Archive for the ‘Summer 2009’ Category

6 Jun

A Haws Watering Can for R*’s Birthday

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , .

slimcan_5litre

We lug the water for our roof garden up from our second floor apartment to the fifth floor roof. So we’ve been hunting for a watering can that was balanced, sturdy, and … yeah we wanted something beautiful too.

haws_heritage

When we couldn’t find a galvanized metal watering can at any of the local hardware stores, we just went with a green plastic watering can from Home Depot (about $4). It gets the job done, but it isn’t balanced or elegant.  And the water pours out unevenly and too much water drips to roof and never hits the plants.

Enter John Haw who solved the problem back in 1885 with his “Improved Watering Pot.”

This is the BMW of watering cans, but a worthy treat, especially since they are made in Smethwick, West Midlands in the UK, about 15 mines from where R* comes from. The Haws can is totally balanced and the removable brass “watering rose” can be turned to prevent drips as we go up and down the stairs.

haws_slimcan

I chose this Haws V122 Slimcan in fade-resistant Titanium for R*. The slimmer size makes it easier to store. But the Biriths racing green round can is the Haws classic.

Here’s a detailed guide for selecting the Haws watering can that’s right for your roof garden. I couldn’t find a local store selling Haws. Let me know if you find one in NYC.

Happy Birthday, R*! Now a few more days without rain and we’ll get a chance to test drive our Haws.

Images: Haws

5 Jun

Gardening with the Sky

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , , .

o2b_kellyontheroofgarden

Isn’t O2B’s Brooklyn roof garden photo stunning? Totally captures the moody city summer sky.

As I studied this picture, I realized this photo can teach us a lot about texture and varying materials in roof gardens too: ceramic tile, wooden furniture with canvas pillows, cement pillars. The light fixtures create a sense of a roof … and see how the vines are creeping up the support wires?

Image: O2B via Flickr with Creative Commons

4 Jun

Umbrella Planter Puts a Centerpiece on the Patio Table

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , .

Umb-Planter-CeramicRd-APCM940PW

The only place in our roof garden that isn’t stuffed with plants is the patio table. That’s the opposite of how we live inside, where we almost always have a plant or flowers on our dining table.

grandinroad

Next year, we could add one of these umbrella planters to the center of the table. The more gardening books I read, the more curious I’m getting. This could be a fun place to plant a tiny alpine container garden or a crazy scene full of sedums and hens and chicks.

HGUMBRELLAPLANTER__1But would it leak and splash in the rain, leaving mud all over the table? I know that’s what R* would ask me. The bird crap on the table is enough to scrub off as it is.

Shopping for an Umbrella Planter:
eBay: Inexpensive and goes with everything, but terra cotta breaks easily

Grandin Road: $99 is pretty steep for something seasonal, but for someone going copper, it could be great.

Simply Planters: Too expensive and too dramatic.

Back Yard City: Out of stock.

I can’t figure out why large stores and brands like Martha Stewart, Target, and Home Depot don’t sell these. And why are these out of stock at so many online retailers? I’m looking for umbrella planter gossip. Does it have something to do with these patents?

4 Jun

Our Latest Container Garden Try

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: .

photo

So far the green and yellow sedum has been our best plant, so we’re adding another one here. The contrast between the greeny-purple of the sedum and the purply-green of the tall Red Star makes this our most coordinated pot yet.

There’s room for another plant in this post. Any suggestions?

We apartment people don’t have garages, so this pot is hanging out in our kitchen today, waiting for drier sedum friendly weather to head to the roof garden.

Does anyone know the name, botanic or otherwise, of this particular sedum? The couple who sold this to me at the Greenmarket didn’t know the name.

3 Jun

Brooklyn Roof Deck Inspiration: Bearsky

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , , .

bearsky_brooklynroofdeck

Check out this inspiring picture from fellow Brooklynite Bearsky. The vines add a sense of whimsy and  soften the edges with jungle-y style. I’ve gotta find a way to incorporate some vines this summer. The rich deep colors of the foliage are an inspiration too. Better get some coleus quick.

