My garden is too short!

[seashell]

It's a tiny spot next to my patio (I live in an apartment) that overlooks a large back yard that about thirty apartments face. My building is at the top of a small slope--the other two buildings are at the bottom. I went with plants that love the heat: lantana, miniature zinnias, strawflower, celosia. It look great from my patio and my window, but I discovered yesterday while walking my dog on the sidewalk at the bottom of the slope that my plants are not visible from there. So now I'm trying to decide whether to take up the plants and put in taller ones for the neighbors to enjoy, or just leave it as it is. Right now, I have way more plants than I need (more short ones) waiting to be potted up, and will probably be giving some of them away.

So do I leave it as it is, or redo it? I think if I leave it, while I may enjoy it, I will feel sad that the neighbors can't, as well. But most of the taller plants I know of would require more frequent watering, which I was hoping to avoid.

Any ideas?

[eagle]

I'd go with the water conserving plants, seashell. As long as you can enjoy the garden, and you don't have the burden of excessiving watering, it seems you would have a very nice garden.

IF you really want others to be able to see your plants, maybe you can put in some taller plants as some of the current ones die off. But I'd just sit back and enjoy it as it is right now.

How about planting some of those extra plants in pots on your balcony?

[downandout]

i would leave it! how it appears for others is a nice thought but your own enjoyment should come first. and having a garden that is easy to care for is important imo.
maybe you could put in a colorful garden flag or something instead.

[dayeanu]

Like the idea of water conserving plants. If you want something tall for the neighbors to enjoy, maybe plant a vine up a trellis or free-standing structure. Something like a climbing black eyed susan vine (thunbergia alata) or moonflower vine (ipomoea) might be nice, and are annuals easily grown from seed.

I love the climbing black eyed susan, and the moonflower vine blooms at night or on cloudy days, and is fragrant - a double whammy.

[seashell]

Thanks for the good suggestions.

Eagle, I do have two plant stands on my patio I could put some flowers on. Those would be visible from the bottom of the slope, and I certainly have enough plants to do that.

Downandout, I didn't think about a flag. I have one on the other side of my patio, but I could put one in the corner of my garden. Also, I could put a tall stake in the garden and hang a pot from it.

Daye, I love the idea about the black-eyed Susan and Moonflower. I have seen the black-eyed Susans in pots at the garden center, and I have some Moonflower seeds. I could put them in pots on either side of my garden and have flowers day and night.

[dayeanu]

I have always loved the black-eyed susan vine - as a climbing vine, not so much in hanging baskets. I like it because it's a fairly dainty vine, and of course the flowers are pretty.

[sparkle]

I think you should leave them, too. You can plant taller next year if you want. Love those black-eyed susan vines. That's a great idea.

[dayeanu]

May 24, 2012 23:09:09 GMT -5 sparkle said:

I think you should leave them, too. You can plant taller next year if you want. Love those black-eyed susan vines. That's a great idea.

I can just see a little four-sided trellis/obelisk with them growing up it!

At my other house, I always had them climbing over a big wagon wheel.

[lizzie]

if you wanted tall plants - sun flowers grow pretty tall! As do hollyhocks, tree dahlias - don't know your location, as to what suits. Another idea would be to have some handing baskets attached near the top of your wall, so that plants growing in them could be seen from both sides.

[dayeanu]

. . . "but I discovered yesterday while walking my dog on the sidewalk at the bottom of the slope that my plants are not visible from there"

This reminded me of an experience I once had. I lived in town, in a house with a very non-descript front yard. This was the first house I had ever owned, I was young and inexperienced, and I wanted to landscape - on a shoestring budget of course. I plotted and planned and shopped and dug. The yard was mostly clay, and I basically dug it all out 2 ft. deep with my little spade and replaced it with good soil. I built flower beds and planted all sorts of shrubs and trees and flowers. I worked on it constantly for at least a couple of months, it was quite an undertaking, and I did all the work myself.

When I finished and stood at my front door, surveying my work, it was stunning. After a while of admiring my work, I decided to do something I rarely ever did - I decided to go for a walk. When I passed MY yard, I was horrified to see that it was like looking at the wrong side of a garment! I had designed and planted everything for the view from my house. The view from the street looked just like what it was, the back side of my work!

It was very disappointing, but in a way it was funny, and a valuable long-term lesson.

Seashell, if you feel like doing it, I for one would love to see photos of your garden.

[fluffernut - now Jannie]

Has anyone done container gardening? I had a friend who lived in an apartment with a stone patio in the back, no real yard or "dirt". She bought lots of containers, filled them with bagged garden soil, and had flowers and vegetables galore. You can fertilize and water as needed. It does work.

[sidestep]

Yes fluffernut, that is exactly the way I garden due to poor soil. Some of my veggies should be harvestable soon!

[seashell]

I do container gardening, as well. I have flowers in the little garden spot I dug up next to my patio, but I also pot up others to keep on my patio and plant stands. This year, I bought a small-growing cherry tomato plant and a small-growing pepper plant for pots, and will also grow small carrots and radishes in pots. It works fine--sometimes takes more watering than a regular garden, but it does work.