Birthday presents

I have a small balcony, (grow fresh Parsley and Strawberries) and this year instead of half baskets hooked on the front, I used black polythene bags in the supports with my Gerbil chewed up cardboard recycled potting soil , and just tucked them in at the top. I take 6 old squash bottles out full of water and leave them to 'mature' .
Its really hot weather now, so in the evenings, I just go out and empty 3 of the bottles of water into the top of the black bags.
Gives them a good drink without losing the water.
Incidentally rockery plants at the front are flowering happily for their second year beautifully. The last years Geraniums I overwintered on the kitchen window sill, and put out too early, are now happier and coming into flower. All free !

Belated happy birthday Balcony!
What a splendid birthday present. I love potentillas. A nursery near our old house used to advertise tham as "the best value for money of any shrub! For sheer long lasting flower power they are hard to beat and that's a very pretty shade.
"Where are you going to put the Philadelphus?

Happy birthday Balcony lovely presents from your son.

A Very Happy Birthday. Lovely plants. Lovely son!!

Happy belated birthday great present - enjoy

Thank you every one for the belated birthday wishes! ?? I don't like to publicize my birthday but this was too good an opportunity to miss. It's not very often I get new plants so that's why I decided to make a blog about them.

Stera, yes, I already knew Potentilla is a very long flowering small shrub - the very reason I chose it! It will probably go in the middle one of the three troughs on the balcony floor. The Philadelphus will then end up in the far trough (counting from the door onto the balcony). The Fuchsia will then go into the one right in front of the balcony door. I was sooo pleased to see how it really "glowed" in the sunshine yesterday evening!

Diane, I have a couple of dozen old (VERY OLD) mineral water bottle, (2lt bottles), that I have been using every year for the last 16/17 years! I fill them up & keep them in a cupboard during the cold weather but put them out on the balcony during the hot weather. I use them to water my plants as on the one hand I never use water straight from the tap &, on the other, I can't very well take a hosepipe through the flat from the kitchen & living room out onto the balcony! I also use them to measure out the amount of fertilizer to use.

Happy belated birthday. What a wonderful present and outing from your son. Did he buy anything? I have a Potentilla Pink beauty in my garden after Stera suggested it as I wanted something long flowering. Lovely aren't they. You got some lovely plants there.

I am so glad you had a lovely day. when my daughters say they will take me to the gc to buy plants I have to remind them to set a limit as I am a plantaholic.
It is nice to buy plants that will have a meaning for you.
enjoy the sunshine. I agree about that fuchsia :o)

Thank you, Jen, I'm really looking forward to seeing all these plants grow & flower as I haven't really grown shrubs on the balcony in all the years we have lived here (17) but I find it harder each year to do the twice yearly change over. This year I thought I would make a start on growing fixed plants that I won't need to change over twice a year.

Thanks, SB, it certainly made a change! like you I'm a plantaholic as well! When we lived in Cuenca, Spain, I used to go around the streets after a thunderstorm in search of broken bits of plants that I might use as cutting! Even here in the UK I look on the plant stalls in the supermarkets for possible "cuttings"!

Glad you like the Fuchsia, when I saw it I immediately had to have it!

Wow, what a lovely birthday present. You get to spend time with your son and also get to spend his money! You were very restrained, lol. If someone did that for me and didn't give me a budget, well, who knows what I'd come home with! lol.