How To Turn Your Balcony Into A Beautiful Garden
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Turn Your Small Space Into A Colorful Garden
When I moved into my top floor Maisonette, the one thing that I really missed was having a full length garden. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by trees and hedges, fields and a large allotment right next door. But there's nothing like being able to sit down among all the lovely flowers and plants, feeling the grass under my feet and listening to the wildlife in the trees nearby.
Don't get me wrong, I love it where I live, completely enclosed by the sound of birds, and gardners digging a few yards away from me, but I did miss the space. Luckily I have two balconies, one at the front that I use for storing spades and flower pots, and the other at the back leading out from my living room. The view is just lovely.
A stretch of green grass, ending in hedgerows, squirrels up the tree, and my most beautiful view, the Kite, a wonderful bird of prey with gold feathers and yellow beak. But still, when its a hot day, I need my flowers. So that's why I decided to bring the garden to me. In How To Turn Your Balcony Into A Beautiful Garden I will show you how easy it is, and you don't have to spend a fortune on expensive equipment.
Trellis Fence
I don't mind seeing the balcony next door, but I really wanted to use something at the end of my balcony to give us just a little bit of privacy, but not block out their sunlight. So I took a trip to the Garden Centre. I could actually stay there all day, its like a little piece of heaven on a rainy day. There were garden statues, pot plants, exotic flowers and so many shrubs that I had no idea what they were, but were gorgeous.
Eventually I spotted the trellis fence section and headed over to see what I could buy. There were so many different styles. And what I liked most was that you could either get them cut down to size, or in my case, find one that fit perfectly! I just love this one, it is on my neighbors balcony. It is perfect.
Enough light comes through to keep both balconies clear, but enough privacy to have my own little haven. I have one at the moment, but haven't put it up yet. A trellis fence this size is really cheap, just a few dollars. All she had to do was fit a bit of garden wire around the lower part, and attach it to the balcony joints. When the sun is shining down it leaves a lovely latticed pattern over the whole balcony. I will put mine up in a few weeks time just before I start placing the plant pots outside.
Sweet Peas
My favorite flower in all the world is the Sweet Pea. The smell is just wonderful. So I added as many as I could. it was easy to do. Just plant them in a long container and attach them as they grow, to a piece of thin wood. Also bought from the garden centre.
Each and everyone of them grew so high they ended up cascading down over the balcony. And when I opened my back door the smell just wafted through, and made my whole house smell like summer.
Sweet Peas are probably the easiest flower to grow as you can plant them more or less anywhere and they keep on coming up again. I will be the first person to admit that I am useless at knowing the names of plants, or how to grow them, but after a bit of coaching from my friend, I seem to have got the hang of it now!
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Coleus
We have always had Coleus plants in our house. Mainly dotted around the window ledges and by the front door. In fact one of them is so big, visitors have to virtually step over it to come in! But they are a really good perennial plant. They originate from hotter climates such as Africa, Australia and Asia, but seem to do better in shady areas.
In colder climates they are annual plants. They adapt very well to a nice shady warm spot on a balcony in summer. They are really easy to grow, simply sprinkle the seeds onto the surface soil and press them down. Don't cover the seeds as they need light to grow.
To keep them moist, spray with water then cover them with see through plastic, or just plant them in the ground, and lightly spray with water. It will take about two weeks for them to appear.
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Mix and Match Flower Containers
The one thing I love about my balcony is the fact that I can fit up to four containers within it. Small ones to the left and right, and larger ones for the length. Once again all it takes is a trip to the garden centre, and you will be well away.
But of course you don't need to buy containers. I have seen some wonderful displays of flowers placed within an old tyre. All you need to do is cut the tyre in half, add the soil and peat and voila' a wonderful, novel container. I remember seeing a bright yellow one, that had been painted. Can you imagine a garden full of multi colored tyres full of flowers? Wonderful!
