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TTTT: Realizing It's Too Hot
The palm has done okay--the exception
The large balcony on the east side of the house has always been difficult. The balcony is the roof of the very comfortable patio on the ground floor, but I regret that we did not have a solid roof built over the balcony, because it has always been too hot to enjoy, even though it is on the east (morning sun) side of the house. The reflected heat from stucco walls and the tile floor reflect heat and also hold heat, even in winter. I've tried various plants to make the balcony more comfortable, and they have either died or struggled.
Even heat-loving Bougainvillea struggles. Yes, flowers, but it has almost no foliage at the moment even after a wonderfully rainy winter. I'd tried an 'Iceberg' rose previously: disaster.
Even the Agave is fried
Poor sad Podocarpus and lemon 'Eureka'. I watered and watered, but they suffered. They were placed in this particular spot to screen the neighboring home's windows from our bathroom windows.
Pittosporum planted behind our wall have finally grow enough to provide the necessary screening, so the Podocarpus and pathetic little lemon tree are now no longer needed.
Neighboring house now nicely screened
The Podocarpus and lemon could be thrown out. I feel bad about doing that: Cruella de Flora. I moved them where the Box O' Pothos was, where there is some shade from the pergola.
Some measure of shade...
though the only way they could possibly recover would be in the ground.
The plan was for the Senecio radicans to create a curtain spilling down from the balcony. Too hot! Too hot!
Put it out of its misery already.
The Senecio had actually grow over into the Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) trough, which is the most shaded place on the balcony--though due to reflected heat, it is still a very warm location. Perfect for Pothos, actually.
Nice tree views from the balcony. If only it were more comfortable.
Need to think on it more, though reality has finally hit: plants don't work. They don't, don't, don't. Except in the shadiest spots, Pothos and Palm, (Chamaerhops humilus var cerifera)
Tell The Truth Tuesday is a Bonny Lassie meme that helps gardener bloggers improve parts of their gardens by getting them to take the first step: thinking about which parts of their garden are so embaressing they never get blogged about.
Perhaps a collection of quirky art will work here? Hmm...I never thought of it as making people improve the bad stuff. I just wanted everybody else to be as embarrassed as me. I love Cruella de Flora!
ReplyDeleteJust trying to look on the bright side. I'm embarrassed as you, maybe even more so!
DeleteCruella de Flora...I'm going to be smiling about that one all day...
ReplyDelete:^)
DeleteThat's a bummer. Is there any way to rig up a sun shade or umbrella up there, and maybe add an outdoor rug to cut the glare and heat of the time floor? It is a great viewing spot!
ReplyDeleteYes, time to look at the sun shade solution. An outdoor rug is a good thing to try also--thanks for the idea!
DeleteLooks like hardscape solution is called for. I would love an east facing patio, but you clearly have more summer heat .
ReplyDeleteWell heat for more days of the year. I think your summer temps are rather higher than here, but our summer is--at least half the year if not more...
DeleteWow, now that is hot. Such a shame with such a nice view of the tree tops. You could watch for bird migration up there if it was comfortable. My lemon tree looks just like yours. I should toss it but a friend gave it to me. I wish it would do better. I just don't have the right conditions for it.
ReplyDeleteThe poor lemon tree needs more fertilizer than I give it, so you might try bumping up that to green up the foliage. They are quite hungry plants even in the ground, let alone in a pot.
DeleteWe can see woodpeckers in the Eucalyptus, that is always fun, and hawks often perch up there in the tallest trees as well. The occasional owl at night--the silhouettes and the hooting.