Small Water Features

If you love water features in the garden and want a water feature but don't have much space in your yard consider these...

....a place to stick a toe in... cool the feet.... want to hear the sound of water running to muzzle street  noise?  I have two suggestions. One, add a water feature to your small yard or townhouse garden then get a birdcage with a couple of singing birds.... The impact will be such that you'll  want to spend the entire summer outside.

As long as a pot can hold water it can be used for a water feature.

 

Add a small bird bath as your water feature in a very small garden.

  

This well designed garden can be scaled for a smaller spacer too.

 

 Sometimes all you may have to work with is a corner. I love the way this garden also uses plantings in pots to add variety to the foliage surrounding the water feature.

  

Here is another example of a water feature that can be scaled for a smaller space.

When your garden wall is shorter.... adjust the size of your pool.

l

Pop go the props if the actors don't stop

For my story this week about TheatreWorks' play "Opus," about life in a string quartet, I chatted with writer Michael Hollinger and cellist/advisor Kris Yenney. It's illuminating to hear about a script forming, especially when the writer is a violist working dissonance and other musical concepts into the language.

Then Kris talked about her art: She coaches actors on how to move with their instruments and mime playing, so they look like real classical musicians.

Kris cracked me up when she said the script was very passionate -- which meant she had to remind the actors that never, even in the heights of anger, would a real musician actually slam his violin down.

Fortunately for the props department, the actors aren't playing heirlooms. A TheatreWorks newsletter has a cool interview with prop master Sarah Lowe. I'm definitely going to have to interview a prop master one of these days. Apparently Sarah worked with a guy who supplies less pricey instruments to elementary-school music classes (Tommy, stop hitting your sister with that lute).

Then, she said, scenic artist Tom Langguth needed to tweak the cheap-o instruments a little:

"They are very glossy and kind of cheap-looking and they're very new-looking, and of course they want to look like old wood that's been painted and touched up a lot. Also we just want to bring down the gloss in general because stage light is so bright. ... Tom Langguth ... is going to be painting all of them and toning them down, making them a richer color and probably working in some special wood-grain technique that will make them look like a really old special violin."

Sarah added: "As a props person, I tend to want things to be very rugged, because actors are not focused on taking care of props -- that's not really their job."

Pictured: Mark Anderson Phillips in TheatreWorks' "Opus." Photo by Mark Kitaoka.

3 Days Without Watering

Before I left town, I had some concern as to whether my plants could survive on their own for a full three (3) days. Frankly, I don't think these new plantings have sufficient root growth to support their search for moisture. Would there be any loss in plants? Would these planters be bone-dry when I returned?

Does "Moisture Control" potting soil really work?

Note that these questions are born out of my prior experience with the three white fiberglass window boxes (approximately 7" deep). In prior years, I planted with Miracle Grow standard potting soil. The resulting floral display was grand, yet the planters had to be watered EVERY day.

Set Up the Potting Soil Test

The weather over those three days was HOT and sunny. What a great test! Before leaving town, I heavily watered (till the water ran out the drainage holes)on Sunday at noon. On Wednesday night at 8pm, the containers were in good shape. I am pleased to note that every one of my containers had significant moisture.

In this quick review of Miracle Grow's product, I surveyed my:

1. large and small glazed clay pots
2. several 12" clay pots (notorious for being dry due to their porosity)
3. fiberglass window boxes
4. coco-fiber lined planters
5. faux stone resin planter box and urns

Accordingly, I am recommending this product for balcony, patio and container gardeners who may have an occasional lapse in watering. Please note that my plantings do not include any succulents. Therefore, if your plant needs to effectively "dry out" between waterings, this product may not be for you.

I will update my opinion as the season goes on. In a few days, I'm off for another 3-day holiday weekend and have no worries about this garden.

Guilt-free gardening!

Worth another look

After visiting the Palo Alto Art Center the other week for a story about kids' art education, I went back today, even though the paper was already out. I had been too busy scribbling quotes and keeping pace with docent tours before. Looking at the actual art, not so much.

Some sculptures, especially, called for a second look. They were these giant behemoths that I could swear were bronze or one of those really common sculpting metals, like ruthenium. I also thought they were made by professional artists. The exhibitions are all of student art, but I figured someone had snuck in a pro for inspiration.

No, and no. The Buddha, the lanky giraffe and the vaguely threatening spider-woman were all created by high school students, and all fashioned from papier-mache. I was dying to pick them up to see how heavy they were. I considered pretending to be a child so I could get away with it. This is not easy when you're 5 foot 7.

Anyway, impressive accomplishments. Apparently the giraffe sculpture took Gunn High 11th-grader Yo Yo Tsai the whole school year to create. You start by building a frame, then add the papier-mache goop, then later paint it all to look like the metal. The illusion is lovely. In the case of Sarah Fetterman's Buddha sculpture, the turquoise hues in the folds of his clothing and skin add age and antiquity in a most convincing way.

