Brooklyn container Garden

with my soil being 90% petroleum.. I have little choice but containers.. here's a few pictures of the end of the season here...

here's another planter..brugmansia... of of my 59 brugs

here's another grouping of containers

well ....a few more...

well.. where's the over view photo...

another photo with some containers somewhere in there

well surely there's a place to recline in the garden..

well.. perhaps one more... due to the great demand. these roses were the first plants to appear up in the garden..

all morning glories here... and every day the arrangement is different... when you plant everythng together

Just glorious Gordon, what a paradise you've created. Get many fly-bys???
Sharon

what's a flyby Sharon... you mean like planes...not many of them... we'reonthe hellicopter path into lower manhattan.. so there plenty of commutertrafffic... and the traffic / survailence police choppers are always about... sometimes with their spotlight shinning down onto the streets.. or back yards.. this all garden has been here for so many years I don't think I arise any/much interest from them..
got about no wind from Hanna here we have more from the summer afternoon storms..... rain... but not much either .. maybe an inch .. so paradise will live to finish a summer of blooms.. till Ike anyway... Gordon

woops.. the last wasn'tthe picture I wanted to send... petunias and the cleardendrum in the lasst one... this is of the duranta and some brugs... persian shield in there also..mg'sand wisteria in the back...all over the brugs..

Amazing tour, Gord!
:) Donna

Hi Donna... oh..it's my pleasure...
M MMM we'regetting the wind now... it seems to be holding on..though...

wow Gordon gotta give it to you. When I lived in Brooklyn - planting was the last thing on my mind LOVE the pictures with the skyline in the background!! You must have quite a green thumb - great job!

Your gardens are more beautiful with every picture you post. I always look forward to your amazing pictures. Must be wonderful on clear warm evenings with all the city lights in the background and the wonderful smells from all the roses and brugs. Sounds kind of romantic lol
Linda

Ultimate... well...Thanks.. just alot of attention to them I guess... SO.. your comment begs the question.. what was the first thing on your mind when you lived here in Brooklyn..
Linda.. Thank you... Yes.. it is lovely there..with the smells and lights ... the honeysuckle.. and jasmine.. and my stephanotis is blooming ... with a dozen brugs
http://logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1567-2.. yes it is romantic... a taste of heaven.. but usually it's just Kits and me enjoying it.. Kits is my Bengal Cat.. During the summer... she cango in and out at will.......so winter is as hard on us.. Gordon

So.. this is the garden in the spring... May 27 th thisyear... It'sabout what I start with from the winter.. with the first of the bedding plants going in

this photo was taken last week.. of about the same place... the bare trellis has filled in.. as have the planters..

Incredible transformation! Gordon the 1st thing on my mind was - OMG WAYY too much concrete and not enough greenary - it fit into the concrete jungle. Course I didn't see any gardens like yours otherwise I may have thought differently! :)

Hi Gordon,

I am happy I found this thread. i was going to ask you to post some photos of your garden on the Brug forum.

I have a question: What do you do with your plants during the winter? Do you have a place to keep them? What do you do with your brugs?

I have to say that your roof garden is the most beautiful one I have ever seen. Keep up the great work!

Great job Gordon, your garden is beautiful and the New York City skyline in the background is the icing on the cake. Thanks for sharing.

ThanksSpider...
well the brug folk got some pictures today... thanks though... I've hundreds of them...
Thanks Shirl ...glad you like them..here's some more iceing for you...I've quite a sweet tooth myself...

Now that my friend is some icing!

another closer now view.. of the container arrangement..
it's browning out for fall... in places... where do they go forthe winter...somestay where theyare.. maplesroses..wisteria/ and themorninggloriesarethere in the springlike they never left.. no madder what I might do trying to grow my new ones.. always get a bunch of last years in the recycled soil too..
the rest vacation downstairs..under a bunch of HID lights on tracks

Thank you very much for the photos, Gordon. It makes me wish I had a roof garden.

I was looking at a magazine today where they had some photos of roof gardens. They were soooo boring. People always associate roof gardens with modern architecture and boring grasses. Also, lots of empty paved spaces.

I wish they had your garden there..

Oh..Anna.. I could get into a more minimalistic mindset if Ihad more room..as it is I've grown over the views.. unless you stand up..removed the entertainment areas... in favor of more plants...I think of it as more of a playground.. and biological research station..
this is abit closer... now tell me where does the Buffett table go Jimmy... well this is the front 1/2 of the garden..

Gordon,

I hope you never change to minimalistic. Your garden is gorgeous!!!

Another great photo! thank you.

Hi Gordon...been away for awhile and just found this thread..oustanding as usual..