Thanks for the inspiration, Bearsky.

Photo: Bearsky, used with permission via Flickr

3 Jun

If You Spend a Lot of Time in Your Roof Garden at Night . . .

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , , .

containergardening06Plant white flowers!

Duh, why didn’t I think of that before we bought so many plants. I’m reading Container Gardening 2009 and picking up a lot of advice, but this is my favorite tip so far.

“I like to slip in white flowers whenever possible because they are the ones you notice at night,” wrote Kimbery Crane from EarthArt. She was talking about window boxes, but this is especially relevant for rooftop gardens since the light there can be limited.

R* and I were up on our Brooklyn rooftop at 12:30 a.m. this morning, watering and checking in on our ailing rose bush. White flowers would definately be more visable.

Here’s more pondering on white flowers at night: “As I think of white-blooming plants, I envision flocks of white geese flying in the night sky. They are like reflectors, mirrors that toss back to the earth all the available light.”

29 May

Co-planting Roses with Lavender, Sage, and Thyme

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , , , .

lavenderI had a meeting near Union Square this afternoon and stopped at the Greenmarket on my way back to the office. I can’t help myself — I bought more plants for the roof.

I bought two “True English” lavender plants plus purple sage, purple basil, German thyme, oregano and a variegated sage from The Blew Family’s farm stand. This article on companion plants for roses was my guide.

All these herbs will be co-planted (a phrase I just learned) with the English heirloom roses I bought R* for his birthday: a lilac-pink Yesterday and the explosively apricot Cottage Garden . I like puzzling over the combination of each pot — coordinating color, fragrance, height, light plus water and soil requirements.

29 May

Smith and Hawken’s Stack and Grow Planter

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: .

stack_and_grow_planter

We’re running out of space for plants. Tomorrow, we’re potting two irises with some yarrow and two rose bushes. Once those plants go in, we’ll have no vacancy up there for the rest of the summer.

Now we’re eyeing this Stack and Grow Planter from Smith & Hawken. A plant skyscraper seems very New York to me. Since water is scarce up on our roof (we need to lug it up from our apartment on the second flooor), we dig how the water efficiently drains through the whole planter.

Too bad the Stack and Grow Planter is round though. A square shape would be easier to tuck into a corner when we have guests and need more space for the grill. Also, the plant pockets look shallow and I keep hearing that the key to great roof gardening is huge, deep pots.

28 May

OXO’s Container Gardening Set

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , .

oxo_container_gardening_set

We haven’t bought any gardening tools yet. Just dirt and pots.

We use coffee mugs and our hands to move the dirt into the pots. For now, I’d rather spend our money on plants than tools. But still, I have my eye on this container gardening set ($41.99) from the gadget geniuses over at OXO.

Isn’t it cute? We could tote the tools up to the roof top using that handy blue container. The snips would be the most helpful. We already need to do some deadheading. But what would I do with a Multi-Use Transplanter anyway? No clue what that is.

I love OXO’s peeler so I bet this garden tool set would be great.

28 May

Home Depot: More Pots and Some Yarrow

Posted by Chris P in Summer 2009. Tagged: , , , , .

yarrow_onthe_nyc_subway

A gardener friend of ours toured the Presby Memorial Iris Garden in Upper Montclair, NJ and gave us two iris plants. We want to get them set up on the roof before our cat attacks them, so I went to Home Depot last night to buy more pots.

We’re not sure if the irises will flower this summer or not, so I picked up this yarrow to plant with them. That should keep things colorful all summer. (They looked great on the subway trip home anyway!)

According to Wikipedia: “Nursery rhymes say if you put a yarrow sachet under your pillow, you will dream of your own true love. If you dream of cabbages (the leaves do have a similar scent), then death or other serious misfortune will strike.” Yarrow is drought-tolerant and attracts butterflies.

R* and I are determined to have all of the pots in our garden match — same curved shape and same terra cotta color. We bought all of the big plastic pots we could get at Target in Brooklyn, but now they’re sold out. Luckily, Home Depot in Manhattan sells the exact same line of plastic pots, though they are more expensive at Home Depot.

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