Green Fingered or Light Fingered Gnome!
Now the trouble is, when you have an amazing garden, whether it be outside your back door, or on your balcony, there is always going to be a trouble maker trying to steal your plants! I mean, lets be honest here! You lock the front door, hide the key, check that dogs and cats can't come in and mess up all your hard work. But then suddenly you hear a noise,and, creeping towards the door, you fling it open and catch the thief in the act! Bam! Like a rabbit in the spotlight! Or in this case, a green fingered gnome trying to pick a leaf for his tea!
So I hired the Heavies!
Well, what was I supposed to do? Its bad enough trying to keep the plants safe from insects, mold, bad weather and just about anything else! I knew they existed, but for goodness sake go and bother someone else will you.
So I did the only thing I could think of! I got in touch with Gnome Investigations and they said they would send me their best Gnome bouncers! Trouble is, nobody told me that they were a sullen lot. I tried to get them to smile, but to no avail. Until I took the photo!
Hanging Baskets and Attached Flower Pots
The one thing that you need on a small balcony is space. You need to be able to sit outside, and also tend to the flowers. As you can see from the photo, I have placed another coleus in the attached pot.
This is a great way to make the most of your balcony, and of course not clutter up the floor area with too many pot plants. I also have a hanging basket, which I recently bought. They are easy to attach.
For the hanging basket, don't just bang a nail into the wall, it needs to be bracketed properly. I asked my friend to do it for me. One reason being that I am so short I didn't want to fall over the balcony! Lovely flowers, shame about Nell! lol!
With the balcony bracket, you can either place a nail, which isn't very nice to look at, or in this case I used a coat hook. It was perfect, and completely fitted into the slot in the back of the pot. You can buy these pot holders from the garden centre. They make a wonderful addition to your balcony garden.
Who Needs A Garden? We Do!
My balcony area is approximately 6ft by 4ft. But by incorporating different pots, flowers, plants and of course those wonderful gnomes, its seems to be much bigger. I also have a lovely view over the balcony, so by adding my little patch of garden, it feels as though I am part of the whole picture. Don't worry about over cluttering it. As long as you have enough room to sit, or walk around, then its never too much.
A couple of years ago, most of my plants were actually herbs. I potted them inside the house and as they started to grow, we took them outside. I don't have a lot of gardening knowledge but somehow I managed to produce some wonderful Mint, Parsley and Thyme. The Mint was gorgeous! I could smell it when I opened the door, and couldn't resist bringing some inside. I kept rubbing the leaves in my fingers, and it smelled gorgeous.
Then I remembered reading somewhere that Mint was a good way to get rid of flies! So I brought some in, and attached it to the living room light. Luckily my light is one of those that has blades and a tassle cord, so I tied the Mint to the cord. At first the flies were curious, then after a few days they were gone! Talk about result! Beautiful garden balcony, lovely herbs and no flies! Winner!
I have also got a bird table in the left hand corner, where I can sit and watch the birds come to feed. Its amazing how quickly they get used to you sitting there. As long as you are quiet, and don't move too quickly, they will stay there for ages. I have actually sat there when the tiny Gold Crest birds decided to come and take a look. They are so small, I was desperately trying to get my camera, without scaring them!
And the squirrels have been known to climb up my balcony, rush across the back ledge, and grab the food! Then jump down, scurrying back across the grass, and up the tree! All I need now is a Kite to come over for a quick bite and I'm history! lol! Have you seen the size of their wingspan?
Seriously, If you want know How To Turn Your Balcony Into A Beautiful Garden, without spending a fortune, just try out some of the tips above. You really don't need a huge space to have a garden you can be proud of.
Links
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Very inspiring hub and useful for us. I love gardening and your information help us to turn our balcony into a beautiful garden is awesome. I love all pictures here. Have a good job and rated up!
Blessing,
Thanks Alicia, I have told my gnomes to behave or I will let the gargoyle get them! he keeps a very watchful eye on them! haha!
