A Small Garden Obsession: December 2009

Welcome to my blog. I'm an enthusiastic, but decidedly amateur, gardener in Washington, DC (zone 7b). Long story short, after about a couple of decades with no more than a window box to fiddle with I moved to a townhouse (about a mile north of the White House) with a 12x16 second-story south facing terrace.

Even before the moving van arrived the promise of terra-not-so-firma, or more accurately terra caementum (anything close to dirt has been lugged up and down stairs and through my french doors) had me dreaming of what to do with this vast expanse of outdoor space. And as I'm prone to buy first and measure later, I purchased garden furniture even before moving in.

What started as a few pots the first year has grown into to a little ecosystem that endlessly frustrates and charms me. And through the lens of my Canon EOS 40d and a small orange leather bound notebook I've come to chronicle my successes and failures and what can be done in a container garden. As I've benefited greatly from the wisdom of the growing community of garden bloggers my hope is to share a bit of my experience and join in the conversation.

So, now for an introduction to my garden. The terrace is on the second story above a garage and enclosed on three sides with the fourth railed in about the garage door. Two sets of French doors open out onto the terrace. So, it's a bit of challenge to get a good shot of the whole garden (all 192 sq ft). Below are a couple of views of the garden taken in early July. They're taken from the perspective of the living room as well as the third story bedroom.