I imagine that teacher Erik Bowman must have found this an excellent assignment for his students, not only to build an artistic eye, hand and confidence, but also as an exercise in discipline and patience for overly energetic teens.



On another note, there was a digital pigment print that stopped me: "Untitled (24 things)" by Gunn 12th-grader Suzanne MacPherson under the guidance of photo instructor Jennifer Hogan. I was struck by the matching fiery hair and doll mouths. It's hard to see online, but the grown-up girl has piercing eyes even harder than the glassy doll orbs. I love the way the doll looks frightened. I imagined that the woman was remembering the child she was, or the child was fearing her life ahead for some mysterious reason. This student photographer already has an intriguing eye.

The exhibitions close soon: They're up at the art center through May 30. Details here.

Pictured: Top: Sarah Fetterman's Buddha sculpture. Above: Suzanne MacPherson's digital pigment print. Photos by Rebecca Wallace.

Love These Colors !

OH the view from my side of the balcony is getting quite yummy! Look at these great colors...





As for what other people see when they look up:



Yes, that is a photo of my balcony. From the ground, the window boxes do not look that lush yet. The trailers will need another 3 weeks or so to begin their drop. We are currently 3 weeks into "growing" season. I use that term loosely, since the spring here in the Northeast was cold, rainy and windy. Below the 3 white window boxes hanging over the railing, it is difficult to view the two large coco fiber-lined planters which I have hung inside the railing.

Close Up Photos

Of the following photos, only the first photo reflects plantings that face the courtyard.

The other wonderful plantings are deep inside my balcony railings and reveal their lush colors and textures only to me. I am in awe of their beauty.

It may be noteworthy that four of these plants were just inserted yesterday, and already they look quite at home in these window boxes.

Progress Photos

In the photos below, you may notice some brown edges and other damage from the recent COLD nights in the northeast. Here are a few photos the day after I did some Search and Replace. Finally got nearly everything planted. The last 3 stragglers are a mystery for me right now.

In the top photo, you can see (right) a portion of my two-tier rail planting. Also (left) is the rosin trough planter in which I tucked some lovely foliage plants that attracted my eye due to their differences. Two of the urns planted yesterday are in the foreground.

Yes, I have not cleaned up yet. Getting there.

And yes, my neighbor has nothing but green plastic chairs on that balcony in the background. Also visible are the co-ops rhododendrons -- and they are VERY old.

Bumble Bee Visit Today

I have seen this bee before and happily, today I had my camera to capture its visit.

A bee visit is like getting a blessing upon my abundant flowers. Yes!

One white butterfly flew by as well (c'mon, could it have been a big moth?). I guess I did not have the right mixture to appeal to the white butterfly contingency.

My balcony oasis was also visited by a couple of those very tiny bee-like insects. What are they? Must be smaller than 1/2" and very slender of body, not at all like a plump black and yellow bumble bee. These little insects gather nectar just like a bee.

May 21 Final Plantings & First Cut

You Got to Move It -- Move It

I got a bit ruthless today as I surveyed my balcony garden. A little "search and replace" was the order of the day.

My first replacement was this poor croton (see below) which suffered massive leaf loss likely attributable to previous heavy rain downpours off the roof. Will it recover? Ugh, it is moved to the ground level public garden along with the leftover coleus. Pulling that broad leafed foliage plant out of my window box allowed a bit more room for the last rex begonia. I also noticed that this last rex begonia was half the size of the one planted 2 weeks ago. A-yup. It needs to be planted.



Continuing on, I do not like the look of the dahlia either as the new flowers are 1/2 the size of the old ones. The plant seems healthy and solid, but it provides me with neither enough foliage or flowers, so dahlia gets moved to the ground level public garden.

I also removed a few plants that require direct (full) sun of over 6 hours per day simply because my balcony does not get that much sunshine. This allowed me to share my bounty with the common grounds at my co-op garden apartments. I found a small patch of sunny area where I planted the leftover petunias, marigolds, lilies and a few other items. Good luck to them. I will be able to enjoy those flowers as I walk by the garden.

Once I got those full sun plants out of my working space, I was able to concentrate on the remainder. Oh, there were lots of plants left still to plant! Yes, I got my two faux stone urns planted. One urn with the yellow hibiscus and the other with a blue hydrangea. Both urns have a few little side plantings. Neither urn looks all that good when I complete the task. What did not help these poor little plants is that I planted both urns LAST night, but I forgot to use the "Air Base" at bottom of urn. Drat! So, I redid my work today. See my product review later in this blog.



I wanted one more box, I call it a stone trough (resin), to be fully planted with shade foliage plants. I planted a Creeping Jenney, a foliage perennial, 2 coleus, one silver orchid and my last remaining rex begonia.

