Post category: Balcony Gardens

 

Size:

 

Many flats and apartments have a balcony which can be used to grow plants. It is the smallest form of garden but very ornamental effects can be created in small spaces. Any plant can be grown in a pot and a surprising number of plants can be fitted on a balcony if the right ones are chosen.

 

Problems:

 

The three main problems associated with growing plants on balconies are exposure to wind, shading, and pots drying out. It is possible to solve the problem of plants in pots drying out by being more careful about watering, but the only way to solve the other two problems is to choose suitable plants.

Balconies above ground level suffer from wind damage; the higher up the balcony, the more exposure. Any balcony can have shaded conditions, but it is most usually a problem at ground level.

 

Balcony No. 1

 

 

This balcony garden is designed for a balcony exposed to a lot of wind
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This balcony garden is designed for a balcony exposed to a lot of wind. There are no climbing plants because these cannot take wind damage. It is based mainly on alpine plants, many of which are very resistant; they have the additional attraction of being small and easy to accommodate.

The little hedge could be about sixty centimetres high, grown in a large window box. Any wind-resistant small shrubs would do. The hedge could be turned around occasionally to give the light to both sides.

 

Balcony No. 2

 

 

Balcony Gardens
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This garden is suitable for a balcony that does not get too much wind. Liberal use is made of climbers, especially ivies, to decorate the walls – growing on trellis and hanging from brackets. They are also used to scramble around on the floor. The other plants could be shade-tolerant perennial flowers and annuals.