The first peek, above, at a tuberous begonia I am growing for my own flowerbox.
Is it early to spot planters overflowing with leaves and flowers? A bit. Is it too early to plan your own? No way! It's the perfect time to be ordering roots and tubers or shopping for plants at the Greenmarkets.
Some people may be hatching a plot to make something edible, like what THE KITCHEN outlined last year in their 3 part series.
Others might be planning something purely aesthetic, like what FLORA demonstrated for our readers last year:
One tip to start off -
Choosing perennials that can come back every year provides a great backdrop to the showier annuals you may plant. You also get a return on your investment every year they return:
On the ornamental side, Hostas, Ivy, and grasses like Hakonechloa and Uncinia Rubra will all come back. They all thrive in shade, so are perfect for the city.
Another good investment are tuberous plants, like the begonias above or dahlias. You can easily dig up the tubers before the frost and store them for use in the next year.
But even if you are not planning on a flowerbox you can always appreciate your neighbors' handiwork. Nominate your neighbor for a Flowerbox Award and send us an address or picture!
- matt at apartmenttherapy dot com
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I saw some really great enameled flower boxes at Ikea yesterday, but held back because in the back of my mind I have this feeling that it's illegal to put them on fire escapes in New York city, nevermind my windowsill.
Does anyone know whether this is true?
view Eliza's profile
Eliza,
yes it's true, it is illegal to put anything on the fire escapes (impeding speedy egress and all). BUT which way does your fire escape face? I would consider the visibility of your escape to um, passing inspectors to be the deciding factor.
After all, we all jaywalk, right? A city of shameless lawbreakers, we.
But the logic behind the fire escape clearance is a good argument. Not trying to start a debate here!
view olga's profile
Olga,
Good point. It's sort of a toss up in my case. We face a very busy street but we're on the 6th floor... And the flower box could go against the wall next to the window, sort of hidden and out of the way if I have to escape out the window.
Of course, then I also won't see my flowers... argh.You'd think actually attaching the flower box to the railing (inside) would make more sense, though then it's there for all to see.
view Eliza's profile
My peonies already have flower buds on them. I love Spring!
view Caitlin in Seattle's profile
i've got a seed starter box that's near bursting! i've got parsley, basil, chives, spearmint, and lavender. i've been wanting to do this for soooo long.
i tried to grow tomatos on my fire escape (6th floor, facing a busy street? me too!) but i just didn't SEE them enough, so i didn't take care of them...they were in my flatmate's bedroom, out of sight out of mind, so the poor things died. and the one cherry tomato the plant did produce fell to my downstair's neighbors fire escape and slowly decomposed over the course of the summer :)
i think indoor window boxes are the way to go...
for me, atleast...
view kdkaboom's profile
I have flowerboxes that hang over the outside of my fire escape, completly out of the way in the event of an actual need to use the thing, does anyone know if that is illegal?
Though you should see the stuff people have on their fire escapes in my neighborhood!
view Sparkiy's profile