Originally posted by penny in ontario:
Is there anything in particular that you are looking to grow?
Hi, Penny!
I would like to try something with
flowers. My husband and I went on a bike trip in Austria this summer, and one of the many many striking features of that magic land was its balconies. Every building, even if it's just a barn, has
flowers cascading down its walls. Every balcony is literally overflowing with blooms. It looked so incredibly beautiful and effortless. The
flowers were for the most part geraniums and begonias, I think. They were abundant on every wall, regardless of the way it was facing (north, south, etc.).
I was wondering if it would be possible to recreate some of that magic where I live: central NJ, not far from Princeton. second floor, facing south, plenty of direct afernoon sun (very strong in summer), humid and hot (unpleasant) weeks in summer, sometimes gets pretty windy; balcony has a roof, so when it's raining, the rain does not get in the pots directly.
SO far I have been only successful with coleus which I grew from
seeds.
I tried sweet peas(from
seeds) - failed. Got strong shoots, but not a single
flower. when it got hot, the
plants slowly yellowed and died
. I think it was the sun.
Also tried tulips and daffodils (from bulbs, planted in October) - also failed
. They looked healthy when first leaves started showing. But the leaves never grew quite big enough, and only one daffodil and one tulip actually bloomed.
SO, you see, I know absolutely nothing about what and how to grow on a balcony.
After those experiments, I was ready to give up. But then we went to Austria, and it inspired me to try again next year.
I feel auwfully bad for those poor
plants that I have managed to kill so far. But maybe there is still hope for me?
SO this fall I will try to make all the necessary preparations for the
spring.
Only I don't know what they should be.
Should I try the bulbs again? Somebody told me that they might have frozen in the pots, hence no blooms.
Anyway, sorry for such a long post. But that was to show the extent of my ignorance.
Any word of advice at all will be greatly appreciated.
thank you so much for your attention,
t.