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Turning your outdoor balcony into a private, lush city garden is easy to achieve, provided you select plants that grow well in containers and care for them appropriately. Because of the limited growing space, make use of the horizontal and vertical quadrants to grow an array of tall and trailing plants. Before you begin, check with your local building’s code for the amount of weight your balcony can hold, and select containers and pots accordingly to prevent the balcony garden from becoming a structural hazard.
Apartment, townhouse and condominium dwellers may lack a yard for gardening. You can create your own container garden on a balcony using regular plant pots, 5-gallon buckets and even spare tires. Watering a balcony garden is messy, especially if you are using a regular garden hose. Building a drip irrigation system can be expensive, but you can create a simple system for balcony garden irrigation using used glass bottles. By converting the bottles into self-watering mechanisms, you will create an inexpensive and low-maintenance irrigation system.
In spring, both new and experienced gardeners flock to the garden for annual, perennial, fruit and vegetable plantings. The garden isn't the only place for growing, though, and may not be a choice for people with restricted space. Prepare pots and soil and choose the right flowers and vegetable plants to garden on even the shadiest balcony.
While most flowering garden plants require plenty of direct sunlight to facilitate photosynthesis and bloom prolifically, there are actually quite a few plants that thrive in shady, low-light conditions. Many of these plants also perform well in containers, making them excellent choices for a container garden on a shady balcony. If you're looking for flowering plants to add a little color to your low-light balcony, look no further than these gorgeous specimens.
If you live in an apartment complex and do not have a balcony, then about the only place you can grow a garden is up on the roof deck. Except for hauling planters up to the top level, the area is not a bad location. You will find areas with full sun on any roof, as well as some shade from a stairwell wall. This aids you in growing a variety of flowers or vegetables.
If you don't think you can garden because all you have is a balcony, think again. It's possible to create a fabulous container garden on a balcony, full of blooms, smells, herbs and vegetables. Add a comfortable chair and a small table to the mix and you can drink a glass of lemonade and read a book while you enjoy your beautiful garden. However, before you haphazardly buy plants and set them out on your balcony, carefully plan an arrangement that considers both aesthetics and the plants' sunlight needs.
A balcony is a good place to grow food for personal use if you have no other space. In fact by growing food in containers, you prevent some common issues that other gardens have to deal with, such as poor soil, diseases and certain pests. Planting the food is not a complicated process, but you do need to care for the plants and maintain soil moisture until the plants are grown. Potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, squash, carrots, okra, peas and cucumbers are among the food items you might try growing in containers.
Just because you live in an apartment or townhouse and lack garden space does not mean you cannot enjoy a personal garden. Transform your balcony into a garden to entertain guests or relax by yourself. Grow plants in different sized containers for added depth and dimension, and use trellises for vertical height. With a little imagination you can utilize the entire space or a portion of it to create a safe haven for your favorite plants.
Not all water gardens can be placed in full sunlight; most aquatic plants require full sunlight to thrive, but there are other options. With some planning and selection of shade-tolerant plants, it's easy to create a water feature that thrives in the shady areas beneath trees or even in containers on the porch. There's no need to compromise on the types of plants, either, as there are even shade-loving varieties of lilies and floating aquatics.
Tropical plants are native to areas with hot, humid climates and often require lots of sun and water to thrive. They are gardening favorites for adding color and visual interest to outdoor gardens but may struggle if their needs are not met. A balcony garden is an ideal location for these types of plants since it provides maximum light and water exposure. If weather is a concern, these plants may be grown in pots and brought indoors when necessary.
When it comes to decorating, many homeowners overlook the design potential of their balcony. As an outdoor space, there may be some challenges to finding the right decor for this area, but treating it as an extension of your home may help you decide on some creative ideas. You can also use your balcony's design to compensate for a small-sized yard by incorporating natural elements to go with the outdoor scenery.
Turning a small outdoor balcony into a lush garden takes minimal effort if you take advantage of plants that grow well in containers. Many garden plants grow well in a container garden and there are also plant varieties available that are hybridized specifically for pot culture. Choosing the right plants and caring for them correctly makes your balcony garden a success.
Potted balcony herb gardens allow people without yard space to grow herbs at home. An herb garden on the balcony requires very similar care to an in-ground garden, with a few slight differences.
Almost any plant that can grow in the ground can also grow in a pot on a balcony. Cold-sensitive plants can go indoors for the winter and move back to the balcony in the spring. If you prefer vegetable gardening, plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers or squash. If you like peaches and lemons, plant dwarf fruit trees. Flowers, tropical foliage, shrubs, succulents and herbs can also grow in pots.
Herb gardens can thrive on a balcony if the planters get enough sun exposure throughout the day. Grow herbs in containers on a balcony or patio with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video on gardening.
A balcony presents a challenge for the gardener. Balcony spaces typically present small, often narrow, areas. Any added structures must be temporary or easily moveable. In addition, the amount of sunlight available for growing plants is often limited. However, if you are creative and determined to exercise your green thumb, balcony garden design ideas and solutions exist that can work for most balcony gardeners
Just because your porch or balcony is shady doesn’t mean you can’t have a spectacular garden there. The trick is to understand exactly what kind of shade you have. Watch your balcony one spring or summer day or use a plant light meter to determine whether you have light shade, part shade or full shade. Light shade means the area gets between four and six hours of direct sun each day. Part shade means there are two to four hours of sun or dappled shade. If you have full shade, the area only receives indirect light.
Living in an apartment or high rise condominium doesn't mean you can't enjoy the beauty and serenity of a garden. Creating a balcony garden requires some imagination. Regardless of size, any balcony can be transformed into a garden paradise.
Even a standard-sized apartment balcony has room to grow a garden. Your task is to optimize this space to enjoy a nice garden, giving you a hint of nature in a dense living space. You can place your containers on dollies so you can move them around on the balcony.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a garden area, especially in urban areas. If you have a balcony, however, you can create your own garden retreat even though you are high above the earth. Balconies are often subjected to intense weather and strong winds, so special precautions have to be taken. Don’t be discouraged--follow a few tips and you can build a successful balcony garden.
Just because you don't have a yard doesn't mean you can't have a lush, colorful garden. If you have a balcony, you could have your very own paradise right outside your sliding glass doors.
