apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I chose "windowsill or outside planter" but I really have a balcony to work with (for the first time ever). I'm excited!

An woman who used to live in my building planted a garden years ago out front (all the other buildings on my block just have ivy beds). She moved to a retirement home and at first I tried to keep up with it, but I know nothing about gardening and it was too much. I'm thinking of giving it a go again this year, and want to start soon while the weeds are still dormant.

But where do I begin? What do I do first? Rake it all out, put down mulch? Trim old stuff off? There are some peonies, some daffodils and jonquils, a couple lilies, a few tulips, some amazing variegated iris, etc. It's so sad to see it all try to bloom and thrive in the midst of the heat, little water, and weeds.

Any advice for a beginning gardener who already has a planted garden would be awesome!

I also have a balcony to work with. Granted, I'm not in New York, I'm in Toronto.

I have a sunken patio for my sublevel condo, but it gets virtually no sunlight. I'm trying full-shade plants to various levels of success (philodendron, mandevilla, caladium, etc.). As for the back--all rock. As I type this, I'm watching one of the groundsmen spray weed killer on all the weeds growing out of the rock. Awesome. Guess I won't be opening my bedroom window for awhile ... ;)

STLcolleen, if you've already got bulbs coming up, I'd start with a careful rake, weed and mulch. Maybe a bit of fertilizer for whatever bigger shrubby stuff you've got. I'd leave trimming for the fall unless it's super overgrown. But a little cleanup and mulch would be a good place to start, I think.

I live on the 15th floor, and it's so windy out there that everything I leave on the balcony dies: plants, small animals, ex-husbands...

I just moved out of an apartment that had a little front garden and into one with no garden whatsoever, which made me sad. But I found out this week that I got a community gardening plot (after being on the waiting list for a year or so), so now I'm really excited! I can't wait to start planting!

STLcolleen,

In the 'Garden Clippings' post for this weekend there is a link to Sustainable Gardening's to-do list to prepare for spring. Mulching is a great thing to do, especially before anything starts really growing. Each plant will have its own specific needs. It is good to make a list, as you have done, and start to research each one's needs.

Thanks Anne and Matt! Good advice for sure! And luckily the weather is supposed to be lovely this week, plus the extra hour of daylight - I'm off to buy a rake and mulch after work tonight! :)