Growing Sweet Peas in a Windowsill

Sweet peas are such beautiful looking and smelling plants, and now a days there are so many different varieties, that there really is no reason to let lack of space stop you from growing them.

Photo by teal chick

Recently, Mimi of Israeli Kitchen, asked me this question:

“I’d like to plant some sweet peas in a windowsill - windowsills are all I have. But I’m concerned that they won’t get enough sun. Can you tell me how much sun exposure sweet peas need? I have fantasies of pink and purple flowers climbing up the security bars come springtime…”

Sweet peas generally need full sun to flower profusely, preferably morning sun, because most varieties don’t do too well in hot temperatures. Areas with direct afternoon sun tend to be hotter than those with morning sun. If you don’t think your intended spot gets 6 hours of sunshine, you might try a perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) as opposed to an annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) because the perennial types seem tolerate more shade than the annual kinds. Although, as I mentioned, they won’t flower as much with less than 6 hours of direct sun. Long periods of dappled sunshine or indirect light might be able to make up for the lack of direct sun, depending on how bright the area is.

November 17, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening, Gardening in Full Sun, Gardening in the Shade | 6 Comments

Great Device for Calculating How Much Sun Your Space Gets

Sometimes it’s hard figuring our how much sun you particular balcony or patio gets. Afterall, you’re probably at work for part of the morning and all of the afternoon, and don’t want to spend your weekend glued to your balcony taking notes about the amount of sunshine it gets.

Well, I just came across a device that is made for you called SunCalc (you can purchase it from Burpee Seeds). You simply place SunCalc in a pot or the ground in the area you would like to measure. Make sure the face is parallel to the ground. Start off in the morning (between 7am and 9am) and leave it in place for 12 hours. When you retrieve it at night one of four lights will be illuminated, indicating whether that particular location gets either full shade, partial shade, partial sun, or full sun. SunCalc can then be reused in another location.

If your gardening space has walls on two or more sides, I would place the SunCalc in the middle front, middle back, and each side of your space. The walls may either shade or reflect sunshine for all or part of the day, and you may have different amounts of sunshine in different places, even on a small balcony. I would also test your garden in spring and fall, because the movement of the sun and change in the amount of leaves on nearby trees may also affect the amount of sun your balcony gets.

If you’re plants are struggling and you suspect the problem is that you selected the wrong type of plant for your amount of sunlight, this is definitely 30 bucks well spent.

September 21, 2008 | Filed Under Gardening in Full Sun, Gardening in the Shade | 4 Comments

Step-by-Step Tips for Creating a Garden on a Shady Balcony

Is your balcony totally shaded by another building or tall trees? That’s okay, despite what you may have heard, you can still have a beautiful container garden in the shade. I’ve written a few posts about gardening in the shade, but this is a step-by-step guide to help make your shady container garden look great!

Photo by foxypar4

First: Determine how much shade you have. You do this by watching your balcony on a day when you’ll be around most of the day. Simply stick your head out every hour or so and observe whether it is sunny or shady on your balcony. Keep in mind that you may have different types of shade on different parts of your balcony.

3-6 hours of sun means your balcony is suitable for partial sun and partial shade plants.
If your balcony gets a continuous stream of light filtered through the branches of a tree or some other similar obstruction, your balcony is suitable for plants that need dappled or filtered light.
If you get less than 3 hours of sun, then your balcony is suitable for plants that need full shade.

Second: Select plants appropriate to the amount of shade on your balcony. Below you will find a few suggestions, but this list is not exhaustive!

If you have 3-6 hours of sun:

Monkshood (Aconitum) - A member of the buttercup family, this plant has tall, long-lasting flower spikes in shades of blue, purple, white, yellow, or pink.
Blackberry Lily - The foliage looks similar to an Iris, but the flower is deep orange and tropical looking.
Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra) - Has delicate strands of white or light pink flowers.
Primrose - Comes in a wide variety of pastel colors, flowers cover a compact bushy plant.

Dappled light:

Columbine (Aquilegia) - Delicate flowers in red, pink, yellow, white and purple.
Trillium - As the name suggests, this plant has small, three-petaled flowers in white or red. Don’t pick the flowers as this often damages the plant.
Bluebells - In Spring, these plants are covered in small, blue, bell-shaped flowers lined up in orderly rows along arched stems.
Caladium - Large, tropical leaves flecked with white, green and magenta.
Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) - Dwarf varieties are best for balconies. Japanese Maples come in a wide variety of leaf shapes, colors and growth habits; everything from lacey, wine colored leaves of weeping branches to bright green, upright, bushy varieties.

Full shade:

Astilbe - Has fern-like folliage that looks good all season long and long lasting flowers.
Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra) - Has delicate strands of white or light pink flowers.
Trilium - As the name suggests, this plant has small, three-petaled flowers in white or red. Don’t pick the flowers as this often damages the plant.
Ferns - Check out some of the more unusual varieties, like the silver-leafed, red-veined Japanese Painted Ferns.

