Greenthumb Greenhorn

The love of dirt is among the earliest of passions, as it is the latest.
~Charles Dudley Warner – My Summer in a Garden

I know very little about gardening; that is to say, I know seeds and plants need water, sunlight and a bit of TLC, but the difference between Full Sun and Part Shade is foreign until recently. Recently purchased and borrowed books detail the difference between a full 6 hours of direct sunlight and a touch of light in the afternoon.

Thus, being a student returning to school after a 3 year hiatus (I received a bachelors from Indiana University in 2003), I have summers off and way too much time to sit around the house. I moved to this apartment I am currently living in December. The idea to decorate my balcony was fleeting at the time, but when the spring rains and abnormally cold weather subsided, it dawned on me that picking up a hobby that is not only difficult at times, provides the ability (responsibility?) to learn, and ultimately to play in the dirt would not be a bad way to spend my summer. Even more, it would provide a hobby that allows one to think (not too unlike jogging/walking) and release stress for the remainder of one’s life. But that seems awfully dramatic.

This blog will be an account of my trials and tribulations in the gardening craft. Again, I know very little about the job and I’m sure many plants will perish beneath my hands. But to have purchased a Container Gardening book off the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble, and to see the huge array of colors and scents I could manage in my very own back-balcony brought some kind of hidden passion outwards.

Here is a look at what I have to work with:

When I started to plan this garden, I wanted a lot of bright colors like red, orange, and even some whites. I’m not sure what all looks good together, but from what I gathered in the texts I purchased and borrowed, I knew just as important as colors are textures and the way plants grow.

Confused as where to start, I did what every man getting into gardening should do, recognize you know very little about what looks good and ask for help. Of course this is only true with gardens, we don’t need direction anywhere else in our life. But short of tools, know-how, and experience I drove to the local Walmart in hopes to find something cheap and abundant. Of course Walmart is not a place many will applaud for their gardens, as a single student I need lower prices and that’s the best I could do.

A very generous lady helped me with ideas for my first railing box. She mentioned that purchasing Spikes (Salvia splendens) might be a good idea. They are fairly easy to keep alive and provide a more masculine base for my porch. Knowing no better, and trusting the sage advice of the Walmart employee, I purchased two six-packs – one a bright red and the other a darker hue. I also mixed in a lamium and a coleus for some added greenery at her recommendation. You can see the basket sitting on a chair in the photos above. I haven’t been able to master, yet, the hanging of this on my railing.

So I have much work to do, and plenty of learning on the types of flowers, and how best to incorporate them into my balcony. But that begs two questions:

1) What are you looking to do? What is your theme?

I’m not sure I really have one. I’ve also liked things a bit off kilter and eclectic. If I could match the feel of Southern wildflowers into mix-match furniture, that would be fantastic. I’m using this season as a learning process. I’d like to record my adventures and likes/dislikes about each of the plants I come into contact with whether in my balcony garden or as I am walking around town. I want to learn about the many different plants, and as I become a bit obsessive about all hobbies, I like to dive very deep into their histories.

2) What flowers do you like best?

I guess that probably changes by the hour. Life and culture currently have me longing for a old-Southern lifestyle. Think old Antebellum housing. I like the wild flowers, and the perennials. Most of which would be difficult to grow on a shaded balcony in the Midwest. Sifting through my recent purchase – here are are few just to give an idea.

Perinnials
Azure Monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii)
Astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii)
Red Valerian (Centranthus ruber)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Violet Sage (Salvia x superba)

Annuals
Browallia (Browallia speciosa)
Rocket Larkspur (Consolida ambigua)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)

I have to say, that just from the pictures I’ve seen, my overall favorite was listed last there. The Iceland Poppy blows my mind and I am not sure why. Maybes its the pastels or they way it seems to spread its arms, but as soon as I hit the page with its photo I fell in love. I’ve been looking for it everytime I visit my local garden stores, but no luck.

Nevertheless, this blog, one of many I have started, will provide a medium that I can not only look back on years down the road, but a responsibility to keep up with my learning. Late May is probably not the time to start my plantings (or maybe it is, I just don’t know), but better late than never. I have the time and time to complete research and I really enjoy that.

Please join me in this adventure and feel free to comment or laugh at my ineptitude. I look to join the community of online gardeners and learn from them. That’s what makes communities of any population so rewarding.