Turn a tiny balcony or terrace into a balcony garden retreat. You can make a dramatic change in just a few hours.
Know Your Space
Before you load up on plants and containers, ask these questions about the micro-climate of your mini-space. The answers not only guide your plant selection, but also prepare you for challenges you might face.
- How much light does your balcony or terrace get? Does it vary in different spots? Full sun is 6 hours or more of direct light a day; part sun/part shade is 4 to 6 hours; and full shade is less than 4 hours of direct light.
- What direction does the site face? South and west exposures get more intense light and heat.
- How much wind do you get? Wind can rapidly dry out plants, knock over tall ones and swing hanging baskets precariously. To block wind, consider installing a sturdy trellis for vines to climb — more privacy is an added bonus.
- What are your building's restrictions? Check in with your landlord or housing association for rules.
Pick Your Pots
The bigger the container, the easier it is to care for; the larger mass of soil takes longer to dry out. Consider installing planters that are a few feet tall, not more than 3-feet deep (so you can reach across them) and as long as you want — you can even make the ledge wide enough to sit on. (Here's how you can make your own.) If you want something less permanent, line up cube-shaped planters.
Here are more pointers:
- You can buy window boxes made to hang on railings.
- Choose light containers of fiberglass and plastic, rather than clay or ceramic. Don't be appalled: you can find convincing fakes these days.
- Trellises save space by letting plants grow up, not out. Grow vines up a wall or along a railing to add privacy and, if needed, shade.
- Add a bistro-style table and chair set to turn the space into an outdoor retreat.
- Accessories add personality and style to your balcony garden. Choose small sculptures, outdoor cushions, rugs and small fountains.
Pick Your Plants and Soil Mix
If you're not accustomed to hanging out at garden centers, you might find the experience a tad daunting, with all those pots and trays of green things. The best starting point? Head for the tables loaded with bright colors. Those are the annual flowers, which are great for container gardens because they bloom all season long and you toss them out when the weather turns frosty (or bring them inside to nurture in a sunny window).
But you do have more options to explore, including vines on trellises, small flowering trees and shrubs, ornamental grasses, dwarf spruce or other evergreens, and vegetables and herbs. Most garden centers have inspiring displays of plant combinations in pots — and they don't mind if you copy their design.
Regular garden soil adds a lot of weight to the balcony, so instead buy a lightweight soilless growing mix that contains some combination of peat, perlite and vermiculite. Some come with fertilizer added. If you want to water less often, consider buying water-absorbing pellets to mix into the soil — be warned that they are expensive.
Do the Dirty Work
If you've never planted anything before, here's some advice: don't overthink it. The basic steps are simple:
1. Fill the pot part way with growing mix and pat it down to remove air pockets and form a firm base for the plants to sit on. Leave enough room so when you set the plant on the firmed growing mix, the top of the root ball is a couple of inches below the container's rim.
2. Remove the plants from their pots and use your fingers to slightly untangle the mass of roots, especially if they are densely packed. If it's a big plant, like a shrub, use a knife to slice into the root ball a few inches deep, from top to bottom, at three of four spots.
3. Set the plants on the firmed soil mix. Move them around until you like the arrangement, then to fill the container with the growing mix to within an inch or two of the top.
4. Gently and slowly water the growing mix. If it contains a lot of peat, the mix will float until it absorbs the water. When the mix settles, add more and water again. When done, the soil level should be an inch or two below the rim of the container.
Tip: If the container is much bigger than the root ball, save growing mix and weight by filling the bottom of the pot with plastic beverage bottles before adding growing mix. You can even grow the plants in a smaller plastic pot that you set into the larger pot, on top of the bottles. Use soil to hide the top of the smaller pot.
Keep It Up
Because containers have exposed sides and limited soil mass, the growing mix dries out faster than the ground does. Plan on watering daily, or even twice daily in very hot weather.
Closely spaced plants in containers need regular feeding to encourage more flowers and lush growth. Fertilize them about every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer that bills itself as good for containers. Follow package directions exactly.
In such a small space, dead leaves and faded flowers have nowhere to hide, so groom plants daily to keep them picture perfect.
In the northern half of the US — USDA zone 6 and colder — the growing mix freezes solid in winter, killing the plants inside (including bulbs). Unless you can overwinter these containers inside, it's best to treat all container plants like annuals and replant each year. In zone 7, many containers overwinter outside if protected by a covering of leaves, mulch, blankets or burlap. In Zones 8 and warmer (roughly the southern third of the U.S. and much of the Pacific Northwest), containers can be left as is all winter long.
If you plan to store clay and ceramic pots where temperatures drop below freezing, keep them from cracking by removing the growing mix and turning them upside down so they don't collect water.
Keep It Interesting
Change out plants with the seasons. Start the season with pots of already blooming tulips and daffodils, as well as annuals that tolerate cold such as pansies, snapdragons and sweet peas. In summer, move on to heat-loving annuals, such as marigolds and geraniums. In autumn, replace with fall mums and flowering kale.
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