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March 2012

Shameless Succulent Stimulation

by Fern on March 28, 2012

in General

Since I’ve been talking about succulents a lot lately–Got a bunch of sempervivums all at once, gotta figure out projects for all those bad boys!–I thought I would keep up with the theme and share some photos from my recent trip to the Bay Area. One of my favorite things I did while up there was sneak in (they were all at the San Francisco Garden Show, so I got permission from the owner to let myself in) to Succulent Gardens nursery in Castroville and take photos of all of their fabulous plants!

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Chicago Tribune: Container gardens done right

by Fern on March 27, 2012

in Apartment Garden Challenges,Inspiration,My Book

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I was interviewed for this fun article in the Chicago Tribune. It’s all about beautifying container gardens on patios and balconies:

In theory, containers overflowing with flowers, herbs, grasses and vegetables can transform balconies and porches into green and leafy garden retreats.

In reality, the effect is often closer to “Patio dotted with random plants.”

We asked Fern Richardson, author of the new book, “Small-Space Container Gardens: Transform Your Balcony, Porch or Patio With Fruits, Flowers, Foliage & Herbs” (Timber Press), how to bridge the gap.

Read the whole article on ChicagoTribune.com >>>

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How to Make a Succulent Sempervivum (Hens & Chicks) Frame

March 25, 2012
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This past Saturday I did a demonstration at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show on vertical gardening. One of the things I demonstrated was how to make a succulent photo frame. As promised, here are the step-by-step instructions for those of you who weren’t able to make it to the show…

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Sempervivum Sweet Sixteen

March 22, 2012
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In honor of the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen which begins today, I thought we container gardeners could have a sweet sixteen competition of our own. A SEMPERVIVUM Sweet Sixteen. We’re going to have brackets just like the NCAA tournament, except our brackets will pit different varieties of Sempervivum against one another. You all will vote for [...]

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Succulent Frame Made With Sempervivums

March 20, 2012
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If you’re a fan of Life on the Balcony’s Facebook page then you probably know that I recently bought some neat sempervivums from Arrowhead Alpine Nursery. I have several projects in mind for these succulents, but the first is this photo frame, filled with little semps. I am going to be a horrible tease though, [...]

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Wormalicious Giveaway!

March 19, 2012
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UPDATE: Congratulations Anna, you’re the winner! Now that I have my own worms composting away on my balcony, I think everyone (okay, “almost” everyone) should have worms composting their food scraps and junk mail too. Just call me your friendly vermivangelist. Get it? OK. Sorry for all the bad worm jokes these past few posts. [...]

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1000 Red Wigglers Are Doing Their Thing in My Worm Factory 360

March 16, 2012
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In addition to receiving Amy Stewart’s book, The Earth Moved, I also received a Worm Factory 360 to review. Now you know why her book re-launch is to blame for the fact that I own so many Red Wiggler worms. I have to say, it is incredibly fun to share worm facts (I have been [...]

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There are worms on my balcony, and it’s all Amy Stewart’s fault

March 15, 2012
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Have you ever heard of the book The Earth Moved by Amy Stewart? If you haven’t for some reason, it is a fascinating dip into the world of Oligochaeta and the oligochaetologists who study them. In other words, the book is all about earthworms and the…unique…people who have dedicated themselves to studying worms. You would [...]

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GUEST POST: Sprouting For Healthy Eating

March 12, 2012
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I am so excited to share this guest post about sprouting (which is a container garden of sorts…) by Phil Nauta. He is a SOUL Certified Organic Land Care Professional and author of the book Building Soils Naturally, coming out in Spring 2012. He has taught for Gaia College and been a director for The [...]

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Let’s Say “Hi” The Old Fashioned Way!

March 12, 2012

Hi container gardening friends! I have two upcoming events and I would so love to meet you all in person…

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