PLOT OUT A BALCONY
Greening up a balcony or roof space can be a challenge in terms of design and plants to choose, but once the practicalities are sorted, it’s an ideal spot for getting creative
1 INDOORS AND OUT
A balcony is an extension of your interior, so keep the look harmonious by matching flower tones to the colour schemes of rooms that lead out onto it. Blur the boundaries by placing houseplants close to a door or window or, if your balcony leads from the kitchen, grow a living pantry with edible plants and herbs.
2 WEIGH IT UP
Stone, concrete and terracotta pots can be heavy, especially once filled with damp compost and plants. Always check how much weight your balcony can take and choose lighter fibreglass, plastic or galvanised steel and specialist lightweight compost (try Growlite from green-tech.co.uk) mixed with water-retaining granules.
3 TAKE CARE
Be prepared to give plants growing in containers extra TLC – they will need to be fed and watered more often than those in the ground. Top dress regularly – replace a couple of inches of compost with new compost and mulch – and repot every few years. Raise pots off the ground with pot feet (slate, timber or even the lids from empty jars will do), to help drainage.
4 CREATE A WINDBREAK
Plants on balconies can be very exposed to weather conditions and can become wind scorched and dry out. Give them shelter by incorporating a trellis cloaked with tough climbers such as ivy, climbing hydrangea or Clematis alpina, and include planters filled with conifers, such as Pinus mugo. Wafting grasses – try anemanthele, miscanthus and calamagrostis – are resilient and will provide texture and movement.
5 INTEREST ALL YEAR
Using plants that will create year-round colour and interest is key in these tiniest of outdoor spaces, as you don’t want your balcony to look bereft in winter. Box (Buxus sempervirens), bay (Laurus nobilis), fatsia, olives (Olea europaea), lavender and thyme are all ideal for growing in pots.
6 EVERGREEN EDIBLES
If you want to grow fruit and vegetables, just as with any small garden, opt for plants that earn their keep, that you can crop from for a long period of time. Herbs are more suitable than traditional vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes or carrots, which offer little yield for the space they take up. Oregano, sage, mint, rosemary and thyme are all perennial, can be grown in wall plant sleeves (Verti-plant from burgonandball.com, £7.99/two 12-pocket planters, below right) and can be interspersed with annual basil, dill or parsley. Chilli peppers are also useful, as are cut-and-come-again salads, alpine strawberries in hanging baskets and microgreens in a window box – they should be ready to harvest just 14 days after sowing seed; try dill, coriander, beetroot and radish.
7 PLANTING FOR IMPACT
Keep it simple and make a statement by curating containers and flower colours, mixing similar tones of long-flowering perennials and annuals with white or green. Or you could make a bolder impression by combining three or four contrasting colours. Also consider choosing flower and leaf shapes – think about how they will look when they’re planted together – it’s all about finding perfect partners. Finish off by underplanting with bulbs to extend your pot’s interest earlier and later in the season.