Hope this topic fits here. A while ago, I posted this as a reply on "What would you do"? I responded with the following:
Vertical gardening is becoming very popular because you really can grow more in a small area. All you need are some trellises, arbors, even pergolas or fencing between poles. The benefits are less weeding in vertical beds, spaces and pots; few maintenance chores, improved air circulation and less risk of plant diseases and pests. Easier tending and harvesting at eye level. Less bending and less backbreaking work. Larger yields in a compact space.
There's a book by Derek Fell (he's written about 60 books on gardening and he's also an accomplished photographer) on Vertical Gardening. He's designed gardens all over the world. See if you can find it in your library. I bought this book about 4 years ago; and guess what, he's coming to my area to give a talk. I am planning on going and having him autograph the book.
Update to today:
My girl friend picked me up at 7:30 - and it was cold - to attend the annual Botanical Fest at FIT (Florida Institute of Technology). Vendors come from all over the state. We got a couple of things and then headed to the seminar which was held at Rock City Gardens - a stunning nursery on US1 close to Vero Beach (a bit of a drive). However, he had to drive over from Sanibel Island, where he had bought another property and experiments with various fruits and vegetables; his big farm in Bucks County, PA is where he does most of the field trials.
Anyway, four years ago I bought his book; had to go to England for my mother's funeral and took the book with me. I managed to find the time to read it carefully all the way through -- and found a mistake. Derek grew up in England, as I did (war time) and we are the same age. He wrote that "he created a composted pile as instructed by his grandfather, using wood ashes from the fireplace, tea leaves and coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, and horse manure collected in a bucket after the milkman delivered milk each morning from a horse drawn cart." I remember the horse drawn carts with vegetables and my mother was always out there with a shovel and a bucket - waiting !
Anyway, I read the paragraph over again, and found a mistake; we never did have coffee grounds in England during those war years ! The only coffee available was "Camp Coffee", in a bottle, made from chicory.
I found an email for him on the internet and wrote him about that. I received a reply that I was right, that there were no coffee grounds ..... and it was a slip of memory owing to the fact that he uses lots of them in his compost now.
I kept the emails - and after his talk this morning I asked him for his autograph. He asked how I spelled my name (which is Elfrieda) - and I showed him the email. We had a good laugh.
And - oh yes - this nursery was having a super good sale on all geraniums. All colors - gorgeous and healthy and even the ivy geraniums (my favorite for hanging baskets). The price: 99 cents each !
My girls friend and I filled up the back of her station wagon. Now I have to figure out where to put them all --- I got carried away.
