Container gardening for beginners

11 Mar '05 10:55 am

I've decided to finally do something with our roof terrace. We spent most of last summer up there so it seems wise to make it a little more cosy Very Happy

CosmicIris inspired me to get started - her balcony sounds very creative. My original efforts were pretty lame tho - what seemed like a lot in the garden centre was lost on the terrace. Hopefully the rose bushes will fill out a bit by the summer...

Friends and family have taken pity on me and supplied some New Zealand flaxes, to give some height, almost on the same day that Moosey decided to rip some of hers out!

I was also given a chimenea, something I'd not even heard of before. Its a pot-bellied, ceramic patio heater with integrated barbeque. Brilliant for us, as our existing bbq is not big enough to cook what the webmaster thinks is a good-sized plate of meat! (Or what I think is a reasonable number of people to invite... Wink

)

The terrace is on a flat roof to the north of the main roof - it gets very little sun throughout the winter when the sun is low in the sky, but from early spring it is a sun trap for most of the day. It's been snowing most days since I started this project tho - I hope this won't stunt the growth on all my lovely new plants.

There is a waist-high solid wall around the outside which provides privacy and shelter from the wind. I think the wall also looks quite harsh, especially at the moment when it's grey from being wet most of the time. I'm considering putting some rattan(?) propped up along the wall at the end, to soften it up. I bet its expensive tho...

So what happens now - do I have to tend to these plants, or can I just leave them to get on with it? I am concerned, my indoor plant survival rate has declined significantly recently and so I have little confidence in my green fingers Confused

12 Mar '05 7:33 am

ERK!

BBC News reader...

"...and further to our story last week covering the sudden upsurge in bee-stings, caused by bulging rooftop jungles, comes the story of a couple, decribed by neighbours as "..ever so quiet luv, and such a luverly young pair, very interested in those photo graphing machines you know...".
Concerns are held for the well-being of this 'luverly' couple who were last seen entering their residence with an assortment of axes, spades, handsaws and shapening equipment, while muttering things like 'mooseys' 'pink flax' and 'cute little'. ...Update at 10..."

hehe

13 Mar '05 11:52 pm

I take it the small pot doesn't necessarily restrict the flax's growth then...? Shocked

Can anyone advise whether I should tie the tall flaxes leaves together somehow to keep their shape? The snow has stopped but a crazy wind has been blowing for days - they are already starting to look less stylishly tall and thin, and more - well, all over the place.

14 Mar '05 5:09 pm

hehe
No, you shouldn't get lost in them while they are in pots Very Happy

I have seen flax grow above snow line here and they look good but I have never seen one actually covered in snow. Maybe you would have to dust the snow off and not let it sit on them for too long?
I did see a program about prep'ing plants for winter and 'they' had wrapped the foliage upright in fluffy stuff? and sacking. These were for more tropical plants tho.

Maybe some pebbles over the soil in the pots would help so their little roots don't get frozen?

Crikey, suddenly I am glad I live in a snow-free zone Wink

The Thymes look gorgeous...can almost smell them...

14 Mar '05 5:53 pm

I sense we are seeing the birth of a rooftop garden. The flaxes should be OK - I like the idea of stones in the pots (would stop them becoming airborne and blowing away...) Perhaps the photographs don't quite tell the full story (ducking for cover now) - but isn't the chimera rather tiny?

London style queens could consider the following - plinths (e.g. old sewer pipes) for some of the pots to get differences in height. Trellis to be painted trendy baby blue or whatever paint colour is making it over there. Or what about one of those disgusting trompe-oeill painted backdrops? Have I spelt that right? Probably not.

The rooftop gardens I've seen pictures of seem to have at least thirty different contrasting elements squashed in together, with at least one thing painted a silly colour. And they never seem to get photographed in the wind or rain or snow - funny that! Go Bex!

21 Mar '05 12:17 am

Cool - lots of ideas - thank you!

I like the plinth idea to vary the height of the containers - would also obscure the grim grey leading at the base of the wall. Will have to raid ma n pa's shed of wonders Wink

A Trompe L'Oeil painted wall would increase the feeling of space. I could ask the local art college to donate their services. Uh-oh, the webmaster's rolling his eyes disapprovingly...

The chimenea is quite dinky as a bbq - it's back-up for the other bbq which stayed out of camera view coz its not so photogenic.

In the space of 10 days the snow stopped and the sun has properly come out. So now I'm less concerned with protection (the damage has been done Sad

) and instead I'm trying to keep them all from drying out. Question

Can you over-water outdoor plants like you can indoor plants?

Inspired by the spring weather, I popped down the garden centre again for seeds. I don't think I can be taken remotely seriously as a budding gardener unless get my hands a bit dirty. After my 3rd visit in as many days Eggy said I was 'doing a Moosey' - making up excuses to go to the garden centre and coming back with far more than planned. Trouble is now the sun has gone in I'm worried I was overly hasty putting the seeds straight outdoors. Mmm.

I was originally trying to be thoughtful and stylish when buying bulbs and seeds, thinking of colour combinations, but then I decided to throw caution to the wind, give everything a go and see what works Very Happy

26 Mar '05 7:21 pm

You could get a tiny glass-house for your balcony garden - even a strong plastic one, I suppose - but glasshouses are nice to be able to stand up in - which means they're not small. And they get bug infestations and fungal diseases - there are many learned treatises about hygiene in glasshouses.

Be careful (I think this is the right advice!) about the canna tubers getting frosted. This is probably really rude of me, as you're probably having glorious weather now, while I always assume that British weather is bad...

Happy container gardening! Pink flaxes rock! And who knows - those flailing flaxes may be supposed to be weeping!

Container gardening for beginners

Container gardening for beginners

Floundering flaxes

Container gardening continued...