Mark’s Apartment Garden

Small space, huge garden!

Today we ’re visiting with Mark Klempner in Philadelphia .

I have a bit of a special position : I live in a rental flat with a substantial private garden . I ’m in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia . In 2016 I sold a large base with an even larger garden so as to have more sentence for other thing . I lucked out , though , and establish an apartment with a few hundred substantial foot ofoutdoor place .

I would have called this a barren wasteland , but having cared for a just about 1/3 - acre garden for year , I thought that improving this one seemed doable .

I started by bump off what little growth there was — someEnglish ivyand a small holly bush . Next , I bring in a truckload of surface soil and a lot of rocks forbed border .

Some friends a knot away had a immense amount of Wissahickon schist , a local stone , lying all over their backyard from a partial renovation of their home . They wanted to get free of it . I made about a twelve trips in my compact machine , driving tardily with what I palpate was a safe load each fourth dimension .

This being a near - totalshade garden , I had to concentrate on appropriate works , and of class could not grow many varieties that I was used to . For strong color I rely onimpatiens , begonias , coleus , caladium , and others .

Four potted banana plants really stand out too .

Since I ’m shade by white pines with shallow roots , in sphere without beds I use container . I ’ve bought quite a fewceramic pots , but I get more enjoyment from finding strange container , often in curbside methamphetamine hydrochloride or cheaply at yard sales .

Curbside hunting has also yielded a smashing amount of found objects that I set throughout the garden and enjoy more than the containers . get so much for so little money allows me to pass more at salvage store for sculptural items such as armillaries and an antique lightning rod cell .

A floatingflower arrangement

Looking down at the garden from above

Have photos to portion out ? We ’d love to see your garden , a exceptional collection of plant you bang , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to impose !

To reconcile , charge 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plant life in the pictures and where you read the photos . We ’d sleep with to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been garden , success you are gallant of , failure you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite industrial plant , or funny stories from your garden .

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