Balcony Oasis

REASONS WHY MY GARDEN IS SUPERIOR TO YOURS (maybe): No animals that trample, eat or poop may enter my garden. That's because this garden is a second floor balcony and free from access by de...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-my-garden-is-better-than-your.html

I may have looked at hundreds of fountains on every conceivable website for fountains, birdbaths, and water features. I searched through every nursery and big-box store in my area. I considered t...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/adding-water-fountain-to-small-garden.html

Well, yeah, "bee butts". If I see those, then I know my garden is attracting lots of bumble bees. I have two varieties attending to my garden. One is plump and fuzzy, mostly black with ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-like-bee-butts-and-i-cannot-lie.html

Two things I've learned this season: (1) I'm a bit crazy about those deep, jewel colors in the garden, and (2) I'm getting better with my camera . To show how LUSH my balcony garden has becom...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/july-3-jewel-colors-and-lush-plantings.html

Ewwww. I remember hearing that question a thousand times, "What's eating you?" or maybe even, "What's bugging you?" (sigh) I got a bit too much insight on that today. What the heck happe...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/whats-eating-you.html

As I've stated elsewhere on this blog, I'm not a big fan of Symmetry. Oh sure, it has its place and I have witnessed some stunning landscapes done with pleasing symmetry. It's just not ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/07/june-23-color-and-texture-of-garden.html

LUSH garden? Mission accomplished! This first photo is looking left with part of the middle window box and only a portion of the lower hanging basket. This is a SMALL section of my lush zen gard...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-21-mature-garden.html

My balcony garden was in need of an adjustment. I’m not talking about the normal maintenance issues (which I’ll cover on another post), I’m talking about some major adjustments. Just as th...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-17-garden-needs-haircut.html

I saw this little guy flitting about the grounds earlier today. I am gratified to observe that my garden has "passed muster" for a butterfly feeding, if only from two varieties of flowers. This...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/butterfly-arrives-june-15.html

I love the convenience of the Flip Video. It may be time to consider using a hi-def model. The two videos herein are provided for your audio and visual enjoyment. FRIENDS OF THE GARDEN Just ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-14-bumbilicious-video.html

Well, alright now. Here we go. Now we are starting to see some interesting blog topics. Birds and bees, huh? Whatever could I be up to with this post? So this morning, there I was, communing with...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/birds-and-bees.html

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/close-up-flower-shots-june-4.html

Let's face it, communal living, whether it be in an apartment, condo, or townhouse, tends to leave our outdoor space rather, well, exposed. BEFORE Stepping onto my balcony, this is the view of...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/creating-privacy-on-your-balcony.html

On May 1, I planted some bulbs purchased at Home Depot. The prices were attractive and some bulbs were in better shape (health quality) than others. My list of bulbs included: 10 Oriental Lili...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/bulbs-life-in-slow-lane.html

One thing I desired for my balcony was a "evening look". Sort of a "Moonlight at the Oasis" feeling. LUXURIOUS. INDULGENT. PRIVATE. Back at one of my favorite stores, Home Goods, I found a st...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/i-love-night-life-i-love-to-boogie.html

I am not about to say this balcony garden is "mature". According to my Zone 7 plantings, I should only be a week to 2 weeks into safe plantings. Accordingly I am simply enjoying the changes tha...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/balcony-plantings-filling-in-by-june-3.html

Here's my informal study on my lovely rex begonias. I bought five (5) plants of approximately the same size. The pots were the same size though the number and size of leaves were slightly differe...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/rex-begonias-progress-june-3.html

As I have noted in previous blog entries, the early summer has been off to a rough start, including very cold nights in early May and some heavy rain. Overall, my new, over-indulgent balcony ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/time-for-trim-pondering.html

I found another variety of bee stopping by this morning. That's rather interesting, they both like the same variety of flower. I'm surprised I haven't seen them at the Torina yet, though that ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/06/morning-bee-visit.html

Before I left town, I had some concern as to whether my plants could survive on their own for a full three (3) days. Frankly, I don't think these new plantings have sufficient root growth to supp...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/3-days-without-watering.html

OH the view from my side of the balcony is getting quite yummy! Look at these great colors... As for what other people see when they look up: Yes, that is a photo of my balcony. From ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/love-these-colors.html

Of the following photos, only the first photo reflects plantings that face the courtyard. The other wonderful plantings are deep inside my balcony railings and reveal their lush colors and textu...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/close-up-photos.html

In the photos below, you may notice some brown edges and other damage from the recent COLD nights in the northeast. Here are a few photos the day after I did some Search and Replace. Finally got ...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/progress-photos.html

I have seen this bee before and happily, today I had my camera to capture its visit. A bee visit is like getting a blessing upon my abundant flowers. Yes! One white butterfly flew by as w...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/bumble-bee-visit-today.html

YOU GOT TO MOVE IT -- MOVE IT I got a bit ruthless today as I surveyed my balcony garden. A little "search and replace" was the order of the day. My first replacement was this poor croton (see...

http://balconyoasis.blogspot.com/2010/05/may-21-final-plantings-first-cut.html