Looking back...

On these first days of December I'm looking back on the past 11 months of balcony gardening. For a start, I've selected one plant portrait for each month. During the next couple of weeks, I'll write some posts about my balcony-tested favourites --  in case you'd like to try something new in your 2011 garden.

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Crimson Queen

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen' (Crimson Queen Laceleaf Maple)

To capture the best light on a grey, overcast day, I moved the red queen to the front of the balcony for these first two photos. Usually, though, this elegant tree occupies the sheltered back corner where she adds beauty, grace and -- especially this November -- brilliant colour.

A closer look at the foliage, "deeply cut and finely serrated, delicate and elegant" (Ezra Haggard's apt description; see links below) 

The manner by which 'Crimson Queen' marks the seasons -- purple for spring, bicolor for summer, bright red for autumn, then revealing its limb structure for winter -- makes it an all-season delight (Paghat's Garden).

Two months ago, 'Crimson Queen''s leaves were green and deep reddish-purple (September 2010) 

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen' delights from spring through fall and serves as a natural sculpture in winter. Foliage, form, and structure all combine to make it one of the most interesting trees for the garden. 'Crimson Queen' ... tend[s] to form shrubby mounds, wider than tall, 8' to 10' in height and 12' wide. Branches can be kept weeping all the way to the ground or be pruned up for a more tree-like, pendulous effect. The gnarled, twisted branches have their own beautiful pattern, creating a triangular shape that takes a while to come into its own....The foliage of 'Crimson Queen' is a deep reddish-purple, 5 to 9 lobes deeply cut and finely serrated, delicate and elegant....As the tree matures, the branches form a living sculpture, spreading outward and curving upward (Trees, shrubs, and roses for midwest gardens).

 

The balcony garden 3 years ago (September 2007)

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen' (Crimson Queen Laceleaf Maple) - in rear

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Inaba Shidare' (Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple) - front left

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass) - front right

Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen' receives my highest recommendation for the small garden. I purchased a two-to-three year old specimen from a community plant sale in 2004 and since then, this lovely Japanese maple has grown slowly in the same place in the semi-shady corner of my balcony.

My growing notes:

• Growing zone - 7-8 (Vancouver, BC); 'Crimson Queen' is hardy to Zone 5.

• Location on balcony - sheltered northwest corner, semi-shade.

• Container size - 13-inch (33 cm) diameter, glazed ceramic pot; however, 'Crimson Queen' will need to be repotted to a larger container before next spring.

• Soil - organic potting mix enriched with vermicompost; refreshed every spring.

• Age - Unknown but at least 8 years; I've had 'Crimson Queen' for 6 years (since June 2004).

• Pruning/Staking - I haven't done much pruning, other than remove dried branches. This autumn, though, I removed the bamboo stake, which had been promoting an upright habit; without this support, beginning with next spring's growth 'Crimson Queen''s leader branch should begin cascading down.

Recommended links for more information:

Google books excerpt from Trees, shrubs, and roses for midwest gardens by Ezra Haggard

Paghat's Garden

Gardener's World

Monrovia

Three for the balcony in autumn

Last Saturday morning, just before 8 am, I was beyond ready, eager and impatient to be on the road east to brighter skies, long walks & photo ops along Hope River Road and on Little Mountain, and, at the end of the day, a warm, tasty meal of homemade soup and pumpkin seed bread. But before leaving, I chose to exercise self-discipline (a weak muscle for me) and spent a good hour -- with the emphasis on good so it was really no hardship --  tidying and tending the balcony's plants, tools and surfaces.

After I'd finished clearing the dried leaves from the Japanese maples and sweeping the deck, sunlight began streaming through gaps between the clouds. Because I consider it a "sin" to waste a moment of good light in October, I dropped the broom and secateurs and picked up my camera so I could preserve the images of herbs that have delighted and nourished my senses through late spring, summer and now autumn.

Thymus 'Doone Valley' (Doone Valley Thyme) 

Rumex sanguineus var. sanguineus (Red-veined Sorrel, Bloody Dock)

Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' (Golden Oregano)

This post contains an experience-based recommendation -- and perhaps some evidence -- for including these three "5-star" plants in the fall kitchen garden.

Each plant gets stars for: #1) attractive appearance, #2) container suitability, #3) ease of care, and #4) culinary potential.

Each plant gets a fifth and one or more bonus stars for these features:

Doone Valley Thyme -- scent.

Red-veined Sorrel --  other common name: Bloody Dock!

Oregano -- exuberant, lush growth habit: it spreads, climbs and trails to fill and spill over a container.

Most of all, my eyes enjoy all three along the balcony's railing where they look good in all levels and qualities of light, even today's overcast grey.

Growing tips from some favourite resources

It's about thyme - from You Grow Girl

Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' | Golden Oregano - an excerpt from Designing an Herb Garden

The Macabre Beauty of Bloody Dock - from Paghat's Garden

Note: I eventually made it to my destination but that's the subject of the next post.