Greenthumb Greenhorn

Stopped by a very nicely stocked garden shop today, and was recommended an assortment of three plants to put on my balcony. From the moment I walked in the greenery, however, I again experienced what is becoming familiar. No rant needed, but why is it that nearly all of the employees who take care of plants lack kindness and personality. With the exception of two, I have found the employees at the now 5 or so shops unhelpful and sometimes coarse.

Nevertheless, the purchase today excited me as it will bring some fragrance and variety. I bought one each of Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima), a dark blue Lobelia (Lobelia erinus), and a red begonia. One of the first descriptions I read was about the honey smell of the Alyssum, and it was dead on. I’ve placed the pot right next to the chair where I do my writing and reading. Though she may be wrong, the lady who assisted me today said that it should grow fine with the 4+ afternoon sun hours I receive. Check back in a few weeks.

I also had one question answered today, but the answer seemed less than confirming. I have been reading that flowers and plants call for various spacing allotments. Whether that distance is 9 inches or 12 inches, I was confused about the many pictures and pots I have seen. Often, there seemed to be many beautiful and different flowers filling and overflowing that would not allow for 12 inches of space. The answer I received, namely from family and a little help from the shop keeper, was that with the size pots I’m using, I could get away with three maybe for transplants. So that’s currently what I am working on, but still looking for more information on that.

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One final note, I was very excited to receive my first comment on the last post. In the many (very short ran) blogs I’ve had, the only messages that filled the section were spam. The icing on the cake however was to see that the comment was from a fellow blogger, and even better, one that also has a balcony gardening blog.

Sue’s comment: Your balcony looks more or less the same size as mine – and there’s a lot you can do! I’ve got all the normal balcony plants like petunias and pelargoniums, but also a tree, some climbers, hollyhocks, dahlias and a host of others. I’m a few years ahead of you, but still learning. Come visit and perhaps we can share some ideas!

Sue runs balcony-garden.blogspot.com, a site which I added to the blogroll on the left. I’ve learned a bit just from one day of perusing her site. She keeps it very updated with photos – and being a man with little to no decorative ability, I appreciate and will likely “steal” some ideas. Thanks for your comment, Sue, you better believe I’m going to keep visiting.