Last summer we searched for low glazed pottery container under $100 for our succulents.  We didn’t find much and ended up with a plain terra cotta pot from Home Depot. (These succulents didn’t make it, but we want to try it again.) Well, look what R* and I found at Target yesterday! Pretty great right? These are my favorite item we’ve found while cruising NYC’s big box stores for gardening items — before they all sell out. Why didn’t I buy a couple when I was there? I hope they don’t sell out too soon. (Don’t tell anyone else about them, okay?)

How great are these old-school webbed lawn chairs in Americana colors plus margarita lime? These instantly brought back memories of early childhood trips to the Catskills and my grandparents buying kits to re-web their old lawn chairs.

The affordable solar lights are another draw at Target. We didn’t buy any on our first trip out, since we’ve found that our target does a pretty good job keeping these in stock all summer. Plus shoppers can find something very similar in Home Depot.

One more thing to keep an eye on: Target now owns the Smith and Hawken brand and sells the exclusively. They didn’t have many of these items in our store, but we’re looking forward to seeing more Smith & Hawken come in as the season moves along. I found this set of tools and a carrier online. I hope they keep the quality up on these items.

I can’t be the only one stalking these big box stores for garden fun. What are your best finds so far?

Fest your eyes on Esme and David’s amazing Bushwick, Brooklyn roof garden and visit their Flickr page to get the full tour. This is their first year as roof gardeners.

They live on the top floor of their building and run a hose up from their kitchen sink to water.  They use self-watering containers and built a wind barrier with plastic trellises from home depot and some pallets scavenged from a warehouse. This tall red flower is a Mexican Sunflower.

They are experimenting with a small part of the roof area, since the landlord is concerned about the weight and water damage. They are hoping to get more space to grow next summer.

Here’s the very ambitious list of all they are growing up there:
Moonflowers
Morning Glories
Black-eyed Susans
Teddy Bear Sunflowers
Mexican Sunflowers
Eggplant
Strawberries
Corn (Esme reports: “not looking so hot – it was our most ambitious crop!”)
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Serrano Peppers
Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, dill
Nasturtiums

I can’t wait to learn more about how the sunflowers are doing. I never even dared attempt growing them. And our rooftop moonvine met an early death, so I’m interested to hear how they are keeping them happy too.

Photos: Esme and David

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.

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.

I’m looking forward to the plant sale preview. I’m hoping to race there after work tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll see you there?

I’ve never been before so I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m hoping to find: lantana for a hanging basket, some succulents, Thai and bush basil.

Visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s site for all details about the 2010 plant sale.

Anthropologie decorated their new Chelsea Market store with moss representations of New York City icons, including the Brooklyn Bridge. Love it, but can’t help dreaming about a version created with live plants and succulents rather than train set green dried moss.

Tree pit gardening is tough on my Brooklyn block. If the dog pee doesn’t get ya, the flower pickers might. Congratulations to this Brooklyn gardener for a beautiful springtime display.

We’re looking forward to loading up our roof garden with plants from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden plant sale on May 5 and 6. Last summer we hauled in plants from all over Brooklyn and Manhattan . . .  but the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is only a few blocks from our apartment so this will be great. In the Garden on LoHud.com has all the details. This will be our first sale, so R* and I are really looking forward to it.

“Dedicated to helping local urbanites improve their gardens while making the city greener, the two-day Plant Sale offers both indoor and outdoor plants, including a vast selection of perennials, shrubs, trees, and vines; herbs and vegetables, including heirloom varieties; exotic tropicals; native plants; hanging baskets; orchids; “collector’s corners” of rare and unusual annuals; and much more.”

Brooklyn Botanic Garden members are invited to a Members-Only Preview Sale will be held on Tuesday, May 4, from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

Check out the Flatbush Gardener for a look at last year’s sale.

Image: FlatbushGardener

We’re wrapping it up on our roof garden. R* took the umbrella down last weekend; think he put it under the bed. This weekend, we’re going to cover the rose bushes, pull the annual herbs, and stack up the chairs. So long to our first summer of gardening.

This winter, we’re planning to stay energized with photos, gardening books, and professional gardeners’ portfolios. First up: this stunning green roof garden in Brooklyn created by Timothy, The Organic Gardener.

How did your roof garden grow this year? What’s inspiring you as the cold weather rolls in?

Sunflowers don’t immediately strike me as city flowers. Don’t they seem like they’d be happier out in a field somewhere?

And yet, check out this Brooklyn brownstone stoop garden. These sunflowers look amazing there — a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll with some bohemian thrown in for good measure. The yellow and brown bring great contrast against the worn brownstone red. Many people plant dark maroon foliage to match the brownstone, but where’s the contrast and the joy?

These sunflowers stretch up to the parlor floor, bringing the viewers eye up to the front of the house. And the sedum Autumn Joy looks great at the foot of the sunflowers where things could be a bit leggy-ugly.  I wonder if sunflowers could grow this tall on a roof garden. Would they snap in the wind?

Speaking of sunflowers and Brooklyn, don’t miss the New York Times article about Kirstin Tobiasson’s guerrilla garden on the Gowanus canal