Thanks so much pras, I love my balcony, and put as many flowers out there as I can get! have a great weekend, nell
I do this too and I have a lot of yard. It just is so much easier and fun. I pick up decorations at yard sales and pick up wind chimes I come across to make noise to keep cats and animals scared away (plus look good). Love your coral geraniums!
Thanks for some great tips Nell. I just recently moved to a house with a small very neglected back garden. I dont want to spend too much on it because I did that in my last two places. But it is a waste, when you have to move.
I hope to turn the scrubby lawn into a mini wildflower meadow. I want to get loads of butterflies and bees. So I think that will work. I have put some roses in large pots with some bulbs. That should give me some spring colour.
Your sweetpea suggestion is one I will adopt. If I put a load of them outside the kitchen door, There will be lovely scents wafting in the door in the summer.
You have created such a lovely space. I love it! I am just waiting until spring... anxious to get out in the garden. You have given me much inspiration for my deck. Thank you.
You have so much more control over a balcony garden than a traditional one. The gnomes are great. Voting this Up and Useful.
I love gardening but with everything else going on I'm pretty bad about neglecting my plants. I do some trimming and all but mostly I just let it grow. There's one corner of my yard that I usually refer to as "the jungle." No matter how hard I try, I can't keep the plants in check. I once had someone describe my yard as being "an oasis of color and plants in the middle of town." I like that! :)
A sweet and inspiring use of space!
Lovely ideas, Nell! Last year after living on the third floor with NO balcony of private outside space, I moved into ground-floor duplex with a covered front porch. At first glance, a perfect place for hanging plants until it dawned they wouldn't survive the wind that rarely stops blowing. One side of the porch is also in full view of the traffic on a busy street. A trellis or climbing vines would be the solution to the wind/privacy problems, but I've decided to do both (vines climbing the outside of the trellis) for maximum privacy and dampening the traffic noise.
A neighbor at the other side of the common yard had a similar but different problem. His duplex is at a right angle to mine, and his entire (back) patio is open to the street. His solution was to plant sunflowers around all three edges. Full grown, they're over 8 ft tall, planted close enough together to be a living privacy fence. The sunflowers themselves, of course, are huge and provide an amazing amount of shade. Before winter set in, he cut them all down. Not having a green thumb, I don't know if they'll regrow on their own, or a new crop has to be started from seed.
Have you seen the hubs by Elena! with photos of (and from) the garden on her terrace in Madrid? Besides the usual pot plants she has fruit trees that bear fruit! Amazing what one can do with a little bit of space when living in a flat!
I have to bookmark this one for future reference. : ) Great hub, especially for one with limited space like in an apartment.
Hi, Polly, thanks! the reason, I hate to admit, for not mentioning the names of the flowers is that I forgot what some of them were, my friend gave them to me, and I potted them and did the balcony, this year I will choose my own and therefore know what I am talking about! haha! thanks as always, nell
Hi, christopher, I absolutely love sweet peas! I never realised until last year how lovely they are, good luck with your wildflower meadow, that will be lovely! thanks again, nell
Hi, Sunnie, I know what you mean, I am just waiting for spring so I can get planting! glad you found it helpful, thanks!
Hi, alocsin, I love my gnomes! if I could, I would put them all over the balcony! lol! thanks again, nell
Hi, Suzie, that sounds lovely, an oasis of color! sounds like wild flowers are growing everywhere, and in fact thats probably one of the best way to grow plants if you don't have time, I love the wild flowers, they are gorgeous! thanks again, nell
Thanks chspublish, I really love my balcony, it may be small but its so well placed, thanks again, nell
Hi, Jama, nice to see you, your idea about the trellis is a good one, anything to stop the traffic noise and add a bit of color is great, we used to have sunflowers in the garden of our caraven placed in a caravan park, I am sure, If I can remember, that they came back up each year! I will have to go and find Elenas hub, sounds lovely, thanks so much nell
Hi, girltalk, thanks for the bookmark, glad you liked it, thanks!
