Saturday, August 15, 2009

Skygarden: Part 4 - After the Rains

Thanks to a whole lot of rain a week ago and sunny skies for the past 4 days, the skygarden has finally evolved into the gallery of colour I was hoping for. The garden faces due south, but still enjoys all the perks of an eastern sunrise, so the balcony is lush and bursting in spite of continuing skirmishes with aphids.

We had a wicked lightning storm last Sunday - I've never seen so much lightning over the city during my 20 years of living in downtown Toronto. Like an idiot, I sat in the skygarden with a cocktail and no common sense and took 50 snapshots with my "crappy camera" because my "good camera" had dead batteries. Only one photo turned out, and it's not spectacular, but you get the idea.

Some interesting surprises turned up this week, including the return of lobelia and delphinium that reseeded from last year's garden. I've also got mystery petunias everywhere - they joined the party last week because I can only assume they had a really good time here last summer. They always come back for the free refills.

My favourites so far are the black pansies, which I've been waiting for all summer long. This variety has been hard to find in my location, and I just think they look really cool, so another big thanks to blogger James from Heavy: Lift With Caution for sending me a stellar selection of seeds from his own stash. In fact, half the skygarden came from an envelope from Denver, and the poor guy has suffered a summer of bad storms and uncooperative weather conditions in his own garden. Good news, James - your legacy is thriving north of 49.

15 comments:

Soda and Candy said...

Oh man, I wish I had green thumbs, those flowers are so pretty!

omchelsea said...

wowee. Those are some spectacular pics.

Gwen said...

Beeeeeyooteeful, K. Kat! I love your color schemes and it's so lush. I was just out watering things, AGAIN, because we haven't had rain in weeks.

Do you have a place for a fast-growing, annual vine? If so, I will send you seeds from my hyacinth vine. I originally stole them from a lady who lives along my walking path and they are superb.

word ver: roses (I'm so not kidding. Isn't that weird?)

WendyB said...

That's a pretty awesome sky photo. Nice job!

katrocket said...

hey thanks ladies!

Soda and Candy: I must give some credit to Miracle-Gro. Add it to your watering cycle every other week, and you can't lose. Well, unless you only water your plants every other week.

omchelsea: Glad you could join me on the patio!

Gwennie: Yes please! Send them seeds, girl! My neighbour moved out a couple weeks ago and gave me a nice wicker trellis that she didn't have space for at her new condo. I haven't put it to use yet, since I set it up late in the season, but your donation could be the star attraction of Skygarden 2010!

WendyB: thanks! It was a little scary waiting for that shot. I got lucky! (though not in the more delightful sense of the term)

Bill Stankus said...

When you said, "no common sense" I was expecting you to say you were waving a golf club or aluminum bat at the storm.

katrocket said...

Bill: Oops - I didn't mention I was wearing my Kaiser helmet? ;)

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Oh how pretty!

It sort of make me regret deciding not to do any gardening this year. Except for the fact that my neighbours' gardens have all been decimated by drought, followed by excessive rain, and now cold. So laziness really does have it rewards.

SkylersDad said...

Absolutely beautiful! We get storms like that all the time around Colorado, we get used to it and run around outside in tinfoil outfits daring the gods...

Eric said...

Kat, great botanical work there (not to even mention the photography).
I'll have to contract your services for a Roman garden.

Stewie said...

My mom worked in a greenhouse when I was a kid, so I was forced to endure all kinds of planting growing up. I have no patience for flowers, but I see pics like yours and I kind of wish I did. But then I remember the work involved and decide, yeah, I'm way to lazy for that. Regardless, good work on that. The payoff is nice and obviously worth the work put in.

Unrelated but not really, because of this post's title, I have Nelson's "After the Rain" in my head.

Some Guy said...

Great pics, Kat! I love a good lightning storm.

Kate said...

Those are amazing photos!

James said...

Lookin' good! The black pansies are doing great, but those blueberry ones...wow! You got the touch. You got the power.

Cooper Green said...

Oddly, after talking to my son (who lives in Toronto) and hearing his description of yesterday's incredible storm, I found myself wondering if your skygarden survived. Any petals left on your nasturtiums?