For the southern regions, beautiful balconies and terraces entwined with flowers are not at all uncommon. Hanging clusters of wisteria and climbing hydrangea can capture the imagination of the most demanding esthete. But that’s the south, is it possible to design a garden on a balcony in Russian conditions?
Landscape Workshop specialists believe that there is! Even in the conditions of our city, you can achieve a beautiful and blooming balcony, of course, with the right selection of plants and with proper care of the garden on the balcony.
At first glance, gardening a balcony does not seem complicated; everyone probably has experience growing flowers at home, but home gardening and balcony gardening have many differences.
Balcony landscaping options
Landscaping a balcony and loggia with your own hands can be organized according to different principles:
- Horizontal. If you can fit a refrigerator, a bicycle and a couple of strollers onto your balcony, then it’s not a sin to use the space to its fullest. To do this, the room is equipped with various kinds of shelves, tubs and pots with flowers are placed on the floor. The window sill area is equipped with a long box in which fragrant flowers or herbs grow. In this case, the entire space turns into a blooming garden.
- Vertical gardening of a balcony is suitable when the apartment has a small balcony, which can be accessed sideways. In this case, cluttering the space with pots will be inappropriate, as it is unreasonable. In such a situation, it is better if the landscaping is directed upward. Climbing plants planted in compact pots should beautifully entwine the walls and not take up much space. You can see a video example in the photo below.
- Combined. If the area of the loggia allows, and the owner likes the look of woven walls, then you can combine plants for the balcony so that there are pots of flowers everywhere, and at the same time ivy wove around the walls.
- Phytowalls. This is an innovation that is designed for those for whom landscaping a space is not a pleasant pastime, but a goal that needs to be achieved, as well as for those who have time and money to create beauty.
Phytowall (below in the photo) is a wooden wall with special pockets filled with soil, inside which plants are placed. The wall is equipped with an automatic watering system, lamps that turn on by the hour, and does not require special care.
Having studied the ideas for landscaping a balcony, you can choose the right one and begin to implement it.
What to consider?
Balcony landscaping can be done in almost any conditions, however, in order for it to please the owners with its beauty for as long as possible, it is necessary to take into account a number of parameters:
- The load that the balcony can withstand. Gardening involves the use of pots, boxes and planters filled with earth and therefore creating additional weight. If the balcony is not large and durable enough, you can give preference to containers made of lightweight materials (for example, plastic) and plants that do not need a wide layer of soil for normal life.
- Safety of visiting an impromptu green zone. As already noted, pots and boxes weigh quite a lot. Therefore, all of them must be securely fastened to the balcony (especially those that will be located on hooks and shelves). This is important both from a safety point of view (so that a pot does not fall on a person) and from the point of view of preserving the landscaping (for example, so that a gust of wind does not spoil the plant arrangement on an open balcony).
- Light mode. If the sun illuminates the balcony for less than 6 hours a day, then it is considered shady. If it is up to 12 hours a day, then it is classified as semi-shade, and if it is more than 12 hours a day, then the balcony will be considered sunny. This must be taken into account when selecting plants so that they do not die in the very first weeks after landscaping the balcony.
- Temperature and water conditions. When it comes to an open balcony, the features of the regional climate become especially important: temperature, precipitation, air humidity, and so on. In the case of a covered and insulated balcony, they are somewhat less important, but still must be taken into account.
- Color combinations. In order for the green area to look impressive, the flowers in it must be selected according to a harmonious combination of shades. For example, red goes well with turquoise, yellow with violet, orange with blue, light green with brown and dark orange, rich green with azure and red, dark green with deep blue, and so on. Plain flower beds are always a win-win option.
By panoramic glazing we mean the case when it occupies the entire area of the balcony enclosure. Its landscaping is an opportunity to create a cozy corner with a beautiful view of the city or nature, which you can admire while sitting in a chair with a cup of tea or coffee. Since such a balcony is usually insulated to one degree or another, theoretically even exotic varieties of plants and flowers can be grown on it. However, they will need very careful care, so they often prefer simpler and unpretentious options: hibiscus, which needs a lot of space and sunlight; fuchsia, which also has a passion for natural light; Ficus Benjamin with variegated leaves, distinguished by the same predilection, and so on.
Where is the best place to start landscaping a loggia?
It’s better to start working with stasis by cleaning. Throw away all the accumulated rubbish that has been lying on the balcony for years and is of no particular value. Think about what you can give to those in need and what you can mercilessly throw away in a landfill. Your task is to free up as much space as possible.
- When everything is ready, you need to wash the floor, wipe off all the dust and wash the windows.
- Insulate the space. If it is warm on the loggia, it is easy to make a winter garden from a summer flower garden. To do this, you just need to close all the cracks and put a layer of insulation on the floor. Also make sure that the windows are sealed and do not let in drafts.
- When the area is ready, the last task comes - to think about what kind of vegetation should be placed in the flower garden.
Types of plants for the balcony
If the question arises, which plants on the balcony will look most advantageous, here are the main types:
- The good thing about indoor flowers on the balcony is that they are known to everyone, so there will be no questions about caring for them. The only point is increased attention. In summer - protection from rain and scorching rays, and in winter - from frost and draft. Look beautiful: fuchsia, geranium, begonia, aloe, chlorophytum, etc.
- Curly ones are good not only for their aesthetics, but also because they protect the room from the sun and dust. You just need to tighten the threads along which the lashes will begin to stretch upward. Pay attention to sweet peas, clematis, creeping beans, decorative beans and others.
- Ampelous varieties are usually planted in hanging pots. Their peculiarity is hanging shoots, which require special watering and calculation of the mass so that the flower does not fall off the chain. In the absence of a special tray, liquid can drip onto the heads of passers-by and owners. Options: petunia, ageratum, lobelia, pelargonium, godetia, verbena, etc.
- Spices. Landscaping a loggia can be not only beautiful, but also useful. Fresh, sometimes rare, spices that can be added to food will appeal to every housewife. These options could be: dill, balsam, lettuce, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.
The location directly depends on the cardinal direction relative to the sun on which the loggia is located.
Lobelia
Lobelia Crystal Palace / ontheedgegardening.wordpress.com
- Where to put: on a bright northern, eastern or western balcony; and on the south side, shade the plant and do not leave it under the scorching sun.
- When it blooms: from early summer to autumn.
- How long does it live: Usually grown as an annual.
On the balcony you can plant both bush and hanging lobelia. It blooms profusely and magnificently. The buds themselves are small, blue, blue, violet or purple.
Water the lobelia moderately, once every two to three days. More often during hot periods, especially on glazed balconies. The earth should neither dry out nor become swampy.
Place it on the windowsill
