Friday, October 12, 2018

My new green wall (where I realize my garden is so much bigger than my house)

I've spent the last 4 or 5 months gleefully adding vertical elements to the garden, like the Tillandsia that festooned Clifford, our big-leaf Magnolia.

And the virtual Bromelaid and Tillandsia party I put together on the dead Schefflera branches...

Not to mention the hanging planters on the trellis...

And this trio on the Passiflora 'Snow Queen' trellis...

Then there are the Bromeliads I added to the anti-raccoon fencing around the stock-tank pond (which was successful in keeping the little masked bandits from taking a swim!)...

And of course there's the DANGER planter...

This is all to say that I realized I needed to come up with a way to overwinter these non-hardy vertical elements that kept them well lit and easy to care for.

And I did! But I had no idea just how many plants there were, tucked in here, and there, until I carried them all down to the basement...

Meet the new green wall...

My low (no) cost solution was to use some of the left-over rolled wire fencing I bought to protect the stock-tank pond, and hang it from one of the beams in the basement. 4-ft wide by 8-ft tall...plenty of room! Well, turns out it's pretty full. I mean there's still a little room for air-circulation...

But I'm amazed at how quickly it filled up. The garden swallows dozens of plants, the house — not so much.

While this idea was first and foremost practical...

I must admit what I love about it is how beautiful it is.

Since putting it up I've done laundry twice and found myself just staring at the plants.

I grab the spray bottle and mist them...

And admire them.

One day earlier this week was very grey and rainy, I was working downstairs and walking past these plants a few times I'd completely forgot about the outside conditions — it was summer again, if only in my head.

Now all I need is one of those light therapy boxes for seasonal affective disorder and I can spend winter in the basement oblivious to what's going on outside.

Ha! Not quite...

But this will be a nice diversion.
Since my desk (crafts and sewing, not so much computer work) is directly behind the new green wall, I've hung a clear shower-curtain liner at the back to contain the over-spray. It's on a make-shift rod so I can pull it back when I'm not spritzing, for air-flow and to spray the back of things.

The white and chartreuse containers are from the kitchen department at IKEA, caddies that are meant to hook onto their utensil rails, they made great (cheap!) plant pockets...

Hard to believe it's so narrow when viewed from the side.

And yes, I will be taking down the Tillandsias to give them a nice soak in the sink every once and awhile, they do love a little swim time.

(Andrew's studio in the distance)

Yep, I am officially in love with my new green wall...

Weather Diary, Oct 11: Hi 70, Low 45/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2018 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

36 comments:

  1. What a brom collection the garden absorbed! Love this mass display.

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    1. Right? Imagine the trouble I could get into if they were hardy here!

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  2. Loree, you've carried off a lot of impressive design/function hacks, reusing cast-off objects and materials in ways that take advantage of their functional and visual qualities. But nothing so far has equaled the way this rack of suspended fencing simultaneously solves a big storage problem and creates a spectacular feature. It'll probably make you fussier about the arrangement of the rest of the containers you bring in, what with a garden on the wall to live up to!

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    1. Your comment made my morning, and you're right! I spent a little time today painting a pair of sonotubes that I'll be using for the Bromeliad tower plantings (the ones in the upside-down trash can lids). I just couldn't imagine looking at the ugly printing on the side of the tubes all winter. Now they're a lovely green, the same shade as our front door.

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  3. I have a vision of people who've never grown them heading out to nurseries and garden centers in October to buy bromeliads and air plants for the sake of the winter cheer alone... You may be starting something big here. ;>

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    1. Well the nurseries will thank me I suppose!

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  4. It looks amazing and that's not even why you created it.

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  5. Uh oh...I agree with Neil, you have stared something! I've worked hard over the years to winnow the number of plants that need protection in winter, and now I found myself thinking: just a few bromeliads and maybe another staghorn fern, and maybe I could have a mini-version of your wall! That is absolutely fabulous!

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  6. Just amazing and what is even more amazing is that you can keep these plants alive all winter long. You are quite the most brilliant gardener I have ever met.

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    1. You are far too kind Jenny! (but I appreciate your saying so, more than you can know)

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  7. I don't blame you for being in love with it, it's amazing. It's a good job Andrew has his studio down there or he may never see you.

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    1. Ha! Right? It will be interesting to see how much time we spend down there this winter.

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  8. Like everything you do, this is extremely well done! Only you could come up with a overwintering strategy that is as gorgeous as your garden itself. Love it!

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    1. Thank you Peter, but seriously? Your overwintering is pretty amazing too!

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  9. Beautifully done and impressive since it goes way beyond just moving the plants in. Making trips to the basement more fun isn't easy either.

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    1. Since we put a half bath in downstairs it's even easier to lose track of the time spend there...

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  10. You've just got me grinning from ear to ear... As other folks have said, it's brilliant.

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  11. Magnificent! Only your could turn storage into art. I think this is another element that needs to go into the garden/plant design book you're going to write someday. (For the record, I'll never stop nudging you in that direction...)

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    1. I appreciate the nudging and the vote of confidence Kris!

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  12. This is beautiful, Loree - you're brilliant!
    Do you really have SAD? Mine has come on early this year as it has been so rainy. Vitamin D drops help, but it'd be nice to have a few days of sun!

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    1. I think I do, at least when the sun sets at 4pm, and the grey all day was so thick you never even saw much light anyway. Luckily that's only for a few months...but I am a person who wants to be outside and when I can't be it's very difficult. I'm sorry your's has arrived early!

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  13. Well now that is a brilliant solution , which not only looks great but completely absolves you of the offense of buying too many plants. In fact I think there might be room for a few more !

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  14. That turned out pretty freaking fabulous! I love it, what a brilliant solution. That will be your winter happy place.

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    1. I think your right. Maybe I need one of those papasan chairs and I can just curl up and spend the day there.

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  15. Most beautifully "planted" basement I've ever seen. The shower curtain and the Ikea utensil caddies are outstanding ideas. You are so clever. All winter long that wall will no doubt lift your spirits. It has lifted mine.

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  16. This is absolutely amazing. Can hardly believe what I'm seeing.

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  17. That. Is. Fantastic. I might replace my gutter planters with a similar system next summer. A few things wanted more sun than I could give them, and this setup makes it easy to rotate things out.

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  18. You waved your magic wand, and...winter doldrums, BEGONE!
    rickii

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  19. I think Alison call it best: "pretty freaking fabulous!"
    This could be a permanent display, too good to take down.

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  20. OMG - how did I miss this! I love it! A solution I can wholeheartedly endorse - brilliant!
    ~Anna K

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