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| Wildflowers growing near the house |
Lauren asked to see garden pictures, and I can't deny a fan, so that's what I have for you today! Friday is Earth Day so I thought it was very appropriate to talk a little about my garden and my gardening philosophy. Now all I have in the way of a garden is two balconies and various windowsills, and believe me, I fill those spaces as best I can. Besides just wanting to have pretty flowers, I think growing plants is important for a few reasons.
I keep houseplants to filter the air in the house and get some of that good O
2. They also humidify the air. I keep fresh cut flowers around because they smell good and brighten everyone's day.
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| Both vases hold hand picked wild flowers |
Outside I grow several herbs: parsley, sage, basil, mint, rosemary and thyme. Fresh herbs for cooking is pretty much the best. For edibles, I also grow jalapeno peppers, lettuce and sometimes sprouts.
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| Lemon Thyme |
Other than that I have a bit of a random mix of flowers. I attempt to have something flowering at all times to attract bees and wasps and get some biocontrol action. I have had problems with aphids, white flies, and mealy bugs. It's not easy to attract beneficial insects to such a small open space.
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| Some of those plants are native to Europe |
I also like to plant native species. In a balcony garden, I'm not sure that I have a big effect, but I have a few European wild flowers that I'm enjoying. Check out my Mom's garden for a bunch of natives I made her plant!!
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| My Space :) |
But mostly I try to create a space I can enjoy and be proud of. Happy Earth Day!!
7 comments:
When we finally settle on a house to buy for when we move back to Massachusetts, I may have bring you on as a consultant. I'd really like to do something with wildflowers, like in the WP article you shared. I've always wanted my own little field of wildflowers.
you have lots of plants given your small outdoor space! i am going to work on my balcony garden this spring. currently it only has a Christmas tree, which I am very proud that I have kept alive for 4 months. i also have an office plant that i have been slowly killing since last July. i think i'm up for the challenge.
Happy Earth day indeed! The flowers look lovely. I love having fresh cut flowers in the house.
Nice garden Jess. Somehow I missed the green thumb gene. I once killed a cactus, which is why Chris is in charge of all outdoor space!
@ Jen, all you have to do is pay materials and transportation!
@ Lauren, if you ever want to discuss the plants that are most difficult to kill, let me know.
@ Laura, I don't know what I would do with myself all day if I wasn't able to grow plants!
I'm with Laura--I killed an aloe plant and a couple of cacti! Here is what I want to know..Are the brown marmorated stink bugs in Italy too? My friend was at a wedding at the Comus Inn on Sugarloaf Mt. and she said the bride's veil and wedding dress was polka dotted. Your garden is lovely! love, Aunt Sue
@ Aunt Sue, we just have regular Italian stink bugs do far, I'm sure we'll get brown marmorated ones in a couple years.
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