It’s that time of the season
It's that time of the season when I visit my favorite nurseries and try to refrain myself from buying too much! I have a bunch of plants on my deck, and some are being shipped. I think I did pretty good this year in terms of budget.
I didn't really get into gardening until last season but I have a pretty good idea of what kind of plants will work for my deck. My deck gets full sun starting at about 11AM, there's only a small area where I can plant shade / part shade plants. I've started putting together this small container for the shaded area. Last year I had a lot of success with Purple Leaf Oxalis. They are low maintenance, drought tolerant, and bloom from spring to frost. Diamond Frost is another one that checks all the boxes on my low maintenance list! What more can I ask for!
2 "Charmed" wine from Proven Winners (or any Oxalis)
1 Diamond Frost from Proven Winners (Euphorbia)
When you put these together, put the Diamond Frost in the middle and the Oxalis on both sides. It's a very low-maintenance container that will bloom from spring to frost in the shade.
2009 NYC Grows Garden Festival
Don't miss this year's NYC Grows Garden Festival. It will take place this Sunday, April 26, 11AM - 3PM @ Union Square Park (map) Manhattan.
The weather is going to be wonderful this weekend and the temperature is going up to 85 degrees and sunny! I went there last year and got a bunch of free stuff like plants, a bird house, gardening tools, etc. They also had container gardening demonstrations like planting trees in containers. You can sample food and beverages, talk to other gardeners.
UPDATE:
I was a little disappointed because this year's festival wasn't as good as last year's. I guess they didn't get as much sponsors this year. Last year they gave out goodies and I really enjoyed the gardening demonstrations. Although the event was a little disappointing but I met up with some friends and spent a nice day in Manhattan.
While walking through Union Square Park I saw this gardening area and noticed the NYC Wildflower Week is coming up! On their website you can find lots of interesting events like Botanical Walks, Children Events, Garden Tours, and lectures.
Setting up the native plant display garden:
Take a look at some fantastic NYC native plants photos.
Here's an interesting event for all you city dwellers:
Container Gardening with Native Plants
Time: Sunday, May 3, 12-2pm
Guide: Marni Horwitz, Alive Structures
Location: Green Depot Bowery, 222 Bowery (btw Prince & Spring)
Demonstration Description: Join Green Depot as we celebrate the urban garden! Alive Structures founder and Green Roof Specialist Marni Horwitz will demonstrate how city dwellers can easily incorporate native plants into their homes and other spaces. There is also a wildflower seed give away. This hands-on program will offer participants the opportunity to dig in themselves!
DIY Drip Irrigation System (Testing phase)
Take a look at the working model here.
As you know, container plants need more water than plants in the ground. This is because the roots in the pot cannot grow beyond the limit of the pot. Sometimes I find myself watering twice a day in the summer. Watering is especially hard for me because I don't have a water source on my deck, that means every time I water my plants, I need to make at least 5 trips with my watering can. Last year I couldn't keep up with this chore and ended up with a few casualties.
I have tried the Drip-It Waterers which didn't work for me at all, soil was bone dried after a day. I have also tried Patio Dripper Kit but after almost a whole day of setting it up, the result was very disappointing because only a few pots received enough water.
I have been testing this DIY drip irrigation, the result is very impressive. When the weather gets warmer I will test this outside. This setup is done without hooking up to a hose or sprinkler system. For a small test system like this, it's only US$2.28.
Ingredients:
1 Large bucket (example or any available container)
1 Aquarium airline tubing - 12' ($1.49 per pack)
1 Aquarium 2-way valve (US$0.79 per pack)
Directions:
1. Here's all you need to get started.
2. Cut a section of the airline tubing and connect to both ends of the plastic valve.
3. As a test, I grabbed a pitcher filled with water. Here's the important part, to start the water flow, you need to place the pitcher higher than the plant. Put one end of the airline tubing in the pitcher, and the other end in the pot.
4. The dial on the valve is to control the water flow. Use it to increase or decrease the amount of water the plant needs.
5. That's it! Here's a picture of the drip irrigation system at work.
