Balcony Gardening

Soon after I arrived in Japan, I decided that I would try gardening in pots on my apartment's balcony. I used help my mother with her large flower gardens at my father's house during my childhood years. I loved helping with my father's vegetable garden, too.

During those the first years, I tried tomatoes, cucumbers and numerous flowers. However, the heat from the mid-day sun is just too hot on my balcony. I live in is concrete apartment building and it just retains the heat from the sun. In mid-summer, the soil in the flowerpot dries out too quickly on my balcony. There were numerous insects that attacked my balcony garden and all too often the plants died.




I love the delecate flower of a blooming orchid cactus. As a result of numerous trials with many varieties of flowers, I found that the plants that grow with very few little problems are numerous varieties of cactus and amaryllis.




I have been growing amaryllis from the large bulbs and enjoying them because the parent bulb has baby bulbs. These baby bulbs grow after transplanting them to a larger flowerpot. In a couple years, the baby bulbs grow large enough to have a large flower.

I have given many of the lovely plants to family and friends. They are all having successful flowers, too. I think one of the reasons that I can grow amaryllis so successful is because they flower before the very hot summer season.



No matter how small of a space you have, watching a flower or plant grow brightens your day.

more later...