A tiny but cherished balcony garden, or rather the idea of it, was what persuaded me to buy the tiny apartment in the famous mediaeval town of Brielle, on the isle of Voorne.
Yes, when you live in the delta of a delta, you live on an island, naturally. Voorne is made an island by the North Sea, the Voorns Kanaal and the river Brielse Maas. Except some planning nitwits thought to put a dam in a perfectly good river, 'great for tourism' and thus turned it into a 'lake', the Brielse Meer, and oh my what an utterly stupid idea that was. It turns this lake into a green sluggish smelly soup in summer, where it is unadvisable to swim because it gives you a rash, a headache and turns your intestines to mush.
Enough about nitwits, back to gardening. Having viewed my future garden on a dreary wet day in February, it was pleasantly warm June 2018 when I could finally move in and get gardening. I was told to mind the weight I put on the balcony, and that plants taller than 50 cm were not allowed. Also, no drilling in the walls! That did narrow down my options somewhat: the wildlife pond, and trellis full of climbers I had envisaged were not to be. I was stuck with planters. So I splashed out on some nifty Elho railing planters (a good investment, as they withstand gale force 9 without flying off onto the cars parked below - this has been proven at least 6 times in the last 3 years) and a totally useless trellis-on-a-wooden-planter (It's too small to be effective). And then I schlepped ten 20 l bags of soil to the 3rd floor and made blissful trips to every garden centre around for 30 km.
Having come from a cottage garden, I turned to my favourites. That first summer I planted:
Althea rosea , Aster amellus, Bellis perennis, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus, Erica carnea and E. cinerea, Euonymus fortunei, Fatsia japonica, Festuca glauca, Fuchsias, Gladiolus blandus, Hosta undulata and H. fortunei, Hydrangea macrophylla and H. paniculata, Ilex aquifolium, Impatiens sultanii, Lavandula, Lobelia erinus, Lonicera tellmanniana , Petunia, Rosa canina, Rosmarinus, Scabiosa, Verbena, Viola and a large selection of herbs (I like to cook). On a 3x4m balcony? Absolutely! The bees and hoverflies quickly found my garden and so did the birds. And my neighbours shook their heads, tut-tutted, pronounced me an idiot (secretly) and told me I would have to pay for damages when my garden landed on their cars downstairs (to my face). I could just fit a seat in between the pots and spent many a happy contented hour watching the swifts swooping over the roof of the block of flats opposite, and the seagulls roosting and rearing a chick on their chimney. Books and beer on the balcony, life was sweet. And then a heatwave struck.
Dutch heatwaves typically last for 2 days. This one lasted 3 months. Around 11:30, the sun swept onto my garden and hammered my plants until sundown. Temperatures rose to 40 degrees, 38 degrees indoors. I could hear my garden shrivel up, even though I watered at 7 a.m. and again in the dark at night, being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Sleeping became difficult, for I needed the doors open for air at night, but legions of insects just loved my bedroom.
The first to give up the ghost were the Fuschias. The Scabiosa, Verbena and Hydrangeas wilted during the day and stood upright in the morning, only to start to droop again after 2 p.m. The Honeysuckle dropped all its buds in protest. The gorgeous Daisy a friend brought as a housewarming gift screamed you must be joking and wilted within a fortnight. Thankfully the Roses and Lobelia did a bit better, and the Hostas and Fatsia clung to their dignity. But the real die hards turned out to be the herbs. My Mint, Basil, Lavender, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme thrived in that sun. I sang them the Simon & Garfunkel song every night when watering, that must have done the trick.
#thedutchdeltagardener #gardening #gardenblog #gardenblogger #gardeningistherapy #girlswhogarden #elho
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