Nell - You have such awesome ideas! The coat hook one is a hum dinger. I love flowers and I have to admit eyeballing that pink rose and wishing I was a crafty gnome. Not only did you teach me a thing or two, but you made me laugh. The pictures are gorgeous and again, that pink rose (I think it's a rose) is phenomenal! The shade is just right. I can't wait to try the coat hanger idea and I know just the place. Your better than some funky how to book any day!
Thanks poet, I just put in loads of flowers and hoped for the best! lol! the coat hanger hook thingy was great, it really works, so you telling me not to write a how too! haha!
You did a beautiful work in your balcony Nell.
It took me a while to listen to the language of plants and now I am able to grow a bunch of them without any despair...phew!
Btw..I liked how you put color green inbetween your text. Could you share that secret with me :) Thanks!
Hi, Ruchira, thanks so much for reading, I love doing up my balcony now, it was such a mess for a while, but now its going to be full of plants again! the green divider is just a photo, this one was on Images, all you have to do is put in Search, Page Dividers, and then click on Image, some are flickr others I use I always add the link to their page, as I did above. just the same as usual photos but always put the words Page Divider in, okay? good luck! and thanks, nell
Oh Nell, I LOVE your Balcony it's Fun, it's Romantic... I Loved "Harry" the Gargoyle" and it gives me Ideas for my "Lanai" which I still call a Balcony! Of course because I won't be there year around, I guess I'll buy some pots of Flowers and I will probably wind up giving to my neighbors who are there year round so the plants can survive. Good Hub, great Ideas!
I love your choice of flowers Nell, the sweet pea is one of my favourites, (I have written a hub on them which I will publish soon, I will include a link to this) I planted tubs on my daughters balcony, she was talking about those flowers all year!
Your balcony is just lovely! many thanks for sharing and voted up.
Hi, b. Malin, my computer is a nightmare today! I have been trying to get on here for an hour! lol! yes Harry is the king of the balcony and doesn't take any nonsense! haha! thanks so much for reading, cheers nell
Hi, Movie, thanks for the link, I love sweet peas! I didn't really take any notice of them until last year, but now I want a whole balcony full! thanks for the vote!
Hi Nell! I love your balcony garden. Herbs and sweet peas are my favorite plants to grow, besides bird-friendly shrubs that is! The trellis fence is a great idea. I use them in my garden so that the birds will 'plant' seeds for me. It's automatic when they sit and socialize they leave their calling cards, which then magically turn into surprise gardens! You are very creative and I voted this article Up, interesting and beautiful.
Hi, grandmapearl, thanks for reading, I never thought of that! maybe I will let the birds plant all of mine this year! lol! I love my little space, and the view over the top is lovely too, thanks so much nell
Beautiful and Simple.I like the way write. great hub
Oh, Nell, I love your indomitable spirit, and your passion for doing things! Sorry I've not written, but I have two tubs of flowers going right now! Happy Valentines, Sweetie!May you eat strawberries, and drink champagne! Love yaz, lily
This is just in time for me! I recently downsized from a yard to an apartment with a balcony and you've provided some magnificent ideas. Thank you so much for sharing. Voted up, marked useful, interesting, awesome and book marked.
Thanks sweetguide, much appreciated!
Hi, lily, nice to see you, I hope you are having a great Valentines day, and no not eating strawberries or drinking champagne! lol! no prince charming for me, sadly! haha take care, nell
Hi, pmccray, that was well timed! lol! I am glad you found it helpful, good luck with your balcony garden, it can be lovely, and thanks for the vote, I really appreciate it, cheers nell
I did enjoy this, it brought back a lot of memories of my parents flat in Gibraltar. We had moved temporarily whilst dad worked there, from a large house and garden in the UK. Dad loved his hanging baskets and tomato plants so our rather large and long balcony ( we lived in a converted hospital) was the garden in which dads precious plants bloomed. I have a feeling that the supplies may have come in on Royal Navy vessels but dad's no longer with us, so his secrets safe! It does go to show that a balcony can extend a living area and is not just for putting the washing out on.
