apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh how I want that watering can. I need to figure out how to salvage my dying/dead hydrangea plant and possibly (?) dying little succulent. Any posts on that? :)

That sad plant needs some sunlight and a friend!

Sparkle -- I have that watering can -- it's at Lowes! Cheap too. :)

Dude, you guys are good. I was reading all those small-garden posts and thinking, "What about me without a balcony?"

You read my mind! I'm definitely checking these out. Thanks!

I loved the watering can too! glad someone knew where it was! Thanks!

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sparkle. I have the same thing!

Someone bought me a hydrangea from the grocery store. It's still alive, but the pink and blue flowers are gray. I heard tha coffee grounds change hydrangeas.

I also bought some tiny succulents from Lowes and all but one seems to be thriving. It's fat little leaves are going from green to pale pink and shriveling. At first I thought I was underwatering, so I went to watering everyother day. Then I thought I was over watering and went to twice a week, and it still is shriveling.

I've recently swapped a house in Los Angeles with a beautiful garden for a tiny Manhattan apartment. The first reasonably warm weekend we had here in the city I went to www.hooksandlattice.com and bought some large window boxes at a fair price which are now overflowing with pink geraniums, periwinkle and a few cascading succulents. I've also taken over the care of my building's once neglected tiny stoop garden which is also now thriving with baby hops and jasmine plants. I also did something a bit illegal but not altogether immoral this past winter. I planted a few dozen black tulip bulbs in Central Park under a beautiful old tree in the wilder northern section, off the beaten path. Now they have sprouted, they look stunning and I make a point to go and visit them every chance I get. Almost every city has some sort of volunteer greening organization that one could join to satisfy a jones for gardening, or you could always take up guerilla gardening in neglected medians or vacant lots.

Sparkle, I bought two of those grocery store hydrangeas last year. They looked great for a couple of months, and then slowly started dying. I planted them in my garden, and they became terribly sunburned. I thought they were a lost cause, but I dug them up, replanted them outside in a slightly more protected area. At that point they hardly had any leaves left at all. Somehow they managed to survive the winter, and now they're looking great. They even have flowers forming again. I don't know how much room you have, but perhaps if you repot them in a much bigger planter and put them right next to a bright window, they'll make it. As for the succulents, I killed so many before I finally learned to just stop watering them more than once every couple of weeks.

Here's my urban gardening issue: My balcony faces east and only gets bright sun during the morning hours, then it gets blocked by the building for most of the afternoon! I would love to know what veggies and fruits like to grow partial sun or shade?!

Oh, thanks for the info Brandyjane! I have moved the hydrangea to a large pot and it already lives by the window that gets the most sunlight (but not directly in the sun). The leaves started to wilt a bit, but they perked up rather quickly once I trimmed off the bits of dying (mostly the flowers, sad), so hopefully it'll magically start growing more. :)

is that an avocado tree/plant?

we really need a blog for "all things garden"...I am a black thumb trying to grow herbs (killed), tulips (dying), shrubs (maybe dying) and grass (so far so good). I would love to have a resource on how to plant, water & grow everything in pots for the urban dweller!

I also have that watering can and another larger yellow one, got them from home depot. they are adorable.