants are going on vacation! A safari, if you will, into the great wild out-of-doors. The increased hours of sunlight and rainwater rather than chemical-filled tap water will give them a great boost.

But, you have to be careful to not thrust them into the wild world too quickly. Make sure any danger of frost is past before putting them outside. Acclimate them slowly by brining them out for, at first, just the warm afternoon, then all day, then overnight. Be vigilant, as well, against outdoor pests that see your houseplant as a tasty new treat!

Plants are really meant to be outside, after all. We humans put them in pots and bring them inside, caring for them well! You will be pleased with the increased vigor and growth you will get by bringing your houseplants outdoors for the Summer. And your plant will thank you too.