I have been sitting in my apartment dining room, garden books spread all
over, tablet, pen and pencil, the sun is on my back and feels wonderful and
I am trying to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my flowers this
year. I was out this glorious Puget Sound ( zone 8, I think) morning fussing
around all my pots and plants and cleaning bird feeders and building a
little rock platform in the birdbath so the water trickles nicely from the
pump and the birds can wade and splash more easily when I realized that I'M
NOT GOING TO HAVE SUN! I have a wonderful apartment that faces the backyards
of homes that have kept their gardens pretty wild (lots of tall firs and
Madonna) and thick shrubbery along the back fence line. I'm sure for their
privacy since this is a 200 unit complex but it also makes it wonderful for
me, I can't see their houses and it looks as if I am in my own little
private world. I'm on the end of a building and I can't see my neighbors on
either side of me and have no road noise at all. The thing is, three very
large flowering trees have reached a height and size that this year all my
afternoon sun will be blocked and I only get sun in the afternoon. My
balcony has solid side walls and a roof so I don't get any light there
either. At the peak of summer I will be getting sun from about 2pm on and it
will now be as is so poetically described as 'dappled shade' to full shade.



I have a very nice lacey leafed maple in a big container as well as a witch
hazel, two peony trees, all in their own large pot, not sure how they will
do this year, they've always bloomed beautifully. There's an akebia vine on
a free standing trellis also but I don't think it will do very well since it
's going to be pretty shaded. The south wall has a winter jasmine and some
sort of purple clematis (one of those unmarked "dead" things rescued from a
pile at Home Depot) that is growing up and across the front of the ceiling,
it blooms like crazy. The north wall has sweet autumn clematis that is
covering a trellis on the wall (it gets the most sun) and grows also out and
across the top of the ceiling. I don't know how better to describe this
except that the two clematis form a picture frame type effect and I am
facing towards the west. I have three large long window boxes hung on
brackets on the outside of the railing, two have flowers to attract humming
birds and one is my herb garden. I like my large pots to be really full and
lush with color but what I had last year requires more sun than what I will
get to do well. I'll probably get about an hour or two of bright sun just
before it sets later in the summer.



I have some hostas and small astillbe and two dwarf iris already, I've also
got a few begonias tubers started that I've had for years but I'm just not
sure what else to plant that will do well that has FLOWERS and hopefully
SCENT. It also needs to have a long blooming season since I really don't
have the space for layered planting as I did in my large home garden to keep
color all season. I'm just sort of stumped here. I'll tuck some impatients
in because I've always liked them, I've never personally cared for coleus so
that is out. So are hanging baskets, I have a huge apple tree branch mounted
on the ceiling with little fairy lights and the sweet autumn clematis has
begun to claim that as another feature on which to climb and twine. The
birds also like to gather there during storms. I can't have anything too
tall and some that sort of drape over the sides would be lovely. My balcony
isn't really all that large, 10ft by 4 ½ ft and any area for hanging has
been taken for my bird feeders, I have a narrow a path (trail?) from one end
to the other to tend things, a BBQ party is not high on my priority list.
This balcony is off my living room and has a sliding door which I like to
leave always open and so I'd really like to have the scent of flowers if
possible. No, let me rephrase that, I WANT lots of flowers that smell really
good! With the sound of the water and my birds it would be quite pleasant.
I like solid, lush plantings, more is better and a whole lot more of MORE is
the best. I just water and feed like crazy and so far that system has worked
well. If anyone can give me any suggestions to fill the bill with dense
waves of color and scent and grows in the shade I would really appreciate
it.



Val



My son gave me a digital camera so I guess I also need to make a garden web
page. I don't have a clue as to how to do this though. I took some really
good pictures with it and I think sort of a seasonal progression would be
nice. You really can have lots of garden stuff in a very small space. I see
all these condos and apartments that look so bare and think, "You really
ought to plant something!" Maybe it would inspire them.