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Posted: Aug/26/2008 10:41 PM PST
I'm so excited! A friend of mine bought a lot in our downtown area where an old building had been torn down. He leveled it with a couple truckloads of generic dirt and has been using the space to do "public art". It's a particularly crummy location, which is why he chose it, in an effort to beautify the area. He's agreed to let me plant a garden there next year! It's on the south side of a tall white building, dry, hot, bad soil full of bricks and rocks. LOL a challenge. I'll be putting in some beds soon so I can plant some bulbs this fall. It should be moist enough in the spring, but I'll be looking for plants that are heat and drought tolerant for summer. At least there is a faucet for watering. Until I can get some good dirt and perinneals established I'll be looking for some tough fast growing annuals to fluff out the space. I like the idea of using lots of Natives for the first year or two, but I don't want to wind up being invaded by them forever. I'm including some photos of the space as it is now. It's about 25 x 60 feet. I can add any sort of bed, trellis etc that I like. What a project. Any thoughts or advice welcome! Attachments:    |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 6:27 AM PST
Is the Chevelle included?  It looks awful. How much money are you (or is he) willing to sink into it? |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 8:28 AM PST
LOL I don't want that Chevelle, takes too much work!! Money sinking: Not too terribly much, because A: I'm new at this and anything really racey I try might well fail. B: The city has expressed interest in buying all the lots in this area to build something, so it might be gone in a few years. C: The threat of vandalism is there, unfortunately. Therefore my idea of using "natives" ie morning glory, bachelors button, blackeyed susan, sunflower, yarrow etc to get it at least fluffed out next year. You know, stuff you see growing in dry vacant lots and waste places anyway. If I can slowly build up some nice beds and structures (and gardening experience) I'll try more intense stuff in a couple years. I'm getting some love-lies-bleeding seeds which are supposed to like sun and dry and they look quite stunning. Oh, and that telephone pole gets a trumpet creeper, today. I'm attaching a photo of the one really healthy looking plant I found on the property. See, there is hope that stuff will grow and thrive here!! Attachments:  |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 9:21 AM PST
What a fun project for you! I would search Craigslist for free plants. You could also ask friends for plant divisions. Using berms would help so you don't have to dig beds in that hard pan. Berms allow you to have quality soil instantly. http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/berms.htm l FYI-We had a business near the Pike Place Market in Seattle and our containers were constantly used as urinals or dumping ground for used needles. Be careful as you garden, you wouldn't want to get poked with anything. Have fun planning! ~Andrea |
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Posted: Aug/27/2008 10:42 AM PST
Thanks for the advice on the berms -- we were thinking of getting some brackets and attaching 2x4s to do basically that. How cool to know they make those just for the purpose! Pike place market is SO cool! I've been there a couple times. My friend has a bit of a nautical theme started as you see with the pilings, rope and flagpole. I'm going to try to hang with it and get used fishnet for trellis material and maybe get some dune grass going behind the boat. This is so fun! I've been gathering seeds from "Natives" this summer and have some others as well. I'll be trying the milk jug wintersowing method described in another thread. Hopefully the plants will be successful their first year. My Mom is quite a gardner and will probably have some divisions she'll let me grab too. We haven't seen any needles there, but there are usually some cheap liquor bottles scattered around when we stop by. Fitting, as the lot used to be the site of Fitzgerald's Pub, a very grubby and eventually condemned "alternative" bar that my friends and I frequented in college. LOL so I have a bit of affection for that particular crummy corner. |
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Posted: Aug/29/2008 5:26 AM PST
I think I killed a trumpet creeper!! I pried five small starts up out of our yard evening before last. I got as much root as I could, but you know, even the tiny starts are attached to that huge root thing so I left most of it behind. I dug around that telephone pole, got it nice and wet, and plunked 'em down in there. I figured if even one took it'd be plenty. They still looked perkey on my way to work yesterday so I gave them some miracle grow. But on my way home I dropped by and they looked pretty flat. Can I have killed a trumpet creeper? Oh well, if none take the pods will be ripe soon and I'll start from seed. |
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Posted: Aug/29/2008 2:54 PM PST
I'd check with the local utilities before planting creeper on the pole- they may not like that! Makes it hard for their guys to climb it if needed. Not to mention it will take over the entire lot! Sounds like a great project to have! Best of luck with it 
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Posted: Aug/29/2008 10:27 PM PST
Ha, I know I'll be pulling it up everywhere. Better than what's there now! I guess it would make it hard for a utilities guy to climb the pole... but then about 1/2 of the poles in our town (including the one in our yard) are already covered with the stuff so I guess they're used to it. I don't think I've ever seen them cut one down or spray it.... Since they're flat anyway it's probably not a problem! 
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Posted: Aug/30/2008 2:50 AM PST
This sounds exciting! Keep us posted on your efforts. |
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Posted: Aug/30/2008 5:21 AM PST
Quote: Originally posted by aimee Ha, I know I'll be pulling it up everywhere. Better than what's there now!I guess it would make it hard for a utilities guy to climb the pole... but then about 1/2 of the poles in our town (including the one in our yard) are already covered with the stuff so I guess they're used to it. I don't think I've ever seen them cut one down or spray it.... Since they're flat anyway it's probably not a problem! True I have put together a bunch of native seeds to send to you- just PM me your address and I'll send them off 
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