I just joined this wonderful site today and have already gotten a couple of responses, and thankyou!
Im kinda a novice at gardening and really want to make my deck "Spectacular" this year...after living here for 4 years. If tried buying the local stuff from the nurseries, home depot etc...and it just doesnt cut it...... I have a privacy/noise issue and I certainly dont have an unlimited bank account, but am open to ideas. I have an east sun from the morning/to south west sunlight at nite and it gets very hot in the summertime here.
Basically I get the sun all day long, from morning till it sets at nite. I kinda find that a problem in the summer, as I dont have air condintioning and this is an older building as well. If anyone out there could help me, I would be forever thankful...and cant wait to meet other gardeners with the same passion as I have.
Cheers and happy gardening
Please help me plan my "Outstanding" condo garden
Hi and welcome Sydney! Nice to have you here!
To block out some of the noise you could always try some vines.....I don't know anything about what your deck looks like - a pic would be nice so you could get some really good opinions.
Welcome sydney! Yes, as Dawn says a picture would help us to help you better:-)
--Ginny
Ill try to get a picture posted asap, just have to buy a digital camera first.
thanks
Sydney, you will discover so many special areas here on DG. I'd recommend Containers for you with your limited space. If you're a full subscriber, you can access almost ten years of msgs and photos. Good luck --A
Sydney - in lieu of a photo could you try to describe your deck for us, size and shape, and any ground garden space you do have? With that we will know what sizes/numbers of plants to recommend to you...and what won't work due to size restrictions.
--Ginny
Andy, thanks so much for your interest and sending me your photo. It looks like you have planters that fit over the railing, and actually never thought of that. I was at home depot yesterday to scout out planters, but they dont have much selection right now. I did buy two very large terra cotta pots and some miracle grow potting soil. I also have several varities of morning glory seeds that Im planning on starting today and bought some scarlet runner beans and bee balm seeds yesterday as well. I want to be able to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Ginny, my deck has been extended around the orginal deck that most condos have which gives me about 350 sq ft in total. When you walk out from the balcony doors, I have my patio set and two 6ft cedar trees for privacy and then the other side is wide open and I get full sun all day long. I face southwest, but get the sun from first thing in the morning until it sets at nite. It gets very hot here in the summertime and I dont have central air. Im also at the front of the building and need privacy, and dont have any ground space to work with, as its raised up.
I hope this helps and will post some pictures, have to replace my camera. Its glorious here today and has inspired me to go for a run and probably hit some more garden centres. Look forward to hearing back from you.
Hi Sydney. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not ignoring you, I've just been busy. I'm at work right now but will try to get back to you here during lunch. Cheers! --Ginny
Hi again Sydney. I have a few more questions before I take a real stab at recommending things, at least in general terms :-)
I'm guessing that:
o Your deck measures about 25' wide by 14' deep - is that close?
o Your balcony doors are located closer to one side of it than to the centre - closer to the south side or the west?
o Are there other windows that look out over the deck? How many? Approximate positions?
o I'm also guessing by your zone that you live in BC.
Are the cedars planted at the front of the deck like in the attached diagram, or at the side? This is important for how the pattern of shade will change over the course of the day.
LOL Is that enough questions for now?
--Ginny
Well Ginny, how did you know??? Very well done! My patio table is in front of the cedars, and the sliding balcony doors to go outside, are directly behind of course.There is actually a wall between the cedars, table and the rest of the deck as well. It was just your normal size deck and was extended while the renovations were being done outside, which gives me...350-500 sq ft..Ive never really measured it, but had enough room for another large patio table, b/bque and plenty of plants to go around the perimeter. Its probably double the size of the original patio.
Ive gotten rid of the other table now and still have the b/bque, so there's plenty of space which gets full sun all day long. We have no shade here, I wish, as it gets very hot here in the summer. I have no other windows or anything, and live in zone 8b. Im on a corner suite and my deck has southwest exposure, but still the the morning sun as well, as its very open here, so hope that answers some of your questions and think with your diagram it outlines the space fairly well.
I ordered a bunch of seeds from a place in Texas called Tricia's and just got them today. I have about 4 variety's of morning glories and one of them is Moonflower which apparently only opens at nite, malibar spinach, scarlett runner pole beans, bee balm and something Ive never tried before which is called a Tree Tomato. Its described as a shrubby type, but fast growing to 10'. Egg shaped fruits similar to red tomato in taste and apperance. Large heart shaped leaves and will also grow indoors, which needs full sun.
Those are the only seeds I have right now and not even sure when I should start them, as Im thinking it may be to early, although we have been having really nice weather here. I thought planting vines would be my best bet here, and have also gotten offers for cuttings for a lovely plant, but cant remember the name..looks like a trumpet vine...
Anyways hope this helps and I promise to post pictures one I replace my camera. My last one got soaked in the sailboat..tooo many waves and we ended up broaching..kinda scary actually....and Ginny, I certainly didnt think you were ignoring me...lol...I actually did read your thread about that issue..and really laughed!...what a long thread that was, but entertaining. Ive gotta run as I need to be on duty at 2300hrs...hope everyone has a great weekend...Cheers!
Hi DawnLL and thanks for the welcome. I did take your advice and am planning on planting lotsa vines etc this year, and have invested in the biggest containers I could find. Ive only bought 2 of them thus far as there quite expensive, and then I have to carry everything up here as well...UGH...
I used to live in Ontario before I moved here 5 yrs ago..Toronto and Geulph and really miss it acutally. I want to be able to retire in Goderich, but thats a long way off yet...sigh...hope you have a great weekend and stay warm okay.