Third: After you have selected your plants, you will need potting soil, fertilizer and pots. Definitely read the tags of the plants you purchased, but keep in mind that many shade loving plants were originally found growing on forest floors. The soil in this sort of area is rich in nutrients and slightly acidic. If you can find potting soil specially designed for Azaleas, it will probably be good for your shade loving plants. Whatever you do, do not use soil from the garden. It is often too clay-like for container gardening and it may harbor diseases, pests and weeds.

Also, the large amount of leaf mulch on forest floors and the shade provided by overhead trees keeps the soil cool and moist. For this reason, it is probably best to chose glazed terra cotta pots that will help keep the soil cool and moist.

As far as fertilizers go, those meant for azaleas will help keep the soil pH on the acidic side. Although don’t over do it. If you purchased potting soil meant for Azaleas, you may not need Azalea fertilizer. It’s always best to read the tag of the plants you buy and follow what you find on the tag.

Fourth: Planting! Arrange your pots in their intended locations because larger pots can be difficult to move after being filled with soil and plants. Fill the pot farthest in the back partially with soil. Mix in some time-released fertilizer. Then, without removing the nursery pots, arrange the plants you intend to put in that pot. This post has an easy-to-follow recipe for good looking containers. When you’ve found a pleasing arrangement, gently remove the nursery pot, gently loosen the roots if they are rootbound, and place the plant in your desired location. You want the base of the plant to be about an inch below the lip of the pot, so add or remove soil to achieve that goal. Repeat this process with the rest of the plants. Fill in the holes between the plants with more potting soil. Repeat this process with the remaining pots, working from back to front. When all of your pots are planted, water each of them thoroughly, but try not to get water on the leaves of your plants.

Fifth: Caring for your plants. As I mentioned previously, shade plants tend to like moist soil. Check your plants regularly and water whenever the top of the soil feels dry. However, don’t over do it with watering. Most plants do not like to sit in sopping wet soil. The goal is to keep the soil evenly damp, not soggy. Also, try not to get water on the leaves of your plants. Shady environments are ripe for mold, mildew and fungus growth. Keeping water off the leaves will help nip that in the bud.

Fertilize your plants regularly according to their needs and the fertilizer package instructions. Keep in mind that container plants often need more frequent fertilizing that plants that grow directly in the ground because the nutrients are washed out of the soil every time you water.

Keep an eye out for snails and slugs, they like the shade too! Most balconies are high up enough that snails are not a problem, but if you are on the first floor, you might see a few. Other than picking them off as you see them, Marye of Simply Home Remedies has compiled a list of different natural snail control remedies that don’t require harsh chemicals.

Sixth: Enjoy your garden!

August 13, 2008 | Filed Under Gardening in the Shade | 7 Comments

My Top 10 Coleus

Coleus are one of the most striking shade plants out there. They have ridiculously ostentatious leaves, usually in shades of magenta and lime, and there are literally hundreds of varieties, so there is bound to be at least one coleus that would look good on your balcony or patio. What are your favorite varieties of Coleus?

Here are my top 10:

Rustic Orange
Fireball
Religious Rutabaga
Fishnet Stockings
Indian Frills
The Line
Pineapple
Jupiter
Mission Gem
Burning Bush

Related Posts:

Making a Coleus Topiary

August 5, 2008 | Filed Under Gardening in the Shade | 2 Comments

Making a Coleus Topiary

Coleus is a great group of plants. They have beautiful burgandy and green foliage and like living in the shade, which makes them great for many balcony gardens, or even for use indoors if you have no gardening space outdoors (or none left!). Recently, there have even been new hybrids that tolerate full-sun.

While flipping through a copy of the Crate and Barrel catalog I spotted a pair of great looking coleus standards. I don’t know why, but I’ve really been attracted to standards lately and have plans to make a mint standard with some of the seedlings I have been growing. Perhaps its because standards need pinching and pruning and I love garden projects that require fussing over plants. I like the challenge.

I found these instructions to make a coleus standard from Garden Gate Magazine, and it looks pretty easy.

