Gardening as therapy.

I can’t speak to other gardening zones, but in the south Lady banks roses grow easily and quickly. They like sunshine and well drained soil but otherwise not very fussy at all

Daughter I just learned of the lady banks rose, they are so pretty, I hope to be able to grow some.

I’ve grown morning glories of various colors along with moon flowers for years. I’m in the south and they’re both annuals here though our winters are considered mild with little snow. They’re both so pretty on a metal trellis. Also have a coral colored honeysuckle that is lovely and a great screen plant. My hands down favorite trailing, vining plant is a lady banks rose. It can get huge but the flowers are just amazing

Morning Glories are so sweet and lovely. What about honeysuckle, or even cucumbers if you eat them, they make nice vines with flowers. Some people use sweet potatoes to produce a pretty vine.

cwillie - I'd be starting nearly from scratch at mom's place. She has a couple of big shrub pots and a few smaller pots I gave her when she first moved here....though I could bring more from home since I guess I won't be gardening there this spring. With her being palliative now, I'm not sure I'm prepared to water obsessively though! I would be happy enough with a leafy vine, to be honest, but it would be nice for mom to have some flowers too.

Veronica - I've grown scarlet runners on my balcony at home (I face south). They seem to do fairly well in our heat. But I have one of those shrinky hoses that I hook up to my kitchen faucet....mom doesn't have the right kind of taps for that. Hmmm. I'll have to think on this watering business. The strata by-laws don't allow for hanging plants on the balcony, which is annoying! The kitten doesn't go out there though (mom is 6 floors up, I don't trust him not to jump at a bird!), so it wouldn't matter. But I may get some indoor hanging plants, it's a good idea!

This strata business is annoying. I live in an apartment too, but a smaller (and shorter!) building, and privately owned.  We have a huge communal yard and automatic sprinklers.  Because I help out with the weeding, the landlord lets me muck about planting all kinds of things. I've taken that for granted!

I have found that pole beans in general are very forgiving container plants, in fact they are one of the few I've had success with. Low light may make them bloom and bear less but I think they would still climb enough to make a nice screen. The morning glories could be more of a challenge unless you are prepared to water obsessively. If you don't have containers already look into self watering systems, there are pre made ones and lots of ways to make your own (just ask google and YouTube).

Dorianne I think you could probably grow your scarlet runners facing east. In the heat they will need watering every day or twice if possible. Place the containers where they will get the most light. If all else fails consider a mirror to direct the light on them. In the UK they grow well in a cooler climate with less sun besides which the pods tend to hide under the leaves.
I have mint and chives planted side by side and they just fight it out.
We just got a foot of snow yesterday so no chance of gardening. I had been planning but as we will be moving probably in May it will just be mowing and tidying up before that. Hope the daffodils show well this year.
Have you thought about hanging plants so the kitten can't reach them. There should be some nice hanging baskets available around Mothers Day. They should look pretty in Mom's place all summer and beyond.
I have some geraniums in big planters that i bring in every winter and they continue to bloom all year. I do clip them back every spring.

CM - that silver lace looks amazing! And also like it might take over the whole side of the building, lol! But it might work here - says sun or partial shade - if I could keep it restrained....

And no, nothing on an apartment balcony is really perennial here, unless you can store it in a garage or something over the winter.   (Edit:  ok some people manage small trees, but I'm not sure how....bottom heat maybe.)  I do just wonder about morning glories and light/heat.....I've never grown them. 

Of course I just remembered that mom's balcony faces east, and has a roof....so that will limit what I grow! Probably no scarlet runners. I am over-used to being able to grow whatever I want at home, with different light available in different spots.

glad - mint is the worst! I find it has to be grown in a container or not at all. Friend of mine put it in the ground in a barrier-contained area, but it sure didn't stay contained for long!

cwillie - would they do ok in east light? I don't mind vigor. It is very hot and dry here in summer though, and it seems to me they get wilty fast, or am I wrong?

I need to get out and start killing the puncture vines. Now that is one absolutely nasty weed! Very impossible to get rid of.

The blue flower in my avatar is a Heavenly Blue MG. I'm in love with MGs). I also grow other colors, the exact names of which escape my frazzled mind right now. I've grown Moonflowers for years, but learned when experimenting on a chain link fence that they can't hold their own against the MGs.

In BC, Columbia, I'm not sure you'd have to worry about them being semi-perennial, as they sometimes become in Michigan.

If you want to REALLY fantasize, Google Japanese Morning Glories. You'll see a new variety that literally makes you want to pay the price for these sometimes expensive beauties.

The Split Second, Chocolate, Venice Pink and Windmill Chocolate, Seiryu (stunning!) are lovely as well.

I've also grown Sweet Peas (so lovely and delicate). One of the vines I want to add for privacy are the wild and aggressive Polygonum Aubertii (silver lace vine). I've seen a pink variety which I'd love to have.

There are also the trumpet vine, hyacinth bean vine, clematis, hops (interesting decorative floral clumps) and others which could provide thick coverage.

Oh, oh....this always happens when I think about and look at photos of MGs - I want to go out and plant, even if there's still snow on the ground!

If you want a screen then morning glories are nice but they might be a little too vigorous for a container garden, I'm especially fond of "heavenly blue".

We are zone 5. I have trumpet vines that have taken over everything in the yard at this house I rent. Cut one way back last spring and a tree sprung out, and boy it must have grown five feet last summer.

General rule be very careful of vines tend to them regularly. Now my mom used to put out sweet pea vines and she loved them so, pinks. This was when I was just a little kid. Wonder, now, if she stopped because they took over everything. Then there were the raspberry bushes and spearmint that I know she struggled with for years trying to get rid of. The spearmint was in her mint Julep days after returning from New Orleans. Wonder what trip the Moscow mule phase came from? The Mai Tai is easy to figure out.

