• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Polish Housewife

Polish recipes served up with tidbits of folklore, customs, and history

  • Home
  • Polish Recipes
    • Polish Breads
    • Polish Soups
    • Polish Mains & Sides
    • Polish Desserts
    • Polish Pantry
    • Polish Beverages & Liqueurs
  • For Diabetics
    • T2DM – Mains and Sides
    • T2DM – Desserts
    • T2DM – Menu
    • T2DM – Tips and Techniques
    • T2DM – Products I Use
  • Travel
    • PH Tour Groups
    • Planning Your Trip
    • Destinations in Poland
    • Destinations near Poland
    • Travel with Pets
  • Store
  • Poland in USA
    • Polish Festials
    • Polish Stores/Delis
    • Polish Restaurants
    • Polish Churches
    • Polish Clubs
  • About
  • New? Start Here

My Neighbors’ Patios

July 5, 2011 by Lois Britton 7 Comments

Apartment life brings new pastimes.  I’m not sure what’s the proper term here in Polish apartments – balcony, patio, terrace.  In Spain, they were terrazas.  I’ll use patio because that’s what we would call them in AZ.   Anyway, the apartments in our area all have them, and I’m very grateful.  I love being able to step outside for fresh air, to grow some tomato plants, or sit outside and read.

From our kitchen window, we have a good view of the front of the next building.  That brings me to my new pastime.  I rate and rank  my neighbors patios.  How would you place them?  Surprisingly, the penthouse is not in first place.  That honor goes to the folks on the lower left.

 
Yes, that one with all the greenery.  I love the trellises and their use of the vertical element.  Our friend, Woody, looked at an apartment in this building.   I explained my new hobby to his wife Gail when she helped me get plants for our patio and said, “you know what that means?  If you lived there, I would have been judging your patio.”

The preference in Poland seems to be for planting only one kind of flower – all red geraniums or all purple petunias.  I prefer to mix colors and textures.  We have a mix of flowers, foliage, herbs, and three busy tomato plants.

I know what the folks across the way must be saying about me.  “Her trellis with that scraggly vine is crooked; it’s driving me crazy.”

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

Share this...
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Reddit
  • Whatsapp

Filed Under: Daily life

Previous Post: « Filharmonia Poznanska Performs the Music of 007 at Malta Lake
Next Post: Wisniak (Polish Sweet Cherry Liqueur) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. tralf

    July 6, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Love your patio. It looks cheerful.

    Reply
  2. madkasia

    July 6, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    ahh – Polish balconies!
    It makes me all sentimental!
    I like how people use their balcony to express their personality. A couple years ago when I was in Poland during Euro Cup there were Polish flags on every balcony! I put it in my blog
    http://takiesobieklikanie.blogspot.com/2008/08/o-ppacu-bocianach-i-takich-tam.html
    It was back when I didn't blog in English 😉

    Reply
  3. Lois B

    July 6, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Tralf – thanks; I really enjoy it.

    madkasia – just checked out your balcony/flag post. You've got the storks too! So far, I've only caught a glimpse of the top half of a stork on a golf course.

    Reply
  4. Melinda

    July 6, 2011 at 4:51 pm

    Oh, you crazy Americans! 😉

    Reply
  5. Stardust

    July 7, 2011 at 5:38 am

    I think geraniums are the most popular plants in Poland:) at least for the balconies. My father use to have them really beautiful and when anybody ask what's the secret, he use to say "you have to talk to your plants, give them love". I think he was right:)) So I keep talking to my petunias, marigolds and impations. But the most talking I do with my plumerias, which are the size of

    Reply
  6. Lois B

    July 8, 2011 at 11:14 pm

    Melinda – back at ya 😉

    Stardust – plumerias, I'm jealous!

    Reply
  7. bill

    November 5, 2011 at 7:55 am

    Nothing more manly then seeing a patio with a bbq.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Lois Britton

Welcome – Witam!

Hi, I'm Lois; welcome to Polish Housewife! Here you'll find my culinary and cultural adventures in Poland and in the USA.
Zapraszamy! Click here…

Polish recipes sent to your inbox!

* = required field

Looking for something special?

The Polish Housewife Cookbook – order your autographed copy here!

Footer

  • Privacy Policy
my photos on tastespotting
Living in Poland
my foodgawker gallery
Poland Blogs

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework