Monday, July 12, 2010

Hanging Gardens

I have finished my weekend of working and am on a day off finally. The rain has started to pour down overnight giving my hanging baskets a well needed soak. I was too tired last night to go out and water them. The pink Verbenas were from from B & Q

I made the Baskets just after we moved into this house. There are Verbaenas, Lobellias, Busy Lizzies, Begonias, Petunias, and a pink Geranium in the four hanging containers. I have three hanging baskets around the garden, and one window box on the back wall.

The Lobelias look quite pretty at Macro level after a spot of rain. There is something very therapeutic in making up a hanging basket. Watering them in, and watching them grow throughout the season into a mass of colour and effect.

If you are organised you will have bought slow release plant food for the compost mix, and some water gel crystals. These crystals turn into a clear jelly once wet and hold onto the water. Untreated baskets (like mine) dry out very quickly in the summer heat. Water also passes through the soil and runs out. Baskets need watering twice a day during very hot spells. the plants are totally dependent on you for survival. I love the cheerful pink and blue flowers that the baskets are festooned in.
I'm waiting for a sample Wally Bag from L.A. These are recycled plastic bottles turned into containers that can be filled with compost ready to plant. They can be attached to a wall inside the house, or along a wall or fence outside. There is a push to get these Wall Gardens into Los Angeles schools to teach children about gardening and growing things.
The individual pouncehs can be attached together vertically or horizontally and the pockets planted up. Linking them all make bigger wall gardens. We have two lots of fences that could be decorated with more hanging baskets or wall garden bags. Our garden is small so the space needs to be utilised well. I wander if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon looked like a Los Angeles School Wall Garden?
The rain is pouring down now soaking the grass and all the hungry plants. The pond will also be catching its supply of fresh rainwater.
I have also seen who's been nicking off with my garden grown Raspberries.A hungry juvenile Blackbird flew up onto the cane, pecked the fruit off, and then flew away to eat his fruit prize..

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi David,

I really like your article about hanging gardens http://snappycrocsgarden.blogspot.com/2010/07/hanging-gardens.html

Especially the "The Lobelias", wonderful!!

Good article i love it!!

Iskandar