4
Jun
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: inspiration, vines. 2 Comments

Check out M & P’s stunning wall of morning glories. Last spring, they built their own trellis and trained the vines to grow up a roof garden wall covered with rust stains.
Here’s the same wall earlier in the season:

This is a great example of turning a challenge in your city garden space into a feature. The wall gives these vines some shelter from wind and full day sun.

For more pics of this Jersey City garden, check out my post from last summer. If you’re growing vines on your roof garden, please let me know and send some photos if you can!
Photos: M in Jersey City
2
Jun
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: brooklyn. 3 Comments

Got out of work early on Friday and made a beeline to Brooklyn to check out the Jungle Garden store at 61 Kent Avenue (between N. 10th and N. 11th). Do you know another garden center that plays dance music?

The place has an approachable, energetic feeling. I was so ready to lay back in one of the vintage lounge chairs and cruise their huge variety of plants. They have a smart collection of Brooklyn-friendly plants like succulents and roof garden friendly plants including grasses and the purple salvia I picked up.

Lupins need moist soil and protection from summer winds – so they aren’t a fit for our roof garden. Still, a stunning plant to go visit.
1
Jun
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: in transit, our roof garden photos, vines. 1 Comment

The vision was a night garden, of sorts, with white flowers on the moon vine and in the hanging basket above. We wanted vines to soften the space. Instead, the moon vine got these spotted leaves and just looked sad. My mom think I over-watered it. I wonder if it was too windy or the pole got too hot.
I get weirdly sad about killing these plants, tearing them out before they are totally done. But our roof garden is a shared space for the entire building and I don’t want it looking un-cared-for. Flatbush Gardener tweeted to cheer me up: “I have no time to mourn all the plants I’ve killed!”

We replaced the moon vine with this stunning English ivy trained up a trellis from a flori$t in the West Village. We planted three geraniums with vinca vines at the base. The new planting — we’ll get some pix once it settles in a bit — feels a bit formal for our garden and rather Republican somehow. But R* and I both like geraniums, they remind us of his mum’s back garden in England. They also grow amazingly well in sun-soaked containers.
29
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: brooklyn, containers, flowers, herbs, spillers, window boxes. 1 Comment

There’s a lot to swoon over at Hotel Delmano in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: the cocktails, the yuppie snacks, and the steampunk smashed with speakeasy style of the place. Me? My favorite part was their window boxes.

They serve a drink here called the Granny Polite – white port mixed with fresh lemon and tonic. Pelargonium and begonias, usually thought of as polite granny plants, are mixed up with mint and thyme for a fresh look. Skinny silvery rosemary leans out of the boxes, kind of like the hipster dudes walking past the sidewalk bar. (I haven’t seen a local Brooklyn source for Perlargonium geraniums; I might order some of these geraniums from Logee’s next year. Read more about scented geraniums on design*sponge.)

These creative plantings do an amazing job of echoing the mood of the bar. I’d like to ask the garden why they also included dalhias in these boxes. They stood out as the one off note to me.
29
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: roof garden. Leave a Comment
They New York Times tell us: “For those who want their own place in the sun, apartments with private patios, terraces, balconies and roof decks are to be found all over the city. But the supply is, like summer itself, on the short side, and brokers say that buyers should expect to pay a premium.” For advice on what it takes to get illusive outdoor space, read the full article.

Here’s the listing for this one bedroom with a roof garden in Chelsea.
Images: NY Times (top), Corcoran (lower)
28
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: nowiveseeneverything. Leave a Comment

Don’t let your hose hang out in the all together. Cover up that dirty old thing with new Hose Clothes from Dirt Couture. I’m loving the leopard (“add a bit of grrrrr to your garden”).
(Thanks for sharing the news, AA!)
22
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: window boxes. 2 Comments

We couldn’t believe this brownstone window box on the Fort Green house and garden tour last June! To me, Amaryllis is a Christmas bulb rooted inside. We thought the paring with the big tropical leaves was sophisticated and fresh.
Do you think this Brooklyn window box could have lasted a few days or even a few weeks, or was it a one-day fancy the owner put out for the garden show?
Check out more of my favorite window boxes.
21
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: furniture. Leave a Comment

If you’re looking to invest in colorful, quality outdoor furniture at a great price, check out the weekend sale at John Derian. These sold pieces are in the ~$200 range.
21
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: inspiration. Leave a Comment

Header over to Remodelista for a stunning collection of roof garden photos from Goode Green. This roof garden is in Little Italy, NYC.
Image: Goode Greene via Remodelista
17
May
Posted by gochrisgo75 in Spring 2010. Tagged: furniture, roof garden. Leave a Comment

We’d love to upgrade our roof garden furniture. We’d swap out the plastic Adirondacks a la Target to these beauties from Loll. They are on sale until tomorrow night at Gilt Home: $365, marked down from $520. Loll’s outdoor garden furniture is made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic.