Designing a green space on your balcony or patio not only improves your well-being by bringing nature closer to you but also adds a touch of beauty while also providing fresh food for your kitchen. As the spring ushers in a new season, here is what experts suggest on how to create a garden on your balcony in four easy steps.
Start by doing some preliminary research and inspecting the space
Before you begin, double-check your building's guidelines to ensure that you are permitted to erect trellises in your area. It's worth checking to see if you can paint your balcony's sidewalls as well.
Then, based on your local environment, find out what you can plant. Next, decide which plants are most suited to your area, as each balcony presents its own set of obstacles.
Jane Cumberbatch, an interior and garden designer, and author recommends considering your balcony as an extension of your living area: "Regardless of how little, it's about treating your outside space as if it's an extension of your interior, no matter how many levels above ground level. Folding seats and a table to eat and drink at, as well as a place to read a book, are required."
For a back-to-nature or cottage garden vibe, Cumberbatch suggests painting your balcony a sludgy garden green, or simply white for a more modern effect. "Think about how you could use the walls or railings as supports for climbers like a fragrant jasmine or honeysuckle," she continues.
Decide what to plant
You'll need to figure out what you're looking for: Is it because of the colors of the flowers? Greenery? Or perhaps a fresh-foods-only outdoor garden?
"If you enjoy flower-filled containers but don't have much sun, Impatiens is your plant," says Josh Kirschenbaum, vegetable accounts manager at PanAmerican Seed. They have a lot of flowers and come in pink, violet, and red colors, as well as white for contrast.
Alternatively, a "Shangri-La" Philodendron with big split-leaf branches and a tropical appearance can transform your balcony into a true hideaway." For a burst of emerald beauty, try these types.
Leafy greens and herbs, most gardeners believe, are the finest introductions to growing your food for tiny spaces and container gardens. Tomatoes can be grown in a pot, but they can also be grown in larger containers.
You don't need a lot of areas to cultivate fruits and veggies. Cumberbatch recalls, "Last year, I got my daughter an apple tree. It came in a four-liter pot with two or three apples already on it."
Get the necessary items
It's always a good idea to scour flea markets for unusual pieces that can double as planters or extend your indoor design strategy to your outside environment.
Choose pots and planters—perhaps an old ladder as a shelf alternative—and an overall color palette from garden centers and home decor stores. "The container size should be large and strong enough to retain enough soil volume for the plant and its root system," Kirschenbaum says. Furthermore, larger pots hold more moisture, therefore containers require more watering than plants growing in the ground."
Make an effort to help the environment
Consider designating a corner of your kitchen or outside space to compost, keeping the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mentality in mind. "Composting feeds home plants and balcony containers, decreases household waste, and saves you a trip to the dumpster," according to Gail Pabst of the National Garden Bureau.
Pabst recommends growing Verbena flowers to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and bees to your balcony if you want to create natural habitats.
Additionally, lavender is not only beautiful and fragrant, but it is also a favorite of bees, so you'll be helping to spread the richness of spring from your balcony garden to the rest of the world.
