A balcony at a home in Germany. (Photo: Getty Images)
Designing a green space on your balcony or terrace does not only enhance your wellbeing by bringing nature to your doorstep, but it also adds an element of beauty that can provide fresh ingredients for your kitchen. As there’s no natural soil on a balcony, this exercise goes hand-in-hand with any potted plants you might want to add to your indoor space while you are at the garden center.
There’s a Chinese proverb that reads, “Life begins the day you start a garden.” As life begins anew with the spring equinox, AD spoke to three experts about how to build a garden on a balcony of your own in four simple steps.
Conduct some initial research and examine your space
Before you get started, double check your building’s rules to make sure you’re actually allowed to install trellises in your space. It’s worth finding out if you’re permitted to paint the sidewalls of your balcony as well. From there, figure out what you can grow according to your local climate. This can be easily done by logging your zip code into the USDA Hardiness Zone Map. Next, check which plants are best suited to your location as every balcony has slightly different challenges to consider. For example, is your space in the full sun all day? Is it open to the elements and gets windy and cold? Depending on the exposure to the elements, you have to slightly adjust which plants you can grow.
After conducting some research, the real fun can begin—designing and planting. Interior and garden designer and author Jane Cumberbatch suggests using your balcony as part of your living space: “However small, it’s about treating your outside space as if it’s an extension of your interior no matter how many floors above ground level. Folding chairs and a table to eat and drink at, or while away an afternoon with a book, are essential features.”
Cumberbatch recommends painting your balcony in a sludgy garden green for a back-to-nature or cottage garden look, or simply white for a more modern feel. She adds, “Think also how you might use the walls or railings as supports for climbers such as a fragrant jasmine or honeysuckle.”
Figure out what to plant
You’ll want to decide what it is you are after: Is it color? Greenery? Or perhaps an outdoor larder for fresh ingredients? Josh Kirschenbaum, vegetable accounts manager from PanAmerican Seed suggests that “if you like flower-filled containers but have no sun to speak of, Impatiens are your plant. They have great flower coverage and come in pink, violet, and red hues, along with white for great contrast. Or try a “Shangri-La” Philodendron, which has large split-leaf branches with a tropical appearance, making your balcony feel like a true getaway.” Try these varieties for a splash of verdant beauty.
If you have a partial-sun balcony, Kirschenbaum suggests trying a dragon wing Begonia. “For the balcony gardener looking for low-maintenance but high-impact, this begonia is very forgiving of neglect and still puts on a rich color show,” he says. “It takes the wind, drought, sun, or shade and thrives looking fabulous.”
Most gardeners generally agree that for small spaces and container-based gardens, leafy greens and herbs are the best introductions to growing your own food. Tomatoes can be easily grown in a pot, but you can even go larger. Kirschenbaum suggests going pretty, as well as useful: “For south-facing balconies, grow Little Bing cherry tomatoes, a dwarf variety that grows especially well in containers, while sweet peppers also do well on balconies.”
You don’t necessarily have to have a huge space to grow fruit or vegetables either. “Last year, I bought my daughter an apple tree,” Cumberbatch recalls. “It arrived in a four-liter pot and was already bearing two or three apples.”
Get ahold of the right materials
Scouring flea markets for interesting items that might double as planters or extend your indoor design scheme to your outdoor space is always a good idea. Head to garden centers and home decor stores for inspiration, and choose pots and planters—maybe an antique ladder as a shelf alternative—and an overall color scheme. As Kirschenbaum advises, “The container size should be large and sturdy enough to hold enough soil volume for the plant and its root system. Plus, larger containers will retain more moisture, and containers always need more watering than plants grown in the ground.”
Whether you’ll be able to do some basic DIY and affix trellises or hooks for hanging baskets to the wall depends on your building’s rules, but you can always create different heights by adding a table or stepped plant stands to your display.
The “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra is also perfect for gardening. Cumberbatch notes that when it comes to design, galvanized metal buckets and baths look simple and utilitarian—but remember to drill holes in the bottom for drainage. She also advises using old favorites like terra-cotta which is “not only good to look at but retains moisture and is especially good on hot days.”
Do your bit for the environment
Keeping the “reduce, reuse, recycle” philosophy in mind, consider dedicating a corner of your kitchen or outdoor space to composting. “Composting allows you to feed house plants and balcony containers, reduces household waste, and saves you a trip to the dumpster,” Gail Pabst from the National Garden Bureau says. ”Something like this Ceramic Compost Crock is perfect for collection.”
If you’re thinking about creating natural habitats on your balcony, Pabst recommends planting Verbena flowers because they attract hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and bees. Additionally, lavender is not only pretty and smells divine, but it is also loved by bees, so you’ll be doing your part to spread spring’s bounty from your little balcony garden to the world.