RamblingNana's Blog

Okay ... so I couldn't pick one!

Our weather has been absolutely awesome lately.  We aren't used to all this glorious heat.  We are all wrinkled from the endless months of rain.  Each night we sit out on our balcony and have our dinner and a chat and watch the sun go down.  I just feel so ... blessed to finally be enjoying our lovely new home after all the anxiety and long wait.

I love chasing the sun with my pots as it peeks in to various parts of our balcony.  Hopefully I can keep everyone happy. 

My poor Calla Lily has gone to Calla Lily heaven.  It's been replaced by a young Hosta.  Fingers crossed it will thrive in that location. 

I'm a little concerned about all the New Guinea Impatiens I planted when I first got my pots.  They still look exactly the same as they did when I planted them!  I can see the little flower buds, but they aren't blooming.  What's with that?  Why do I have a feeling I've already asked that question?  It's late.  Must be time to go to bed. 

G'night.

Well, I'm having fun.  That's what it's all about, right?  I've set up the deck chairs at one end of our balcony, and I've got the old kitchen table at the other end so we'll have a spot to eat dinner on warm summer evening.  The hostas, english ivy and impatiens are looking happy ... the Calla Lily, not so much.  I think it got over-watered, or being in the shade doesn't agree with it.  I've had to cut off a lot of the leaves and it's looking pretty sad.  I may end up having to pull it out and put another hosta in that pot.  I think the hostas are going to thrive. 

I've been chasing the bits of sunlight we get out there.  I'm sure the neighbours in the building next to us must be wondering what the heck I'm doing . . . constantly moving plants around.  I'll soon be known as that weird old lady who stares at her plants all day. 

I planted three tuberous begonias yesterday.  I'm hopeful that they will be happy to just sit on that baker's rack and enjoy the lack of direct sun. 

I put a bunch of photos on my photo section if you're interested.  Hopefully in a month or two those fuchsias will be spilling over the shelves. 

Question:  I put a little of those fertilizer granules on the surface of my plantings.  Do you think I should also use liquid each week or so?

Wouldn't you know it!  I just vacuumed the entire deck.  The cottonwood trees are blowing fluffies all over the place!  Sheesh!  I hope this doesn't keep up all summer!  What a mess!  It looks like snow out my window right now.

We got a bit of a break this weekend and took the covers off the patio furniture, had two dinner parties and it was actually so warm we were able to have cocktails on the balcony on both evenings. 

The weather is horrible again today.  Rain. Rain.  Rain.  I’m so sick of it.  Why can’t we get more than one day of sunshine in a row, I ask you?!!!  It’s just miserable.  I’m supposed to be golfing tomorrow and I’ll bet we have to cancel. Grrrr.

I couldn't wait any longer.  I hit the local nurseries, scouring them for shade-loving plants.  I’ve now planted my three floor pots.  I’ve put a white Calla Lily in the biggest one and two Hostas in the smaller pots.  I've planted Impatiens and English ivy around all of them.  I have a feeling those big plants are going to totally hide the wee ones trying to peek out from under their leaves.  Oh well, it’s only money – and I did enjoy making a big mess planting them. 

This will definitely be a year of experimentation to see what will survive out there.  The lack of warm air certainly is not conducive to growing healthy plants.

As it turned out I didn’t have room to put any Styrofoam peanuts or things of that ilk in any of my pots.  All I used was landscape cloth over the holes in the bottom.  I hope that will keep the pots fresh inside.

The Calla Lily’s three blooms all turned brown and died.  I think perhaps the plant got over-watered.  The bottom leaves are getting a bit yellow and that’s definitely not a sign of good health.  Hopefully I wont end up with root rot  . . . THE LILY, not me!

Now I have to find two Boston ferns and one more pot to plant the three left-over Impatiens that are awaiting a home.  That’s all I’m going to be able to do out there. 

Sigh.  I do miss playing in the dirt.  Can I come over to your house and play?

RN

 Well, I just couldn't wait any longer.  I had to put something/anything on my bakers' rack to at least try to pretend it's Spring.  I left the light burning above the rack.  I hope it wont be too cold out there on the covered balcony at night.  That Button Fern might not like the cold.  My neighbour across the hall gets sun on her suite all the time.  She's had plants out there for ages and they are all thriving.

I'm not going to take the covers off the furniture or buy any Summer plants yet.  Bought an area rug for the sitting area at SuperStore the other day. 

I'm feeling somewhat encouraged that I can make that dining area look kind of garden-y.

I've changed my mind about soilless mix.  I haven't seen any and the gal at the nursery said this stuff would do the trick.  Now I just have to find some non biodegradeable Styrofoam peanuts for the base of my floor pots and I'll cover the peanuts with a bit of landscape material.  Apparently that works nicely to keep the soil from seeping through the peanuts.

SUNSHINE!!!  What an experience!!!  We actually had a whole entire glorious sunny day!  WOW!!!  So that's what it looks like!  Pretty appealing stuff.

