Gardening is one of the most therapeutic activities you can do in your home. I know so many people who just love spending time in their backyard growing all kinds of plants, flowers, herbs, shrubs etc.
Unfortunately for me, I live in an apartment in a congested city with only a small balcony. While I do dream of living in a home with a large backyard for gardening, I must say transforming my own balcony into a mini garden was one of the best things I did.
If you are wondering how to create a garden in your small balcony, then let me share some tips with you. These are things that I did in my own home.
Go Vertical
When horizontal space is at a premium, it is always best to go vertical.
You get absolutely gorgeous vertical plant stands of all sizes in both online and offline gardening stores.
I suggest to dedicate one side of your wall to your vertical garden. It can be the wall adjoining your home or one of the sides of the balcony. Just remember that depending upon which side of the balcony you are placing your vertical garden, it should not get so high that there is possibility of something tipping over from your balcony to the ground below.
Also the height of your vertical garden should be just enough so that you can still water the plants without having to go up a ladder every day.
You can choose to have one large vertical plant stand or multiple stands to give variety. Remember these stands come with fixed width pot holders. Hence you need to do a bit of planning first considering what type of plants you want in your garden.
Some plants may need larger pots while others can fit into smaller ones. Roots of some plants need width rather than depth in a pot. So keep that in mind as well.
If planned properly, a vertical garden looks breath-taking and will add a lot of oomph to your balcony.
Go Small
When your balcony itself is small, you need to opt for plants that do not take up much of space.
One large plant can end up taking all the space of your balcony. I personally suggest to opt for succulents and other plants that remain fairly small but are equally beautiful to look at.
You have a lot of choices when it comes to small plants. As mentioned already, the succulents family is a great choice. You have small plants that give out oxygen throughout the day like spider plants. You can also choose to plant a variety of herbs in your balcony garden. Herbs usually remain fairly small. However, they look amazing and give out the best fragrance in the garden. Herb plants also help you to live a healthy lifestyle.
The choices are enormous when it comes to small plants. Just plan out the variety you want and get planting.
Use Climbers and Creepers
I just love the look of those creepers that start from the ground but climb all the way over the railing of your balcony.
In fact, climbers and creepers lend a strong character to your balcony garden making it gorgeous both from within and when looked at from the outside.
I still get mesmerized by the images of wonderful alleys with balconies all around with creeper plants and flowers coming out of them, calling out everyone’s attention to their beauty.
You can plant various creepers that have multiple colours on their leaves and have flowers as well. These creepers stick to the sides of your walls and do not take much space even though they add so much volume to any balcony garden.
Use Hanging Pots
If your balcony has a roof, then hanging pots are a great idea.
You can hang pots at a distance of 1.5 feet from each other. You can plant whatever you want in these pots including small creepers that beautifully climb down from the pot on all sides.
Remember to keep some space between each hanging pot so that the plants do not crowd each other and has room to grow. You should be able to see the view outside your balcony when looking through the hanging pots.
Accessorize
Once you know which plants you want for your balcony garden and where you are going to place them, you should look at some garden accessories.
You can think of adding garden stones on one side. I know people who have put a thin layer of artificial grass on their balcony floor. You can add a small garden LED light or place a chair and small table strategically.
Just use your imagination. Adding a bit of accessories to your balcony garden will create a brilliant effect making it look like a much larger space.
Final thoughts
The size of your balcony does not matter. There are lots of options to create beautiful balcony gardens.
What matters is that you do go ahead with the planning and creation as balcony gardens can be a wonderful space to spend your time or just unwind whenever needed.