Well Thanks Sydney.. MMMMMM away for awhile... I hope you got way away O... and some great R+R.. some things are dieing out... while others are just hitting their stride.. this is an exciting time... with perhaps a cloud of winter .. but with the new late flushes of brugs.. and first time flowering ones.. it's close to heaven.. we're with some heavy rains for a few days.... then I'll get up some new pictures..
Thanks Spider.. I've too much going on for minimilistic.. it's true.. it's like nothing going on
having a super clean kitchen...and not having any pies..


Gordon

Gordonhawk... I love your pics but I would just have to have a sit down and enjoy the view with my ....morning cup of coffee ...area. Have you considered picking and area to the best view sitting up a small bistro table area and allowing some of your favorite vines and plants to just frame the view for you??? Even you should sit down sometime...lol shirleyt..

gordon, unbelievable!!! fantastic!!! help me to understand your space. I think I read all the posts here, but is it your back yard? roof top? from the pictures am thinking it could be either. and I understand that some of your plants winter over outside in their pots, and some go inside?

Shirley... well I do often just sit ..mostly in the night..and fall asleep right there.. .. next year.. I'll forgo the vines on the city end of the 12' tall trellis.. but a good part of it is visable..if one just stands up.. there is a higher bar deal with stools I guess also.. but it takes plant space..in the biological preserve .. If I get up there with my coffee.. inthe morning. there's so much I see to do .. and it's the best time to photograph things.. my Japaneese Morning glories get me up almost every morning... I grow them all together.. so the arrangment is diffrent every morning..
Gray... well, yes it is a roof.. I have only roof space...so evey thing is there..5 floors up.. unrestricted views all around across brooklyn on three sides.. and the fourth side..across the harbor..Statue of Liberty.. Newark airport..and Lower Manhattan.. I see from the tip.. up to the Empire State Building on 34 th to the Christler Buildingon 42 st//about the furthest uptown I can make something out.. but being up above means wind.. strong as it gets most of the time.. it was another world when I finally built a fence around it... most does come inside with me..and the HID lights help... but this year I'm building a temp winter house of 2" thick foam.. and some doublewalled polycarbonate.. and a small heater.. a savings on a constant 2000 watt light draw..I'll dropdown to maybe 2 @ 400 watts.. and a few 100 on other lights.. all of the house lighting is collor corrected spots from Finland..that's another 900 watts there.. it good plant light also.. roses.. Jap. mape trees.. rapberries..and a few shrub items.. and the lawn..mint and horsetails. stay out..
I've a street planter.. here it is today mostly morning glories..and the brug in a pot on top.. the morning glories grow across as an awanning over the door way.. and some 44' up the front of the building..real tall..

another photo of it up on the roof.. this is in a big foam pot...lashed down to the top of the chimney with nylon rope.. I've about 30 buds but it will only bloom 3 or 4 at a time.. but about every night....eppi..night blooming cereus

Wow, Gord! Can't get over how huge your night blooming cereus is and the number of blooms!!! Was this the plant you had started a cutting for me?

Perennial...did I send a bit of it to you already... if not I'll send it right away.. it would be the same one..either way// my others are awaiting being big enough to bloom.. or something else... but they haven't started yet

Heh again Gordon...I just love being able to be a part of your garden...OUTSTANDING.

I went away to Vancouver Island for about 2 weeks..Tofino mostly...and actually tried surfing...the first time in my life...It was Sooo much fun and I had a blast there. Im also a weather freak..and the place I stayed at... actually has holidays for that...tooo much fun!

Love your pictures as always...







This message was edited Sep 30, 2008 10:05 AM

Gordon H. It is great to see photos of your wonderful sky garden again. Doesn't look like you leave much room for your self. One of the first photos you posted reminds me of my raised bed of brugs with morning g. climbing around thru the brugs. This year all my brugs are in the ground except for one in a large pot. Difficult in this very dry climate to keep them wet enough for good growth. I have been taking cuttings of the ones I want to keep. Not enough room in my small gh to keep large pots of brugs. i tried that last year and was very crowded. I may try to dig up Snowbank and pot it to keep, it is such a pretty leaved brug. Here is a pic of a pink one, forget the name.

Donna S

Gordan Hawk: you have a beautiful garden there.
joy112854

Sydney...well thanks there... my that sounds like a great vacation.. learning the ways of surfing... and Vancouver... one of my favorie places of all... I had a mystical experience there.. at the yacht club.. I was summoned to a life of sailing... almost like being called to church work.. unfortunately I haven't yet been able to bring it about... be careful .. it's getting to be the full moon again.. lovely but full of energy..
Thanks Donna..my pleasure .. you're right .. just enough room to squeeze through to take care of the plants...dancing for two perhaps ... table seating for four... chairs for three more...and a lounge..for three friends or one reclining...it's mostly for plants...
Joy..Thanks..it'sreally comming into it's own.. for some plants...with the cooler weather... other have passed.. here's another container... Brugmansia Day Dreams..a dark thumbergia...and some pink petunias....Gordon

This message was edited Oct 12, 2008 12:29 AM