Hi, Caseworker, that must have been lovely living in Gibraltar! I always wanted to visit there, a bit of England in the sun! lol! I know what you mean about the washing, thats what I always used mine for before now, thanks so much for reading, cheers nell
I am pretty sure the corals are geraniums, but there is another type quite like them, begonias; so it is one of those! Like your little trolls or whatever, I love buying things like that and even odd umbrellas that add shade to a plant too much sun will hurt and add character, I love this type planting.
I confess, once an avid gardener, I've pruned back to being a container/porch gardener! Thanks for these great ideas. I have a fondness for garden gnomes too :)
Hi, Jackie, yes thats it! haha! geraniums! in my defence it was my friend who actually put them in, she was still teaching me! thanks as always, nell
Hi, Green Lotus, I think that sometimes it is easier to have a balcony garden, you can enjoy the flowers with out all that hard work that you have to do with a garden, thanks as always, nell
Sigh..darnit, Nell, you really make me regret not having a balcony!
But loved reading and seeing the photos. That iris is perfect!
Nice and really enjoyed this Nell... you are the bestest flower of them all....
Hugs and Blessings
Thanks beth, I am useless at naming flowers, I just love the color! haha! being synesthetic everything tends to get down to color instead of flower names, saying that I love them too, even if you only have a small garden it works too, it can never be too cluttered! lol!
Aw! thanks Rolly! lol! hugs back, hope you had a great time at the cabin?
Your balcony is filled with life and color and fragrance. Who wouldn't enjoy seeing it and sitting out there? Thanks for sharing your space with us. Nice!
I agree that visiting garden nurseries is like visiting a wonderland. So many gorgeous plants! It is a feast for the senses!
Enjoyed this hub. Voting it beautiful and useful.
Thanks Peggy, I am already getting my sweetpeas ready! lol! they are sitting on the window ledge getting lovely and big, soon they will be potted and out there! thanks for the vote, cheers nell
beautiful and useful hub. Voting up nd share also
Nice hub and useful too.
Nell, I feel like I just spent a delightful time in your balcony garden, the scent of Sweet Peas wafting through the warm sunny area and gently filling my head with dreams of my own garden to be this summer. What a wonderful experience, thank you.
Great and very informative hub!
UP Awesome Useful Beautiful Interesting
Thanks so much winbo, glad you liked it, cheers nell
Thanks so much Deepak, glad you liked it, nell
Hi, Phyllis, I am just growing some more sweet peas, they are on my window ledge, I have loads this year, so I probably won't be able to get out there on the balcony myself! lol! thanks for reading, cheers nell
Well done, Nell! A beautiful balcony! We don't have a balcony, but we do have a second floor apartment with a porch on it. My wife grows a "ton" of herbs there and a few veggies. She dries the herbs and we have plenty for year round uses, including cooking. It is truly amazing what one can put into a small space. Love the photos! Thanks for SHARING! Voting up, useful and interesting!
Hi, Dale, for a few years we just used it for storage, then I got so fed up with it, I cleaned it all out and started planting, now I can't stop! lol! Your porch sounds wonderful, I love herbs too, I really should grow lots more, and use them for cooking, thanks so much for reading, and the votes!
Hi Nell, it's me Cardisa.
I can't believe I missed this one. This is really great. I ma trying to get my vegetable garden together and my verandah garden too. Thanks for the inspiration. Yours is absolutely adorable. The flowers are so beautiful and colorful.
