Tips for a beautiful balcony garden
This article is for people that don’t have the luxury of space or a yard, but do want a garden. You can make your own mini-garden that might be even more beautiful than big gardens if you just take the time to organize everything. Small balcony gardens are more intimate, useful, manageable, and very cute. Here are some tips about how to make your balcony your own piece of heaven.
1. First of all, you need to consider the climate that you live in. The weather is very important for any garden. Also, you need to consider the location of your balcony, and how much sun it gets daily. If your balcony is in shade all the time, the flowers might not succeed. When you’re purchasing the plants, always ask if they can grow in your particular climate. After knowing all of this, you can decide on what plants are suitable for your balcony. Choose what kinds of plants you want annuals or perennials. Annuals are the ones that survive during all seasons; perennials are the ones that last only one or two seasons. Generally, it’s nice to have a mix of both.
2. Start with a few plants, especially if you are new to the gardening thing. Buy 3-4 pots and then take care of them for a while so you can see if you can actually make the time to tend to them. Don’t fill your balcony immediately with lots of plants because you might get overwhelmed. Slowly add more and more pots, and enrich your little garden.
3. Make sure you have the right containers for the right plants. The different plants have different requirements that are compatible with their growth habits. The containers need to have drainage holes so the roots won’t rot and you can avoid over-watering. Putting saucers under the pots is also a good idea; this will prevent water from running all over your balcony. Also, you need to use potting soil that is designed for containers. If necessary, use compost too.
4. Add railing planters. Since you already have limited space, you need to think outside of the box. You can only put so many pots on the balcony before it’s full. Next step is to add railing planters. There are different types of railing planters some are designed to be mounted on the balcony railing some on the outdoor walls. There are also so many designs and shapes. You can even make so DIY railing planters. You can make railing planters from crates, jars, yogurt containers, tea cups etc.
5. Another option besides the railing planters are windowboxes and vertical gardens. These can fit in the tiniest places and give your garden a very rich look. You can buy these in the store, or you can come up with the most innovative ways and make them yourself.
6. Since you have a limited space, don’t grow flowering plants alone. This way you can have a few plants in one pot and they will look rich and beautiful. You can create different combinations, and you will be surprised with the results. A much known combination for these kinds of pots is called “Thriller, Filler, Spiller”. Thrillers are plants that are tall and upright and add height to the combination. Some thrillers are: Cosmos, Yucca, Ornamental grasses etc. Fillers are covering plants that fill the gaps between the two other plants. Some of them are: Petunia, Lantana, Begonia. Spillers are plants that spill over the edges of the pot. Some of them are: Fuchsia, Morning glory, Bacopa.
7. It is not recommended that you use more than 3 different colors in your balcony garden. This way, your garden won’t look over-cluttered. Better yet, choose one color and then add plants in different shades of that color. For additional harmony, buy all the containers in the same color.
8. Buy accessories. You can add pebbles and colorful stones to your pots to make them look more interesting. Get some bird feeders. Put them on the balcony fence and enjoy the song of the birds along with your peaceful garden. You can also add lanterns, or hanging planters. Be creative and put whatever you prefer.
9. Invest in some balcony furniture. Put a little table and a couple of chairs in your new garden oasis and enjoy your morning coffee with fresh air and smelly flowers. Add a little bookshelf if you like reading books, and have a relaxing afternoon there. It’s all up to you and your personal preferences.