Note to self:

I like the foliage colors on those rex begonias and they are more adaptable than the crotons. Is it the "Moisture Control" potting soil that does not dry out which is causing the fading of all coleus growth? Poor performance from the coleus plants.

I distributed up my nasturtiums and a few other annuals by tucking them into the main planters here and there. They were going to get their own pots, but hey, I'm outta space and outta sunshine.

I also repotted my jasmine from its nursery plastic into a slightly larger clay pot. My original plan was to put this into a larger trough box with other plantings. My plans are altering today because, frankly, that balcony is real crowded!

Is there such a thing as Too Much Abundance?

I will leave out just a few more plants for this weekend. I am anxious to have all the plants situated because I will be away from home for 3 days. That is too long for those little pots to survive on their own. They need daily watering. It may be a good test of the potting soil.

Product Review on Air Base:

I used a product called "Air Base" as an insert in the bottom of two of my "cement" urn planters. Rather than just using a stone, this platform sits above the bottom of the pot and allows not only drainage but some aeration below the potting soil. Found out that fake stone urns are not entirely symmetrical, so the fit was a wee bit odd. I like the product and would recommend it.


Resin Trough

I used a 1/4" drill bit to drill several holes in the bottom of this faux stone box I refer to as a "trough" (since I believe this belongs on the ground due to its straight box configuration). The product is oddly soft and the drilling was easy. I then used that "Better Than Rocks" product in the bottom of the trough to allow for drainage and aeration. Additionally, I inserted a few small plastic planters upside down to simply take up space and insure less soil usage.

Arhaus-Fairfax

Molly from the Fairfax, VA location of Arhaus Furniture has started a blog for the store.  It list floor samples and other sale items that local designers and customers can find out about without going into the store. I love the idea. Now I can check out her blog daily to see if there are items I can take advantage of that have a quick delivery and a great price.  Molly offers great customer service so stop by and let her show you around....I did!

Catania Chair & Ottomon Limited Quantity Sale

Tuscany Dining Table... Love the Thomas Paul maize colored  print on the dining chairs

Any man would love the comfort of the Bradington desk chair

Gotta Get These Planted

Time is marching on and I have not yet planted all these beauties that I purchased. Whew, focus. Get finished!

Full Sun vs Part Sun

Maybe the western exposure of my balcony has changed over the years. It seemed I had more direct sunshine years ago. For a dozen years, I planted predominantly Geraniums and Petunias with very good success.

Maybe the difference is that more of my plantings are inside my railings and therefore more protected from the sun.

Full Sun: Full sun exposure is defined as six (6) or more hours of direct sun. At this point, which is nearly 3 weeks into my summer planting, I have regrets for some of the Full Sun plants I have purchased including Ageratum, Marigolds, Petunias, Lilies and others.

Part Sun: It does make me wonder how to understand the concept of part sun. Less than 6-8 hours of direct sun. Does this mean that the shade plants would be over-exposed? Does it mean that my full-sun plants will fail to thrive?

It will simply be a matter of learning. I know that I will be moving some of the "sun" plants out to a sunny portion of the common grounds. I'll do some shifting and some cutting. Er, eliminating.

Cold Weather Damage as of May 20

I know that any damage I see on leaf edges, such as browning or dryness, are not attributable to under watering. I mean, over watering. Oh heck, we have had some deep soaking rains that have stripped most of the leaves off the Croton in the 2nd tier planter. Nothing here is under watered. Frankly, the planters do not seem to dry out at all.

How does that help the plants send out new roots? I don't know.

I see problems on 1 out of the 5 sweet potato plants. Only one of the alyssum has survived. My blue hydrangea has an ugly brown tinge to the flowers. Ugh. Since I have not repotted this to a larger summer pot, maybe the recent cold weather with night temperatures in the 40's has been an issue.

Water Feature?

I am still considering adding a feature with running water. I know. Where could this possibly fit in my limited balcony space?

Most garden fountains are powered either by electricity or by solar panel. I will select an electric pump of some type since my balcony has two outlets available. Both outlets are non-GFI. Sure, safety is for sissies.

The option of a solar fountain will not be suitable for me as the sun is insufficient and frankly, I could not put a solar panel in any place that would be visible by the public.

Research:

After hours spent reviewing water features available online, I find tabletop fountains, birdbaths with sprays, and fountains. Yeah, big fountains that may, or may not, bring in an Old World motif. While I find that many of these internet sales sites have great sales information, many of them do not include the sound of the fountains. Really? The SOUND is what we seek. That refreshing gurgle, that sound that masks our neighbors, airport noise, those delivery trucks.

