Balcony Flower Baskets and Living Space

It’s so beautiful outside! And of course we needed to take advantage of these unusual temps and low humidity days. That means opening up the balcony again, even though we know there is a chance for snow in a couple of days. Last spring we put up some “window baskets” with coco liners that were attached to the backs of the seats. In them we planted petunias, marigolds, and some greens. That lasted through the summer with the addition of a few other annuals. Then when fall arrived, we turned the seats outward so that the backs of the chairs faced us, and the window boxes were filled with pansies, ivy and liriope - lovely for the fall, but also a great backdrop for the Christmas greens, berries, and sticks that were added for the holiday. And we could enjoy the view through the season from our living room. Now with spring upon us, we moved the seats back to their usual position and checked out the status of the perennials. Everything basically survived the winter ice and snow and is greening up with the sunny days. I cut back the liriope and added a bit of plant food with the last watering. The greens will be a great foundation for a few additional annuals we will get as the weather continues to improve. This year we will actually visit in person rather than order over the phone and do curbside pickup - thanks to our favorite Ginkgo Gardens on Capitol Hill! We always had a garden of some sort - in the Midwest and on Capitol Hill. Flowers are just plain lovely - even if there are only a few. And it’s so great to have another living space off of our 1000 square foot indoor living space. We love smaller spaces without giving up anything. 

The Forever Flower(s)

When we first moved here, we needed a little something that would make the kitchen and room feel "homey" in this small space. So we went to Gingko's Garden in the neighborhood and found a pretty apricot indoor flower that looked a little unusual and fit the bill. Over the years it has been pruned and cut and several stems have been lost. But this plant keeps coming back each spring to show its stuff through the fall. It must be the location on the kitchen table where the sun hits it most of the day. My husband loves plants and flowers, but only a few at a time. He prefers to tend to each and every one of them separately with tender loving care. Right outside the patio door is an outdoor container that has chives. It has never bloomed until this year. It must have watched the indoor plant and got the idea to show off this summer. A lot of our annual and perennial plants didn't do well this year. But for whatever reason, the chives is in full bloom too. Our garden is a lot smaller than the several pots and window boxes we had in Milwaukee. Sometimes fewer is better than many. It's also a lot less work for me!