Welcome to the garden forum, hopefully here we can answer some of those simple queries that have become serious problems in your gardens...

Hey Jonathon, I've been reading your articles, and I must say there's alot I didn't know about gardening in general!

Be sure to post all of those amazing pictures you have on our photo gallery, I'd love to see more.

Hi Jonathan,

I often find that fresh Italian herbs are difficult to find in the supermarket, and if I do find them, I have to buy a quantity I do not often use. I want to grow at least my basil here in Singapore, and a few other basic herbs. I have a huge balcony, so I am hoping to keep flat pots to grow herbs. I do get a lot of sea breeze however, because the sea is less than a mile from where I stay, and I stay on a high floor.

Do you think it will be possible for me to grow basic herbs, and if so, how should I go about it?

Thanks is advance for your help,

Bubbles

hi, i smuggled a little snippet from my in-laws 5 years ago inr ome. and i do NOT know the name of this plant. however, my friend from israel saw it and said it was a prehistoric plant. it's kind of like a rubber plant; the leaves look like flower petals and sometimes little yellow flowers come sprouting out on an elongated stem from the leaves. it's very proliferate, i love it because it is so cheerful and very easy to grow. i started growing it with growth hormone at the beginning.
just was wondering if anyone knew its official name that is, if they know what i am describing.

Hi Bubbles, absolutely, yes and go for it is the immediate answer to that one. I had a tiny balcony in a town high up in the Dolomites and I was able to provide my kitchen with tomatoes, egg-plant, basil and a whole host of culinary herbs, providing an amazing visual effect for a few €uro. The trick is to prepare large vases with good soil and peat that can even be bought in bags from the garden centre. The young vegetable plants can be bought in spring, already well-established which need planting and cultivating like any other flower (water etc) Then a good liquid feed is necassary throughout the summer and you will have a cheap, original and delicious effect on your terrace. Some sunshine is essential as most vegetables require the energy to create their fruit. The sea air should maintain the temperature above freezing, so it can be considered an advantage as opposed to a dis-advantage! Happy gardening Bubbles!
Regards,
Jonathan. (www.web-ecologica.com)

Hi Dan, thanks for your interest! Indeed there is a lot more than meets the eye, regarding gardening and our intrinsic link with the cultivation of beauty over the centuries. If you like to see my photo gallery check out my site @ www.web-ecologica.com

Hi Micio, I don't recognise the plant from your description but maybe an investigation will lead us to the answer!
Are its leaves tough like a rubber plant and is it similar to a succulent, does it grow in walls or in rich moist soil, in sun or shade? Where are you, by the coast, North or South?
Regards,
Jonathan (www.web-ecologica.com)

the plant is very fragile, the leaves are rather tough, but the stems break off easily; also you can almost stick a stem into soil and it will grow. It needs fairly moist/rich soil. but quite easy to grow. probably partial shade/sun. they do well in the sun. i first got them in rome. but the leaves form a flower, sunburst type shape; they are very pretty; like green flowers. i'll do some research myself tho' i've tried before with no results.

Hi Jonathan:
I checked out your gardening website, and was very impressed!! I am sure gardening is much easier in Italy with the volcanic soil and its ability to produce.
Concerning my earlier question, I did find something similar online and it is called saxifraga porophyllum bertol; my plant is not quite as dense and compact and dark as this one but is very similar; my flowers are yellow but come out of the center very similar to this plant. The starburst effect of the leaves is almost exactly the same, but mine aren't quite as stiff and sturdy and the leaves are a prettier, lighter green shade.

Jonathan, sorry to have disappeared for a while...but my herb garden did not work out....the tropical climate in Singapore was possibly not good enough. I now have a small water fountain in my balcony and was wondering what sort of potted plants to put around it, and if I can put someplants into the fountain itself, the fountain water area is about 1.5 feet * 3 feet.

Would be grateful for any suggestions