On the perils of a long growing season...

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I know most of you really would like a longer growing season, but I envy those of you who live in clearly defined 4 season climates…there is something to be said for the change in seasons, with certain flowers dying and being replaced naturally by the next wave of flowers/plants…maybe it’s because the seasons make the decision for you to get rid of certain plants and put in others.

Living in a climate like Houston, were seasonal changes are not so dramatic and most plants can survive the cold, means that when you decide to change plants you are most likely getting rid of a plant that is still very much alive and that is what I find so difficult to do. It might seem silly, but it really distresses me to just replace plants because I’d like to try something new…but it happens all the time in Houston. Just yesterday I saw how the gardeners at the apartment complex pulled up the perfectly beautiful purple alyssum and pansies that decorated the outside garden area…I almost wanted to scream and run to the gardener to give me some of the pansies but I was waiting for the bus and reason won out….what were they replaced with? White alyssum and salmon pink geraniums and red begonias.

So I battle with this because I do like variety and yet I have limited space on my balcony…but I have decided – with great difficulty and twinges of guilt – that the grape tomatoes are going to have to go, because the plant the sprouted again is weak and is getting sick – it has some white blobs on it and not even spraying it with neem controls it…I would love to have vegetables but right now I think I’m going to stick to flowers. That will give me another pot to plant something in. Maybe I’ll put purple coneflowers in there.

I am keeping the strawberries but after consulting my berry book I realize that they will probably not give me berries, however they are nice ornamental plants and seem to be doing well.

My aim for this year, once it’s warmer is to create more shade on my balcony by planting vines – I like morning glory – to twine around the railing…I would like to get some cascading petunias as well because I have a thing for cascading plants, the fullness of it just makes it seem opulent and full of life…I am going to get another geranium and if I find a nice rose, another one to complement the ones I have…

I also want to give the stairwell more attention…I want to see if the begonias I planted take and if impatiens will do well in the shade…I planted some violas in a pot next to my banana tree and they are doing OK, but have not bloomed again so I think I will get rid of them…it would be a nice pot for some impatiens…so I want to try my hand at some shade plants this year as well…the stairwell is just too ugly as is…

In terms of decorations I would like some small windchimes…the birds love the seed and today I peeked at them and saw four tiny birds feeding and down on the balcony a young dove feeding off the seeds that fell from the birdfeeders…they all looked puffy with riffled feathers, I guess they were trying to keep warm…I enjoy hearing them chirping right outside my windows…

I also need to buy one more ceramic pot to put the yellow rose in…it’s amazing how well they keep the roses and geraniums from turning over in the wind…

Well, this blog is more for myself I guess, to keep track of the things I want to do…we’ll see how much of it I actually manage to do!! =)

• 14 Mar, 2009
• 3 likes

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