Well that got me going.  I hauled out a bucket full of hot, soapy water and and old face cloth and started scrubbing the balcony and all the glass and the railings and the dusty furniture.  Why I think I have to do the whole job at once is beyond me.  Typical.  You'd think at my age I'd have figured out that the dirt isn't going to disappear if I don't clean it all up in one go!!!

The only part I don't know how to wash is the cement floor.  The cement squares have muddy-looking stains on them from the construction.  I tried scrubbing it off with the soapy water and the stains didn't budge.  If you know of a good cement cleaner that doesn't involve working with acid, let me know.  DH wants to power wash the whole floor.  I don't like this idea because he's going to make a mess of the walls and all the clean-up I've just done. 

 Well that was that.  One glorious, warm day and we're back to dullsville.

 RN

I went out there in the cold today and took some photos of my potential balcony garden. I've put them in MY PHOTOS.  As you can see, "gardening" is going to be pretty limited. It's very dead looking and bleak out there right now.  Hurry up Spring!!!

I want to buy a couple of big ceramic pots.  I'm not sure where I'll put them. Maybe a grouping of 3.   I'll be able to tell better when we get the kitchen chairs around the table and the four rattan armchairs in front of the family room window.

I want something large in the centre of my pots.  I will put anything pretty that likes shade on the baker's rack.  Boston ferns should soften some of the corners by the fencing.

I would be thrilled to get any suggestions as to how to make this balcony look "pretty."  I know you will think of things that I haven't even considered.

My fingers are just itching to get started!

My friend has just sent me a note with the names of the two rose bushes she has climbing up around her kitchen window.

"There two roses around our kitchen window.  The pink one is called Constance Spry and only blooms once in the early summer; the other one is called Morgengruss (I think thats it) and blooms all summer though doesn't have the same strong scent.  I am not sure about the north east exposure though."

 Morgengruss (Morning Greeting) below - A Kordesii large shrub/climber like Illusion. Blooms are mostly pink with highlights of orange, cream and yellow. Good, but not overpowering fragrance. Super vigorous and will produce a lot of thorny canes. Likes to grow as wide as it does tall, so needs pruning and training to make it a proper climber. Exceptional disease resistance. Does not bloom much in 1st year as it prefers growth. Blooms better in 2nd year and repeats okay, but really struts its stuff in year 3 and beyond and repeats well once established.

Well. we're all settled.  We are absolutely loving our new condo.  The golf course view is really delightful.  I get such a kick out of watching the the golfers meandering along the grass.  Most entertaining.  Even though it is still very much winter here on the coast, that doesn't seem to stop the keeners.  I see them in the pouring rain, plastic over their golf bags, big umbrellas over their heads.  They don't seem to notice. 

It's really been cold here, ever since we moved in last October.  Our balcony still has construction dirt all over it.  It's still too cold for me to get out there and really give it a scrub down.  I'm looking forward to the warm weather when we will get a power washer out there and get things looking spiffy.  We are living in a construction site and it's still a long way to go before it's finished.  Four more buildings are being built now.  What a mess!  Mud, dust, yecchhh!

It's going to be a few years before the surrounding landscape design looks like anything.  We are so fortunate to be on the back where the only view we have is the treed view of the golf course and the mountains.  Many of the trees are bare but it wont be long before it is just a solid mass of lovely new green leaves.  I can't wait.  Fortunately there are a lot of evergreens, so we never really lose the lovely view.  We can't see any of our neighbouring buildings.  I took a little video of our view the first week we moved in.  Fall was definitely upon us and all the deciduous trees were losing their leaves.  I'll have to figure out how to add a video to my photo album. 

I'm going to have to buy some big pots if I want to do any gardening.  We can't have hanging baskets here.  I don't want to have a lot of cluttery "stuff" out on the balcony. 

We are going out today to look for some nice deck chairs that look like rattan but are designed for the out of doors.  We are also going to hit a new garden store that will have some awesome things to look at.  Should come back with a few more ideas to mull over.

We've found a spot on the balcony for our bakers rack from our old kitchen set.  I am going to make it my little garden centre.  I will put impatiens and tuberous and fibrous begonias on the shelves - all the shade stuff on it.  I think it will look okay.  We are going to use our glass kitchen table and chairs as our picnic table.  It's that sort of greenish wrought iron ... can't recall what it's called.  It's a nice set and I think it will work well outside.  I was determined that I would not "get rid of my kichen set!"  I will put Boston ferns on my fern stands, and that will soften the look.

The balcony is totally covered and quite large so we have an area for the table and chairs in front of our living room and another area for a grouping of matching armchairs in front of our family roon.  We are north facing with only morning sun coming in on a small portion of the balcony.  Too bad ... but I'm not complaining. 

I'll put together something that is happy in low light.  I'm pretty confident that I can get it looking pretty.  All I need is some warm weather!!!  If you've got any tips for me about great plants that are happy in tubs and love the shade, I'm all ears! 

