Originally posted on https://etspeaksfromhome.co.uk/2019/06/how-to-create-a-beautiful-balcony-space.html
Gardening requires a large area of fertile land with the ideal balance of sunlight and shade, good drainage, enough rain and little chance of frost. Right? No! Of course not! Gardening requires two things to succeed: a small space and enough patience to see the possibilities available. Even a window box is enough space to grow a few herbs or flowers.
With a balcony, you may only have a couple of square meters but there are lots of ways to create a fun outdoor space. Adding some colour is always a good start to any outdoor space and even with a small space, you can create a spectacular display. You don’t even have to be into gardening!
Start With the Basics
To create your beautiful space, you need to start with the basics. If you have balcony decking, you should definitely give it a good clean and hose down to remove any slimy green stuff that tends to build up and become slippery. Though a pressure washer will work, a stiff brush and a brush will work just as well. Once the balcony is clean, sanding and varnishing is an essential part of maintenance.
If you’re the kind of person who likes a lawn, you might want to consider putting down some artificial grass. This is a great solution because it is significantly less maintenance and won’t damage the planks below. You can order free samples online to see which grass type suits your taste. Do take the time to walk on each sample to see which is most comfortable for bare feet.
Plan Your Planting
There are lots of options for planting on balconies and though you probably won’t be growing any trees soon, you can pack a lot of plants into a small space if you try! Since you don’t have any beds to plant in, you will have to rely on pots. However, plenty of flowers and grasses are quite happy to live this way as long as you are willing to give them new pots and soil every few years to renew their nutrients.
When you are choosing your pots, please do keep the weight in mind. Terracotta is a heavy material so while plastic might not be in everyone’s good books right now, given it’s lightweight, plastic, or resin, is actually the best material in this case. If you can, look for tiered planters and hanging baskets you can suspend to create a vertical space. This will give you more room for plants without reducing the footprint of your balcony.
Picking the right plants is the next step. You will need to make sure that your plants have enough room in their pots to flourish Luckily, there are lots of plants to choose from including herbs, flowers, small shrubs and even Japanese Maples. The real trick is to combine different textures, colours and even scents to create displays. Any garden display is about capturing lots of different senses so feel free to mess about with a few options. However, do think about the size of your plants and plant according to how they will grow, not how tall they are now!
Make It Fun
Gardening requires a large area of fertile land with the ideal balance of sunlight and shade, good drainage, enough rain and little chance of frost. Right? No! Of course not! Gardening requires two things to succeed: a small space and enough patience to see the possibilities available. Even a window box is enough space to grow a few herbs or flowers.
Everyone has a different style for gardening but whatever you do, you should always make it fun. For some people, fun comes down to colour. Mixing up a variety of different flowers creates a great display. For example, contrasting bright orange marigolds with deep purple petunias will certainly create a striking effect. With smart planting, you can achieve year-round colour.
Adding fairy lights is always a brilliant way to add fun and vibrancy to any room and will certainly bring a sense of magic to any outdoor space. You can find all kinds of different shapes, colours and effects and, if you get solar-powered lights, you won’t even need to figure out how to plug them in. String your lights around the railing or drape them artistically from the floor above (if you have one!).
Quirky balcony decorations are also a good way to add maintenance-free fun to your balcony. Garden classics such as pink flamingos and gnomes are very kitsch but certainly no less fun for it. And, they are definitely back in fashion right now! If you aren’t naturally green-fingered, you might also consider adding a few fake plants to make your life easier and give you joy throughout the year.
Be Smart With Your Space
Because balconies are often so small, you will need to be even smarter with your space that other gardeners. Indeed, you may find that teaming up with a neighbour is a good way to split the cost of materials so that you can get a wide range of different plants to choose from. And, you will be less likely to end up with half a bag of compost left over!
As before, making full use of the vertical is absolutely essential for balcony planting. But don’t just think in terms of pots going up; using trailing plants that hang down will also create a fantastic effect. Equally, if you have railings to hang planters from, this will give you even more space to play with, inside your balcony and out. Railing planters are ideal for creating variety and hanging them at different levels will break up the view for you as well.
For most people, gardening is a long and gradual process that builds up over a few years and balconies are no different. Start with a few pots and then gradually build up your collection as you gain confidence in what you are doing. Over time, you might decide to replace some pots with other larger tiered pots, in which case, giving your old pots to new neighbours just starting out is a nice way to welcome them to the community.
Just like your apartment, your balcony should be an opportunity to express your personality and have fun. Go wild with different colours and styles, try growing plants you might not have tried before and treat the whole space as a project. Enjoy yourself!
