Every Day Flowers

I am learning to love begonias! I used to look down on them as ordinary and ridiculously ubiquitous. But they are sturdy troopers that have a simple charm when used appropriately. I can't stand to see solid rows of red and white ones all lined up like an American flag minus the stars. But in a pot by themselves or mixed in with some other plants they can be quite becoming and they are hard to murder. Oh, and speaking about ordinary and hard to kill, that's bugleweed (Ajuga) behind the begonia!



 

                                                            

 

white begonias

 

 

 

I also love jolly little violas. I don't know how much longer these little guys will last...the heat is about to be on. But I am enjoying them while I can.

 

 

 

 

violas

 

 

 

My palette is so subdued. I really can't wait for the clematis to explode and add some color to the balcony. My cone flowers are arriving too. They infuse a little life into this cool cool scene!

 

 

 

cone flowers

 



 

 

 

Son of Starry Night

Here are more rose photos...Just in love with the idea of having roses on my balcony! Clems need about two weeks to pop...hope the rose is still going strong then.

 

Starry Night Rose



Starry Night - the sequel

Still revelling in my new roses. Maybe I always will. I tend not to take flowers for granted.

 

Starry Night, Portulaca, Scaveola, Million Bells, Creeping Jenny



Starry Night

Here it is...my first Starry Night Rose. My first rose period. Eagerly anticipated. An experiment. To see if roses can survive on the balcony.

 

Starry Night Rose

 

 



Normandy Poppies

Poppies from blog "my french country home"

sometimes I wish I had more then a balcony to work with!

Barb's Boxes

Here are some pics sent by my friend Barb. I thought it would be fun to include some other Brooklyn gardeners here. I can't figure out how to save them...they don't want to save!!! So they are a different size.

 



Can't decide

Sometimes I love this grouping and sometimes I don't. I did it for the front of the complex to go with the brick. I didn't want anything too splashy. It's lower down in front of our door not our balcony. I can't decide whether it is too brown and dreary or whether it is muted and soothing. Maybe I'll like it better when the nasturtiums are blooming.

 

 

 

Coleus, Nasturtiums, Geraniums, Sedum, Creeping Jenny



Plucked and Stuck

I love breaking off pieces of my sedum and portulacas and just sticking them into bare soil. It's fun to watch them grow and a cheap, cheap, cheap way to fill up your containers. The Ganzania were purchased. Everything else was plucked and stuck. Can't wait to see this in September!

 



 

Ganzania, Creeping Jenny, Sedum, Dianthus

 

 

 

Besides ganzania another new flower for me this year is coreopsis. I am hoping they come back next year - they are light and airy, perfect to keep terrace claustrophobia at bay.

 

 



 

Coreopsis

 

 

And here they are from another view.

 

 

 

 

And just in case you are interested in seeing what is in that corner that has been cut off...here you go!

 

 





 

 

I didn't plant enough pansies!

Last year I went to Home Depot and went nuts buying pansies. I just scooped up huge flats of them, they were cheap and they make me so happy. For some reason, this year I did not indulge this pansy passion. And now I regret it. It's too late to plant pansies. I miss their sunny faces. So I am posting this picture from last year.

 

Pansies





Timing

Just waiting for my roses to open...I want to see all these flowers together. I fear that the dianthus will fade before the roses pop...Oh well, just an excuse to go buy some geraniums to replace the pink!

 

 

 

Scaveola, Dianthus, Portulaca, Starry Night Rose



Preventing Claustrophobia

With a tiny balcony it is important not to feel too closed in. Last year I had spectacular window boxes filled with cascading scaveola and jolly hot pink geraniums. But when I sat down out there I was staring straight into this wall of flowers. There was no sense of space or a horizon. This year I have many fewer window boxes draped over the edge of the balcony and I am sticking to whites with the one I have. I have them blocking the ugly view...the pretty view just has a pot of strawberries to peer through. Fresher, calmer, cooler....

 

Bacopa, Creeping Jenny, White Geraniums, Violas