What I did on my summer vacation...

My apologies for being so delinquent.  I must start the blogging catch-up somewhere.  For a glimpse of "what I did on my summer vacation," please admire MJ Mojer's beautiful container garden in Nantucket.  The woman can do no wrong.

Sirens and Muses: Renee's enticing watercolors

Renee's Garden Seeds initially seems like a small, run-of-the-mill online seed catalog... but don't be fooled.  Each seed variety has a beautiful watercolor illustration to pique your imagination. Not only that, but she has great information and suggestions for container gardening, including the ability to filter shopping searches for seeds well suited for containers.

(a sampling of Renee's gorgeous illustrations)

A Succulent Re-Do

 future inspiration

My friend Annie had some ladies over for some terrarium making a couple of months ago.  It was delightful, we got our hands dirty and everyone walked away with a little green to brighten our dark Brooklyn apartments.

Unfortunately, I put a lid on my succulent terrarium. It just looked prettier that way, okay?  My little desert plants rotted away, one by one, with just a hint of moisture.  I recently opened the lid to see yellow round mold spores clumped on the soil.  YUCK.  So, I created a succulent arrangement to replace my terrarium, one I cannot put a lid on. I think I like it better.

 

How to make a succulent arrangements

(or, what I have learned along the way)

• Put a layer of small stones at the bottom of your container, about one inch.
• Line with a layer of charcoal, about a half inch.
• Combine cactus soil and perlite, at a ratio of about 50/50.  You may elect to use sand. Even  the store bought cactus soil can be too moist.
• Place your succulents as you'd like the arranged, bring soil over to bury the roots, keeping the roots fairly shallow. Press lightly.
• Spritz with water when completed.
• Let the soil dry out completely before watering.  Do not water often or the plants will rot.
• Place near a nice, bright window.
• Remove any rot immediately, as it will spread to the other plants.
• Resist the urge to cover it, no matter how cute.

The trouble with cilantro

My mother said to me yesterday, "Where did you learn to garden? I can't keep anything alive." I answered my mother that I didn't. I just keep trying, and every year I've gotten better.  Part of my success is due to my hideous self watering, well draining container.  It babys my herbs when I don't have time to do so myself.

This year I added cilantro to my miracle container. Then came the wind, and somehow the roots came to the surface. I reburied them.  It happened again.  I reburied them again.  Then I noticed the stems were tangled. So after some fruitless internet research, I untangled them. Now they are limply strewn about, leaning on my dill and slowly bringing it down.  (I still have no clue why the roots keep coming to the surface, but I'm just going to let that slide.)


 So, things to know before you grow cilantro:

• Cilantro is a cool weather plant, believe it or not. It bolts (flowers) really quickly when the weather warms up to 75, and you can no longer enjoy it's deliciousness. 
• Cut off the flower heads to extend the plant's life. This is not guaranteed to work, but I hear the flowers are edible and rather yummy.
• Alternatively, let the flower heads drop and pray for a second crop of the season.
• It prefers morning and late afternoon sun, even though it is technically a "full sun plant" because it is so sensitive to heat.
•  Cilantro does not transplant well.  (Oops.)  You are better off seeding directly in the container.
• It grows in clumps because its stems are weak. (Ah, whoops.)

Garden Day Dreaming

Image: freegardenideas.com

When I perch at my desk, I often look out the window, beyond my landing, to the view of downtown Manhattan. Unfortunately, that view is quickly being obstructed by scafolding. Never one to let anything interfere with my day dreaming, I've started planning which plants I'd like to perch on that landing come spring. 

This summer I moved from a full sun apartment to partial shade. While many of my plants gracefully made the transition, a long and dry (Christmas vacation?) winter finally killed them off. My thyme soldiers on, but that's all I have left. 

In my day dream, I'll have built two tiered planters to attach to the railing. The top levels will host sage and oregano, and the lower tiers chives, parsley, and cilantro. Or perhaps I will be lucky enough to find a non-ugly version of this planter to the right (currently sold on Overstock.com. Did somebody say strawberries?

Sigh, back to January.... (or not: more dream foder)