Ideas for a balcony garden

What if you have the inclination to bring nature into a small urban space and you don’t have the traditional big garden? There is nothing stopping you from creating a balcony garden to fit what you have – many people have done it, and if you’re looking for ideas, we’ve scoured the internet and a very good gardening expert on these kinds of gardens for inspiration!

I’ve been interested in making a balcony garden since I have a balcony myself and I’m looking for ideas. As a tenant I’m very mindful that I can’t put down roots in someone else’s garden but I can do pot plants and other vertical garden structures.

There’s a lot of information out there on designing gardens for all kinds of verandas that are above the ground.

When faced with a small space people become inventive and do amazing things. I teach a little Chinese girl three times a week and they have a garden on the roof! That’s making the most of dense population lack of space in the city.

I spoke to Joy Phala, award winning landscape designer, founder of Organic Kitchen Gardens and JoysGardenClub about her tips for planting on a balcony and this is what she contributed to giving me three main tips for a container / balcony garden (in italics):

Plants will grow just about anywhere so when done right a container garden can turn a patch of concrete into a refreshing green oasis.

Here are my top three key elements to a successful container garden. 

1. Aesthetic appeal

It’s not enough to just collect plants in pots, one has to bear in mind the entire arrangement of the space,  the choice of pot colour and shape,  and the planting combination. 

In a small garden it’s always better to keep a consistent shape and colour in your pots to avoid a cluttered look. After all you are trying to create a space that brings you peace and not emotional frustration or a stressful undertone. 

Take inspiration from the architecture of your home when choosing your pots, classical urns belong in a more traditional home and will feel out of place in an urban chic apartment. 

As you can see, you can attach plant pots to all sorts of things. You can hang them, you can hook them. You can use iron railings. You can make use of wood.

If you feel like going colourful here’s some coloured pots from Wish.

Here’s a vertical pot garden structure from Takealot:

Choose a colour scheme. Avoid creating a seven colour garden ( this is only ok for Sunday lunch and Moms house), choose 3 or 4 colours and stick to them, this will help you create a more balanced look and feel. 

Layer your planting for a fuller garden look. A combination of small trees and shrubs, perennial colour and herbs lots of herbs.  My go to fruit trees for pots are lemons, pomegranate and fig. Salads and herbs are so easy to incorporate in the container garden it’s almost sinful not to. Fill the base of your container fruit trees with oregano,  thyme,  and sage. Plant rosemary, blueberries, and bayleaf for shrubby layer and finish off with your favourite cutflowers; some easy indigenous ones include Agapanthus sp, Crinum macowanii, Chlorophytum bowkeri, Watsonia borbonica and Gladiolus crassifolius. 

Here’s some vertical hanging bags: You can apparently use it with everything from tomatoes and strawberries to herbs and green plants.

2. Good soil preparation

When planting in pots avoid straight up garden soil. Over time this soil will compact and compromise the airflow and movement of water in your pot causing plant stress which leads to disease and pests. Potting soil has better aeration overtime. An additional layer of nutrients in the form an organic balanced slow release fertiliser is a must.

3. Reliable source of water

Creating a garden, any type of garden is an investment. Having a reliable source of irrigation is insurance against that investment. Connect your container garden to your existing automatic irrigation. If Automatic irrigation is not possible, incorporate a watering session as part of your morning routine or an after work wind down routine. It helps to have a stunning watering can to inspire you to get this task completed. Stick your finger in the soil mix and if the top 3 cm of soil is dry it means it’s time to water. 

For an in-depth look at container gardening, checkout the course on Container Gardening at  JoysGardenClub.com  

You can also find Joy on Instagram.

Here are some more examples of what people are doing on their balconies…

Climbing plants

If you want to be surrounded by greenery this is a lovely way to do it. Creeping plants can surround you with peace and tranquility. Check out these lovely balconies:

Smart pot plants

We’ve already mentioned pot plants but some people have some really neat ideas not only for positioning but also function:

You can surround yourself with greenery like this picture:

This series of vertical pots that also doubles as a compost system: the garden tower:

Creating green spaces in a modern world is the way of the future where we want to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Choose to brighten up your balcony garden and share your greenery with the world. It might just give you a better view. It may even invite some visitors in.

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Responsival.

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