Solstice in the Garden
Summer update for the balcony garden
With June 21st come and gone, we have officially transitioned from Spring into Summer. All the baby house sparrows have left the nest in the red birdhouse that Steve built in the balcony garden. The perennials that I planted on the May long weekend are establishing themselves in the planters. And the heatwave that lingered over Ottawa for the past week has finally broken with a gush of rain and thunderstorms.
In the evenings, Steve and I eat dinner together out in the balcony garden. With string lights overhead, candles lit on the bistro table, and the surrounding greenery, it feels like our own little private restaurant. On mornings when I’m up early, I’ve taken to writing in my journal out there, while enjoying a mug of hot tea. The space has become a lovely little nook for connection and contemplation.
The veronicas are starting to take off. The plants have grown up to about 40cm, and the pink variety is blooming now. The blues are budding, and it has been a pleasure observing the progress of the flowers. The anticipation is gentle, but oh so satisfying.
Every day the garden has something new to offer. Most recently, I was surprised by the eruption of a batch of mushrooms. They started in the planter with my rosemary, and have now popped up in every single planter in the garden. On Friday, one even came up right in the middle of the mother-of-thyme.
The two varieties of basil that I planted together are doing very well. They are growing plenty enough for our needs. It has been a nice treat harvesting a few fresh leaves here and there to add to our greek salads, or as garnish on other dishes. Maybe I will take a crack at making pesto later this summer!
Of all the plants in the garden, my pride and joy is the boston ivy. Originally, I tied the vines to some twine to help the ivy grow towards the wall. But the suckers were having a hard time getting close enough to the brick to properly attach. I changed tactics, and swapped to taping the young feelers to the wall using masking tape. That did the trick - once the first suckers attached, the vines became quite well established, and continued to spread along the brick wall on their own. Now I’ve removed all but a couple of pieces of tape, as I wait for the last vine to adhere.
It’s remarkable the speed with which the plant has started to cover the wall. By the end of the summer, I think it could be over 60 percent covered. And in future years, hopefully the entire wall will become a mass of green. It has been a very nice offset to the yellow brick, finally bringing balance and greenery to a space that was previously overpowered by yellow and wood tones!
I am curious to see what colour the leaves turn this fall. Likely it will be a mix of yellow and red. As for the other plants, I’m not sure what to expect - however I will be sure to observe carefully. Having these plants in our space is a beautiful way for us to remain in tune with nature, and mark the passing of the days and seasons.
That’s all for my balcony garden update. Thanks for checking in. I look forward to sharing with you what comes next in this space.
Hopefully, your ivy plant will survive the winter and come back next year. You may have to protect it from the extreme cold .
Nice garden! What is growing on your rooftop space?