Practical advice & moral support for the small-scale gardener
Shade can feel like a limiting factor when choosing plants, but let me tell you as someone with a hot, sunny balcony — a little shade is a good thing for the container gardener. Even plants that prefer full sun in the ground do better with some shade in pots. Since their roots can’t dig…
September is the month of harvest, though that is perhaps too strong a word for what I do on my balcony. Without much premeditation, my garden has become quite fruit-forward — I have figs, woodland strawberries, lemons, and olives (yes, also a fruit) — and their production is comically small, both in terms of size…
If you’re already thinking about fall color in your garden, I can’t recommend California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) enough. Its tubular bright red and orange flowers bloom in autumn and unfailingly attract hungry hummingbirds, while its soft silvery foliage looks nice all year round. And best news of all for us balcony gardeners: it thrives in…
Happy October 1st! Despite the Bay Area’s warm temperatures, it’s really starting to feel like fall. The days are noticeably shorter and there’s a subtle, spicy scent in the air. As summer winds down, we gardeners in the Western Hemisphere reflect on the growing season and start scheming for the next one. It’s Gardening New Year….
Of the 6,000+ native plants of California, I have six growing on my balcony. I should have more, but too often I succumb to a selfish desire to transform my garden into an Italian villa. However, I am resolved to fill future open container space with native species, for the health and biodiversity of my…