Hi Sydney,
When to start your seeds. I can only give you the times I would start them here in zone 5b, so I'll just give you relative times. Perhaps someone else in B.C. would jump in with dates appropriate to your zone.
Basella alba rubra - Malibar Spinach - I personally have not grown this before but I would probably start about 1 week before last frost date or at last frost date. I'd pre-sprout them in a damp coffee filter inside a plastic baggy and transplant those that do sprout directly to their outdoor containers. That way you know for sure how many are going to germinate and don't end up waiting for seeds that don't grow.
Phaseolus coccineus - Scarlet Runner Bean - Pre-soak for 24 hours. Sow direct to their container after all danger of frost. You could also try pre-sprouting as I mentioned above and see if it works.
Monarda didyma - Bee Balm - This is one you can start indoors any time now. It will take a while to grow and reach flowering stage. Personally, I have never had Monarda flower in the first year from seed, but maybe it will for you in your zone.
I know nothing about the Tree Tomato. Maybe someone else does.
Here's another question for you. How does the sun normally track in relation to the wall dividing your deck - does it throw shade across most of that section at any point in your day or does it stay pretty sunny for the entire day?
Oh...Morning Glories - Nick and soak the seeds 24 hours. Pre-sprout in a damp coffee filter inside a baggy when all danger of frost is past. Transplant those that germinate directly to your containers.
Yes, you are correct. The Moonvine opens its flowers at dusk and they stay open until about mid-morning here.
Heh Ginny
Youve been a wealth of information and really appreciate it. I get sun for most of the day, even with the wall I have and not so concerned about that area, as I have my patio set there and the other side of the wall is my b/bque. I really just want to address the railings and the other wide open space that gets all the beautiful sun here. Any ideas about ornamental grasses in containers?
Hi Sydney,
I'm glad I can help you out. The reason I asked about how the sun tracks in relation to the wall was to try to determine if taller grasses, plants and small trees and shrubs (container sized) around the edges of the other side of your deck would substantially increase the shade, and that would mean you would need to have plants in front of them that would tolerate some shade as well. That doesn't sound like it's going to be a problem though :-)
I personally think ornamental grasses can be nice in containers, as long as you balance the size/shape/height. For instance, you wouldn't want to put a tall, graceful, airy grass into a shorter squat container. I usually just eyeball it, but I think the proper ratio (for any container and plants) is that the tallest plant should make up 2/3 the height of the entire arrangement - pot included.
I think in your zone I would want to have some Brugmansia. They are absolutely gorgeous and have huge trumpet shaped flowers on them. In containers they would probably grow to about 6' x 4' in my zone. Many of them have wonderful scents too.
I'll do some more thinking and get back to you tomorrow. Have a great night!
--Ginny
Okay - here's some ideas Sydney.
Since you are in a nice warm zone, if it was me I would fill up the space with tropicals and tropical looking things (remember things usually won't grow as large in pots as they will in the ground). Some possibilities, including more "normal" plants:
For height (4' - 6'): Ornamental grasses, Brugmansia, Canna Lily, Banana, Castor Bean, Oleander, Dwarf Lilac, Rose, etc.
Medium height (2' - 4'): Calla Lily, Datura, Freesia, Crocosmia, Colocasia, Alocasia, Dwarf Canna (Cleopatra is a nice one), mid-sized Ornamental Grasses (such as Purple Majesty Millet), Eucomis (Pineapple Lily), Miniature Rose, etc.
Lower height (< 2'): Smaller Ornamental Grasses, Caladium, African Daisy, Alyssum, Linaria (looks particulary good with grasses), Marigold, etc.
Trailers: Ivy, Ivy Geranium, trailing Petunias, etc.
I have used a number of these items in groupings in 1/2 whiskey barrels - here's some pics:
o Night shot of some of my barrel containers: http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/viewimage.php?did=33408 Here's a link to my DG Blog of my gardens last year - more containers shown. http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/ginnylynn/6595/
In the sample "plan" image I've attached here, I've tried to give the space some interest while still leaving room to manoeuvre around everything, and lots of clearance for the BBQ area. I had to guess at how your wall is designed. This is definitely not to scale either.
In the back left-hand corner I added something I did once on the tiny patio of a townhome I lived in - a small pre-formed pond. It measures about 36" x 20" with an 8" depth. I surrounded it with curved wall stone and topped that with flagstone to hide the pond form. I put a tall ornamental grass (labelled 1 - now I would probably put a banana or a brugmansia) in behind it, and placed smaller pots all over the top of the wall stone and in front of it too. In the pond I put a small pump to keep the water flowing and clear, a couple of smaller pond plants, and a bright yellow bowl with water cress growing in it - it trailed right out into the pond. I also added about a half-dozen very small goldfish.
In the front left-hand corner, labelled 2, I would put something really big and showy - a banana, brugmansia, Castor Bean, etc. I would do the same in the centre of the circular "planting" area.
If you start off with a few strategically placed showpiece items you can then fill in around them in graduated layers (taller to shorter) - and don't forget to add some of your favourite garden art as well - a sun dial, bird bath, small statuary, whatever suits your taste.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents, for what it's worth :-)
--Ginny
Hi Ginny
Gosh, youve been so helpful and I really appreciate it. Ive printed the image that youve created for me and am going to work with that and some ideas I already had. I did want to include a water feature with goldfish as well and this looks as though it could really work out well for me.
Im feeling rather ill, thats why my reply is rather short right now...Ill let you know whats happening and thanks again so much.
You're very welcome Sydney - it's been my pleasure. I enjoy the opportunity to get creative, and I'm glad you found interest in some of my design elements. Please do keep me posted on your progress. I'm very interested in what your final design will be.
I hope you're feeling better soon.
--Ginny