You can start with any sized plant, just look for a straight central stem, called the “central leader.” Obviously, the smaller the plant, the longer it will take to grow into a standard, but at the same time, smaller plants are cheaper and its less painful when you make a mistake on a plant you only paid a few dollars for.
When the plant is 8-10 inches tall, insert a bamboo stake near the base of the central leader, being careful not to damage the roots. If necessary, pot the plant in a larger container at this time. Loosely tie the central leader to the bamboo stake in several locations to help keep the central leader growing straight. Use twine, “bring[ing] the twine around the back of the stake, crossing it in an “X” between the plant and the stake. Then tie it loosely around the coleus stem.”
Once the plant reaches approximately three feet tall, transfer it to a heavy, 12 inch container to help keep the plant from tipping over and give it enough root space. Don’t worry about shaping your plant or snipping off leaves that are growing directly on the central leader just yet. However, you do want to inspect your plant for branches that are growing near the bottom of your plant as you will want to cut those off before the become thick and woody.
When your coleus reaches the height you want it to be (coleus can grow anywhere from 2-5 feet tall depending on which variety of coleus you have) it’s time to start the serious pruning work. A general rule of thumb for standards is 2/3 stem to 1/3 head. So if your coleus is 3 feet tall, you’ll want 24 inches of exposed trunk at the bottom and 12 inches of bushy leaves at the top. When you start getting branches at the head, keep them pruned back to the second or third node from the stem. This encourages more side branches and will help your plant fill in. Keep the secondary stems pinched back to the second or third node as well.
Ta-da! You have a beautiful coleus standard.

July 30, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening, Gardening in the Shade | 2 Comments

Better Homes & Gardens Tips and Plans for Shade Gardening

No sooner than I publish a post on great plants for shady container gardens do I get an email newsletter from Better Homes & Gardens talking about tons of great ideas for gardening in the shade.

If you haven’t checked out Better Homes and Gardens’ website, you really should. They have tons of FREE garden plans for all sorts of locations, seasons and climates. They also have great videos, information and ideas. Definitely worth a few minutes of your web surfing time and a bookmark for future reference.

Back to shade gardening. Check out these shady container garden recipes, shady windowbox ideas, and garden plans for shady spots.

July 11, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening, Gardening in the Shade | Leave a Comment

Book Review: Fine Gardening’s Gardening in Containers

Book Cover Gardening in Containers: Creative Ideas from America’s Best Gardeners is a great book if you want specific project ideas with instructions.

The book is divided into five sections: Containers in the Garden, Designing Container Plantings, Selecting Containers, Container Gardening Primer, and Great Container Plants. Each section is divided into projects (there are 27 projects in all) and has detailed color photos and illustrations (which I really appreciate!).

The projects are all “do-able,” they’re not totally crazy projects that would require thousands of dollars in tools or years of gardening experience or take a ridiculously long time to complete. The instructions are thorough without being dry or overly long. When I say “instructions” I don’t want to give the impression that they are a numerical list of steps. Rather, it’s more like each project was written as a magazine article (which isn’t surprising considering that Fine Gardening created the book). Typical projects are things like creating a water garden in a container, window boxes to suit the season, building your own planter box and growing your own herb standard.

The only negative thing that I have to say about the book is that some of the plant names or cultivars are left out. For example, there is a photo of a container with a Canna and a Coleus planted together that looks amazing, but the caption says, “Coleus and Canna make fanciful partners. Canna stars as the centerpiece, while coleus blurs the container edges.” The accompanying text is equally bereft of the name of the specific type of Canna or Coleus. What if someone wanted to recreate that exact container? Of course they could guess which cultivars were used, but it would be nice not to have to work that hard.

Here is one of the articles that is in the book, if you want to check out the book for yourself before buying it/borrowing it from the library: Container Plantings in the Shade Yield a Fantastic Garden.

July 8, 2008 | Filed Under Book Review, Container Gardening, Gardening in the Shade | 1 Comment

Ideas for Shady Container Gardening

A common problem that many small space gardeners face is shade. Maybe your balcony is on the shady side of the building, or the building next door is so close that it casts a shadow over your entire balcony for most of the day. Or, your garden might be like my brother’s–it’s so small that it’s own walls cast a shadow over most of the garden.

Photo by edgeplot

Luckily these days there are a lot of stunning plants that thrive in the shade. Another bonus to having a shady garden is that you can make use of the tons of cool, modern, metal pots that are all the rage right now. Since your garden doesn’t bake in the sun all day, the metal pots won’t cause your plants’ roots to overheat.

All of these plants are gorgeous, shade lovers, and do well in containers:

Japanese Painted Fern, “Silver Falls” - Silvery leaves with raspberry colored stems, what’s not to love? The coloring gets even more intense as the temperature heats up.
Acer palmatum Atropurpureum - A small Japanese Maple with deep wine-colored leaves. It’s pest resistant and isn’t bothered by a little pollution.
Fishnet Stockings Coleus - The name sounds a little scandalous for a plant until you see this coleus. It has magenta veining against a lime backdrop. Yep. Definitely deserves the name.
Begonia “Escargot” - Another shade lover with a great name. The swirly/spiral leaves make the white flowers on this plant almost superfluous.
Alocasia Cuprea - Dinner plate sized, metal leaves with deep ridges that are purplish on the underside. Need I say more?