our japanese maples

Our dwarf Japanese maples are doing very well ever since we applied compost and rearranged their location on the balcony. They seem to be happier. Their leaves are coming in with such vibrant color.

The Koto No Ito seems to have tiny blossoms as they sprout forth new weeping foliage. The beautiful red leaves of the Tamukeyama fan out like delicate blades. And the initial feather like foliage of the Beni Hime have revealed their small star like leaves.

spring balcony garden 2013

Last weekend, we bought a bag of compost at the Union Square Greenmarket. I thought it was a good time to lay down some nutrients for the plants as they were beginning to come out of the soil, sprout new foliage, and buds. The seller advised us to apply a half inch of compost to each planter.



A week later, there were visible improvements to their development and growth. The tulips shot up some more. The planter with hyacinths and crocuses are more lush and green. The new growth of the irises are also doing well!





I also pruned back the mini rose bushes though left some tall stems because I could see potential growth. They too got a sprinkling of compost, which seemed to help with their foliage. Lots of new bright green leaves. I also didn't notice anymore black aphids. I had sprayed all the roses neem oil based solution.



Unfortunately, it's not all goods news. We lost a bunch of 'Pauline' dwarf irises last weekend and I believe it is due to a couple of factors over watering and/or the pot sitting in water, and apparently, they needed to be planted closer to the surface. I noticed the green shoots looked dry with yellowing tips. When I tugged on them, the shoots easily pulled away leaving a hole where it sprouted forth.

A couple of bulbs have not shot through the soil, which has me concerned. These are the Florentine tulips, delicate yellow tulips, and coral lilies. After searching online for other people who have experienced or have knowledge of growing these particular flowers, I learned that the florentine tulips may need a bit more sun and the coral lilies comes out later in the season. Well, I hope that is the case and I will see something in the near future.

The Japanese maples and peach tree loved the compost. The Beni Hime JM is doing especially well! It's leaves are bright pink, almost fuchsia, and like delicate feathers unfurling. It's really quite a pretty sight!



The buds of the peach tree are showing their blushing pink color. They are ready to explode open! I'm looking forward to these blossoms opening soon!



It won't be long until the garden will be filled with color and sweet fragrance from the flowers.

broken arrow nursery

We took a day trip to Broken Arrow Nursery in Connecticut. I had read about this nursery in The New York Times and have been pining to go since. We visited on a beautiful Saturday. It was sunny and warm. There was even a pleasant breeze.

It took us a little over two hours to get there and spent two hours looking around and deciding which tree to take home with us. The nursery has a great collection of trees that included Japanese maples, dogwoods, conifers, as well as flowering perennials. We did not have something specific in mind to buy. We were happy to look around, and perhaps find something unique to add to our balcony garden.

Most of the nurseries are open to the public. Where permitted, we wandered through them pointing out some amazing looking specimens - wishing we could take them home.

TH and I were both very impressed with the variety and selection of trees and plants especially available for purchase. We eventually decided on two Japanese maple trees and some perennials. TH spotted a Japanese maple with delicate, feathery chartreuse green foliage called the Koto No Ito. It has lovely slender leaves that sway in the gentle breeze. This particular tree will add a wonderful texture and color to the balcony garden.

The other Japanese maple is a dwarf JM called, Beni Hime. This JM is just adorable and has got beautiful variegated colored leaves that are no bigger than a penny! The general size is perfect and will definitely help to offset the visual verticality of the other trees we currently have.

A few perennials, disporum cantoniense night heron, were added at the end after I had noticed another lady's purchase. She had a great eye for plants because I was admiring a dwarf Japanese maple with cream and pink colored leaves that she was purchasing at the time. There were more of the same tree available but they weren't as creamy as the one she had. She also had picked out perennials that she was not familiar with and thought it best to grab them as well. She looked up at the name with her iPhone ad found a picture of what the perennial would look like once it bloomed. It was an attractive flower and I thought I, too, should get some.

TH and I had a great time at Broken Arrow Nursery. The staff were nice and very helpful. The setting is pretty and tranquil. I look forward to our next visit to Broken Arrow for our arbor needs.