Hi, Emerald, I only realised it was you when I noticed it on facebook, I love the name! thanks so much I love my little balcony, I am planting at the moment, hopefully it will be as nice as last years, thanks nell
Hi, Liz, thanks for reading, nell
This is an extremely informative hub! Your flower pictures are very pretty! The use of gnomes as "scarecrows" to small animals is a smart idea! I have my two terraces each attached to both the sides of my apartment. Your tips are very helpful! Your guidance is detailed and well-explained! Well-done!
Thanks for SHARING. Useful & Interesting. Voted up & Socially Shared!
In the cities, where people do not have enough space to maintain their garden, they have to make use of balcony and roof terrace. I have been doing this for a long time.
Some of your ideas are brilliant.
Though we always had nice veg and flower gardens wherever we stayed, I was not particularly interested,until after I started working. I don't know why. Over the last couple of years I have been just desperate to get a planned patch of garden. I did get some beautiful flowers blooming in my terrace this winter, but my summer bloom are not coming around, maybe due to the weather this year. I loved your Hub and some little information that are very useful.I love the pics of your balcony garden. It is so bright and colorful. Voted up.
Hi, ishwaryaa, thanks so much! I love my balcony and am already starting to re plant now, I am so glad you found it helpful, and thanks for the votes!
Thanks so much Vinaya, its something I only recently started, so I am so glad you liked it, nell
Thanks sen.sush, I try to get as much color out there as possible, as I love all the gnomes and statues, it makes for a great place to sit and drink coffee! lol!
Happy that u found urself a Garden space in your Balcony. It has become a trend nowadays. But, setting up a garden in a balcony is a hard job. I appreciate ur hardwork and kindness as to share it with us. nice, useful and interesting tips!!
Thanks so much freezbay, glad you liked it, cheers nell
I enjoyed everything about this hub! I especially like your divider grasses! The mint and fly connection is fantastic! UP and more!
HubHugs~
So many great ideas for turning a tiny space into a garden paradise!
I particularly loved the gnome "bouncers." Their antics really made me smile!
Voted up across the board.
WHat a great and timeless hub Nell! Thanks. I love your gnomes! Mine keep getting stolen (or 'abducted' as I like to say!).
Thanks K9, mint is great for keeping flys away! lol! saves me trying to hit them with a tennis racket! thanks for reading, cheers nell
Hi, Happy, lol! I love my gnomes, they look as though they are about to climb out of the pots! thanks so much for reading, cheers nell
Hi, Trahn, haha! are you sure that they don't just take off for a walk? lol! thanks for reading, cheers nell
Nell, I was JUST thinking about this a couple days ago except it was for growing vegetables. I live in an apt. so I can't plant a real garden.. but was thinking about using containers, placing them in our little area in the balcony walk way. Now I want to plant vegetables and flowers!! Your hub is inspiring and makes it seem pretty easy to do. May I ask what type of flowers are those pretty peach-pink and red ones? They almost look like roses but not quite. They are stunning!
Hi, Jamie, they are Sweet Peas! my favorite of all flowers, the scent is absolutely gorgeous in the summer, I love planting them because they are so easy to look after, thanks so much for liking it, nell
What a great garden. I have 4 tomato plants, 4 green peppers, parsley, chives, marigolds, pansies and will plant dill soon. Everything is in clay pots, jiffy pots, or window boxes, so if it rains, I can bring them in, or if it is too cold overnight. Soon I won't have to worry about any chilly nights.
Hi, avian, I do that too! lol! I have a whole front room filled with my pot plants the second it starts getting cold at night again, it looks like a jungle at the moment! thanks again for reading, nell
AliciaC Level 7 Commenter 3 months ago
I find my local garden center magical too, Nell! As soon as I enter it my mind is bombarded with wonderful ideas for new plants and decorations for my garden and balcony. Most of my garden is covered by grass to let my dogs exercise, so I'm very interested in plants that will grow well in containers on balconies. Thank you for your suggestions - and good luck with your gnomes!