No, she was never a big drinker but always returned from a trip with a new cocktail recipe. LOL! That would have been much easier than a recipe book which have been my trip souvenirs. Well I sure got off track didn't I? Reminiscing.

Today it started SNOWING out of the blue. WHAT!!! I'd told mom I'd pick up some tulips to bring on spring....I meant cut ones, but when the snow started, I swung by the garden centre and picked up some forced ones in pots.

Soooooo empty at the garden centre! Mostly indoor plants and a few potted flowers. I wanted to buy some indoor plants for mom's place, but the kitten is not past the "tasting everything" phase. (The tulips have to live on the mantle, which he can't reach yet.)

I am going to miss growing my little garden at home this spring. I might do scarlet runner on mom's balcony so I don't have to look at the dumb shopping mall. (I welcome other fast-growing vine suggestions! We are zone 6.)

Have seeds started and have several things growing in greenhouse. Radishes, Turnips, Carrots,Beets, tomatoes, cucumbers. Waiting on the others. Looking forward to spring.

I picked up some seed packs today, going to start them in the mini greenhouse this week and see how they do. MAybe they will be big enough to plant in the spring! I am ready for spring!

Liking my new plants, I bought 3 pygmie dwarf palms. The small ones were very inexpensive. Actually caught up with dH as he was walking by, and together we potted them. The pain the next day was minimal, so I decided to try going outside more often.
We stopped at potting two, and the 3rd one is on the porch. Gardening was therapy.

I think container fruit trees would be the ultimate in container gardening fun, it would be perfect for experimenting with espaliering and organic practices would be so much easier on mini trees. Like all containers though, you would need to be diligent about watering because even one day of drought can spell disaster.

Waiting for the GardenArtist to return, MsMadge.

But, I may look it up for you. I too would like patio containers of the fruit trees.

Is anyone familiar with ultra dwarf fruit trees?

Was at Home Depot tonight and they had bare root roses and trees and the fruit trees labeled ultra dwarf looked interesting - said they can be planted in containers on patios and bear fruit

I think it's barley and oats, maybe? Anyway I think regular grass is probably ok! Lol.

I think cat grass is usually just oats, if you happen to know a local farmer Dorianne.

Another thread I haven't been in yet!

I used to do a lot of gardening as part of my property maintenance job, till my injury. And I spent 3 summers clearing overgrowth and helping with landscaping, after a friend bought a disused hobby ranch. I had a gorgeous balcony garden and an indoor jungle till I moved my mom up here to care for her. All my plants withered from neglect, and all I have left are empty pots of dirt. So I haven't come in here, because I feel so bad for letting my lovely green friends die....

But I did buy myself a couple of houseplant ivies last week, for my bedroom windowsill at my mom's place. And I decided to pot the cats up some grass to nibble on at the same time. (Just regular grass seed in some dirt - I think the "cat grass" kits are about a 1000% markup for what you get.)

It was soooo lovely to sink my fingers into some nice, clean potting soil. And the smell! I missed it! I want to grow an indoor jungle again....but I'll have to "prove" myself with the ivies first.

CDN, that's very thoughtful of you. It's a reminder that graves can be decorated any time of the year and not just at Memorial Day. I tend to forget that.

As to drying out, I've read that anti-desicants can be used but I've never tried any. When I first planted my evergreens, I used burlap to create a protective area and minimize the effect of the westerly winds. Could you do something like that? I'm not sure whether the cemetery rules would allow it though.

Thanks for sharing; I like your idea and think I'll make some wreaths for my mother's and sister's graves.

I brought two Christmas wreaths and two potted Christmas trees to my dad's cemetery site. I hope they will not dry out with the mulch so we'll see how they do.

Daughter, aren't they fascinating? I imagine all sorts of ways they could be incorporated into designs - for embroidery, knitting or crochet (although I'm not at that level of design), quilting, knot garden designs and more. Even cake decoration could incorporate fractal designs.

I'm really glad you enjoyed them!

GA, last night I spent a good 30 minutes online looking at beautiful pictures of fractals in nature thanks to you! Wasn’t familiar and now glad I am!

One year I was in a creative mood and tried to dry and make a lot of stationery from garden cuttings. Fern leaves were gathered and pressed in delicate tissue paper, along with violets and some herbs.

Well, the thought was good, but somehow the implementation lacked something...preservatives... I'm not really sure. I think I still have them upstairs in the studio someplace. But your comments on ferns reminded me of how lovely they are and how much I'd love to save that beauty somehow, other than in photographs.

BTW, are you familiar with fractals? Ferns are a good example.

CM, I remember that we had some discussion of fractals sometime ago. Are you still over here in the garden or are you, like many of us, hunkered down for a cold winter?

You’re right GA, it’s hard to grow ferns indoors, they like to be outside for sure. The gold and rust one sounds lovely, I’ll have to look for it. I’ve not taken cuttings, but that’s a great idea

Maidenhairs are beautiful ferns. Actually, I've never seen a fern that wasn't beautiful - I love them!

I tried to grow the Bostons in an apartment, but it was just too dry.

In the garden I have ostrich ferns and used to have some other ferns which gradually succumbed to hot weather, dryness, and other causes I haven't identified.

A variety that I really love are the ferns with shades of gold and somewhat of a rust color. They're just sooooo stunning! The VanBourgondien catalogue and especially Wayside Gardens have beautiful fern collections.

Do you take cuttings of your fern? You could create a Fern Garden throughout the house!