1. Tabletop fountains: A key advantage for these little guys is that they do not take up much space and that is a positive checkmark for these diminutive items. On the other hand, most of them are rated for "indoor" use. Additionally, they are so small, will they be able to last 24-48 hours without a water refill? I notice that the majority of tabletop fountains are quite busy with designs, add-ons, rocks, etc. I would prefer something simple in design. A simple design indicates simple maintenance.

2. Garden fountains & birdbaths: Some of these are quite small in stature or weight. Many are made out of resin or other lightweight and cheap products. Customer reviews on those resin products under the amount of $300 indicate the fountains chip and crack after less than one year. I find this to be a pricey investment for a single-year enjoyment. I became enamored with several small birdbaths with fountain sprays. They are adorable. Unfortunately, they also appear to lack a strong enough base to stand up to a stiff breeze. Plus a bit too tall for my taste. If I lived in a house where I could look down at a bird bath, it would be a fun view.

Besides, I really was not planning on attracting birds to my balcony. Bird poo does not sound at all enticing for my lush little landscape. What I want is sound, but no birds.

3. Use What I Already Have: Oh this is the voice of Reason. How did this get in here? I own a small "fish pot" with heavy Asian painted details. How would this look outside? Judging from the videos I've watched on how to "build" or simply set up a small fountain, this is really a simple process to add a pump, a fountain head and some type of support or rocks to set up the fountain.

So, in conclusion, I think something smaller in a ceramic style would work. I found also that feng shui indicates the running water by the front door is a symbol of abundance, oh sorry, good fortune.

I need to find more room on that balcony.

Videos => Trial by Rain and Wind

If the plants can survive this storm, they will be strong all season long. These new guys had somewhere between 7 days and 7 hours of acclimation. No new root growth to hold them. Mother Nature has this all figured out, Don't Ya Know?

Yes, I know that I was early to plant this season. Let me just blame that on enthusiasm. When the planting was completed for my 2 tier system, poor weather was predicted for the next two days. The initial rainfall was lovely:
Then the rain fell with increasing enthusiasm. Sorry I got no thunder recorded herein, it was just a quick "boom" and then gone.


Later, the rain stopped, and the wind Huffed and it Puffed (with gusts recorded over 45miles per hour). We had over 12 hours of this wind.

I am happy to report that my window boxes were intact and unwavering. More than I could say for myself as that howling wind was a bit unsettling.


My one causality from the storm was a knock-down of my shade garden container. Yeah yeah, it was totally my fault as I know better than to leave empty trough planters on the balcony. The wind lifted up these boxes and hit my shade planter. Ouch.

Few Photos before the Storm

Just a few photos taken before the rain, the wind and the cold of last weekend.

So far, I am liking the colors as they play against each other. Complementary colors are much more fun, and more interesting, than the old pinks, whites, and reds that I planted years ago.



The orange color of this tuberous begonia is luscious. Yes, this is how it ALL happens. I'm just walking through the nursery, minding my own business, looking for, what was it? Oh yes, I was looking for S-hooks to hold the window boxes onto the railing. Then WHAM, this orange tuberous begonia says,

Take me home!

I know that gardeners are a sympathetic group because I know this same thing has happened to each and every one of you, hasn't it?


Hey -- how did those white flowers get selected? Ah, these reflect only concession to simplicity this season. I bought the Nemesia in orange and yellow, so I grabbed the white as well.

Later this season I will be teaching everyone how to create and maintain a Martini Garden. Something to look forward to indeed!

L A Gardens

I learned to garden in northern California from my dad. I loved gardening there because of the long growing season. This weekend opens the Garden Conservancy tour in L.A. and here is a pre-view.  These gardens are aged and reflect southern California style.   I especially like the color and clay pots added when ground space is all used.  If you're in L.A. this weekend you must stop by.

Italian Gardens
images: L.A Times

Garden in pots when all other space is gone

Roses aren't always red

Everyone grows at least one lemon tree in L.A.

May 7 Progress Photos on Two-Tier Planting System

As stated in my prior entry, I got most of these two planters completed by sunset on Friday May 7 just before a storm front came into New York. Please enjoy my photos and the video posted at the bottom of this page. These photos are taken just a few minutes after I've completed most of the work. I'm exhausted though it only took about two hours to fill these lower two planters. There is nothing here that is truly unique. All of these materials are available to any person enjoying a balcony, deck, patio or small garden. As I've researched different books, websites and blogsites, I have not seen quite this much material compressed into one small spot. I look forward to working these tiers closer together as the tall plants grow and the trailers reach ever further out and down.


I have included one video for today's blog post (see below). Oh yeah, I am a chatty person.

I am just delighted with hpw my plantings are coming along, as evidenced in this short video.

And yes, those comments really did capture my feelings by the end of the day.

I hope you may enjoy it as much as I do. ABUNDANCE! I'm getting there...