Well, folks, my garden is gone. Sad day and happy day.

I started back to school in January and decided to downsize to an apartment with a balcony. I have 13 containers out there and water daily in this heat...photos later. They looked great a month ago but not so much right now.

I will be receiving coleus cuttings from a new friend I met here on ATP this week. I have my dirt ready and may need to grow them indoors for a month or two but I can't wait. I will share at the fall swap if I can get them to grow well.

Boo, I know your pain... but your garden isn't gone, it's just changing. Now you have your container/balcony garden. Someday soon you will be sitting on your balcony, enjoying your new garden, and you will realize... I can garden anywhere, and it always brings me joy. ♥

Hang in there Boo. For a long time while I was in the Coast Guard and then going through college and the transition after college I lived in apartments and always had my balcony garden.
Its amazing how many plants you can cramb into those balcony spaces. LOL

Thanks Brenda and Ray. You know what I miss the most is the hose and watering and my potting station..and space but there is so much good about living here right now. I can clean my 2bed/2bath 1000 sq feet in 25 minutes, top to bottom!

I'll be looking for narrow and tall plant shelves soon, Ray!

Remember that crazy hose I gave to you. So long and unwieldy. I never missed that hose. Gave me fits. I think you can get one of those curly hoses you attach to the kitchen sink and pull out to the balcony.

And don't forget terrariums!

In fall I'll start the bonsai set you gave to me

Yes, your hose made me frustrated too and I also gave it away. haha.

My washer and dryer are out on the balcony, behind closed doors. Perfect place to put plants, I think, it is freezes.

I'm wondering if I can buy a short hose and get some kind of double facet for the water for the washer. My sink in the kitchen is too far from the balcony for that set up but great idea!

Yes, you can buy a "Y" cupling and make one go to your washer, and one to a hose. Should work perfectly for you. You can get them at any hardware store. Ace, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. They usually aren't to expensive either. Just make sure you hook it up to the cold water spigot and not the hot water one =)

Alan

Thank you Alan! This is great!

I saw this crazy setup for hydropincs this guy had on his apartment balcony.
Talk about utilizing every square inch.

Good idea Alan. Those work great.

How about hanging plants?
I'm sure you've already thought of this Boo.

Saw your post about hanging tomato planters.
My Uncle tried those this year and had pretty good luck with it.
I have to add, he lives in San Diego so that might have a lot to do with the success he is having. LOL

Ray, I do have hanging baskets but am waiting to hang most of them because of the heat. My hummer feeder is up and I have visitors all day long.

I have 2 Adirondack chairs, stacked...not much room but I love this particular style. The new ones that Lowes etc sell aren't as tilted.

What are hydropincs, Ray?

I take down all my hanging baskets in the summer too. They just consume to much water to justify them I think. Always anxious for the fall, so I can put them back up though.

I've had some good luck with sweet potato vine, asparagus fern, some lobelia, creeping jenny and a faux vinca in cocomat hanging planters in total shade. I water a little daily and the sprinklers hit them when I water the lawn. I have four hanging from my Key Lime.. very little early morn. sun. But, yea, keeping hydrated can be challenging.

Really pretty, Susie. I have two of those baskets...love them. But the plants are in deep tall galvanized buckets right now...indoors.

I can't wait for late September....

I use to have some hanging baskets that I really liked. They had water resevoirs in them. They were wonderful, and lasted years and years. Then I took them all out because they were starting to crack and get very old. Haven't been able to find them since. Last place I saw they were selling them at was Target. And we all know what Target has done with their gardenshops :(

Alan

I was just telling one of my friends how much I miss target garden. I always spent a lot of money there. Now, I don;'t have a lot of money but still...it was wonderful!

I just received my shipment of coleus from Florida. It was sent priority, being mailed out on Saturday and arriving this afternoon. It came in wonderful condition. I'm trading some painted geckos for her garden.

I snipped off a spec of the end and got them into water immediately...thirsty little guys!

Fresh and not at all hot in the box...


Some bigger leafed coleus....and some smaller, lots of colors...


Close up...

I'm reminded...
Becky, is this your patio?

Remember this thread/pic by Kattamos? hundreds of comments.

Susie, I don;t remember that thread but WOW!!!! That's gorgeous!

My balcony is smaller than that! Teeeny. It's going to be an interesting event if I want to add plants. hahah

Becky, think vertical! Did you see my living wall that I made out of an old shutter? I would think you could grow succulents/sedum etc. on a living wall on your balcony there, they are very forgiving. And yes, the "Y" coupler should work well for you, I have one on my hose bib in my shade garden... one for the drip system that I just installed, and one for my hose to water all the stuff that's not on the drip system. They are cheap, I think I got mine at Walmart for less than $3.00. Here's a pic of the living wall to inspire you... it's grown quite a bit since this pic was taken, time for some new pictures!

Love your shutter succulent garden, Brenda. I don't have great success with them for some reason. I really want to have them in the garden though. Do you turn a light mist on the shutter to water?

Thanks Brenda for sharing this...it's a wonderful idea!!!!!