My friend who has the awesome garden (pictures in my album, check them out) has the most gorgeous climbing rose all over the wall in front of her kitchen.  Check it out.  It really is fabulous.  I am wondering if I could grow it in a big pot if I put it in the corner with the morning light and put a support system for it to grow around?  I've forgotten the name of the rose ... but I will ask her.  I'd also love to have a Black Eyed Susan vine.  I wonder what my chances of success are?  Our area gets a LOT of dull weather in the Spring and Summer too ... so light is a big consideration.

I've rambled on far too long.  I just wanted to touch base and say "hi" to all of you.  I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of interesting garden news to share with you anymore - but in my heart I'm very much out there with you!  I'll just have to pretend I still have my wonderful garden.  I can at least share whatever I manage to create in the space I do have. 

Cheers & happy gardening! 

RN

Just ask me how excited we are!

The movers arrive on Friday with all our stuff from the storage place.  We've been homeless for a month.  We've been staying with a wonderful friend who has a huge home.  She has been awesome.  I think we've all really enjoyed each other's company, but I'm sure she will love having our "stuff" out of her home and everything back to normal. 

Keep your fingers and toes crossed that everything goes well and there are no disappointments.  It's scary!  I feel like a kid going off to camp.

RN

SOLD!!!!

We are now officially homeless!!! 

Just kidding.  We sold our condo today.  It's a done deal.  We didn't get what we'd hoped we would get because of the sudden turn around in our local real estate market.  So sad.  Oh well, we got what we refer to as our bottom line and we will accept that and move on.  No point in fussing and fretting about it.

We have to move out on the 26th of September.  We have been told that we should be getting a letter from our builder in August, telling us that we will have a walk-through of our new condo in September and we should (I use the word "should" loosely) be moving in in October.  Two years waiting.  Sigh. 

We are going to house-sit for friends.  We've worked out a plan so that friends can go away on a big trip and we will care for their home and pets.  Works for everyone concerned.  My friend would not travel because she has four cats.  She's just nuts about cats!  Hopefully I will be too after a few weeks of mothering them.

 And the saga continues . . .

Hi there! 

Husband and I had a perfectly delightful few days at the bed and breakfast pictured above.  It's located on Whidbey Island in Washington.  It's about 45 minutes north of Seattle. 

What a great spot!  I am so glad we found it.  Click here if you want to check it out further.  We most certainly intend to go back and stay there again.  Really nice, cosy surroundings.  Secluded, very clean, quiet and lovingly cared for.  We got to stay in the very top room you see in the picture.  It's hexagonal.  Eight windows so you can view in all directions.  Lovely!

So, off we went to see how our new abode is coming along and subject ourselves to a little more mental torture. 

When we arrived at the site the real estate gal told us there was a suite the same as ours, on the top floor of the building next to us for sale.  She said we could go in and take a look at it.  Off we went - very excited at the prospect of actually seeing what our place would look like, only a different colour scheme, the reverse plan, and 14' ceilings in the living room. Ours are all 9'.

Wow!!!  The place is gorgeous.  The view is lovely.  It seems huge ... it's empty, so that's probably why.  The folks who bought it bought it on spec with the idea of flipping it and turning a tidy profit.  Little did any of us know the market would go into a nose dive just in time for us to put the homes we are presently living in up for sale.  I feel for them ... but not nearly as much as I feel for us!  Can you imagine if we'd sold when we should have sold?  Yes, we'd have made a very good deal on this place ... but we'd be homeless and renting somewhere now!

We could see in the windows of our suite next door and one floor down.  The crown moldings are up in the living room and dining room.  They aren't painted yet.  Other than that - it still doesn't look like a place anyone is going to live in for a very long time.

On our way out we spoke to a painter.  He knew which suite was ours.  When we asked him when he figured it would be ready for occupancy he started counting on his fingers and said, "mmm, October . . . November . . . definitely before Christmas."

OMG!!! BEFORE CHRISTMAS ARE YOU KIDDING?!!!

With that we returned to speak with the sales rep who confirmed that it will be October ... at least she says that is what they are being told by those at the top.

Can you believe it?!!!  We bought this place A YEAR AGO LAST NOVEMBER!!!

Yes we ARE very depressed.

Apparently other buyers have had to put all their stuff in storage and rent houses or hotels or bed and breakfasts ... or if they are retired, just do some extended travelling ... and wait!

So much for moving at the end of the Summer!  We are going to be like homeless gypsies - wandering the earth - looking for a place to lie down.

Silly I know - but with the market the way it is - we may be kicking ourselves around the block in a few months, wishing we'd accepted that first offer!  Oh well, there's another potential buyer coming to look at it tomorrow.  I have my fingers and toes crossed.

I have to change my attitude.  I have to rise above all this, golf more, think positively and just be thankful that I don't have any REAL worries.  

Cheers!

RN

Minter Gardens are famous out here on the west coast of British Columbia.  I just spotted this excellent article by Brian Minter regarding the care of hanging baskets.  If you love hanging baskets as much as I do, I think you will find it worth a read.