Do you long to grow a garden, but your outdoor space is limited to a balcony? Well, it is attainable to have a lush garden just about anywhere, even when the footprint of an area is small.
Check out our list of balcony garden ideas and tips that will inspire you to transform your balcony into the beauteous and successful garden that you’ve always dreamed of.
Vertical Balcony Garden Ideas
Vertical gardening is one of our favorite balcony garden ideas. Utilizing vertical garden space means that you are not limited to the small square footage that a balcony provides. It is a fantastic way for gardeners to use their growing area more effectively. If done creatively, it can provide a highly sought-after privacy screen, surprisingly more space, and lots of personalized charm. There are so many great vertical gardening options available such as vertical vegetable gardening and even vertical flower and succulent gardening. You can combine different vertical gardening strategies to achieve a significant impact in a small area.
Balcony Garden Wall Planters
Transform a dull, blank wall into a vertical garden full of life! Even limited wall space can become valuable real estate on a balcony. Walls are the perfect spots to personalize your space as you take blank slates and make them your own. Wall planters are available in lots of different styles, and they often offer an array of planters, growing pockets, and buckets that have flat backs and mount flush against the wall, limiting space consumption.
Fill up the compartments with plantings of herbs, greens, edible flowers, ornamental plants, succulents while varying textures for visual appeal. Even a wall shelf can be an invaluable wall accent where pails and planters can rest and might even have some hooks for holding pruning shears and other gardening tools.
Balcony Garden Railing Planters
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to surround your home with lush greenery, edibles, and colorful plants, start with railing planters. Many designs can safely secure these bucket planters that adjust from 1-5 inch rail supports, so you won’t have to worry about damaging rails or falling planters. Some of them even straddle the railing to use even more space on the inside and outside the rail.
Balcony Garden Ideas: Hanging Planters
Next on our list of balcony garden ideas are hanging planters. This includes traditional hanging baskets with lovely florals and cascading plants as well as upside-down tomato planters, hanging terrariums, and even hanging birdcage planters! Hanging planters provide more growing space and can make a balcony feel more expansive because they lead your line of sight upward instead of only toward pots on the ground.
Tiered Balcony Garden Planters
Add instant appeal by adding tiered planters to your balcony. Adding tiered planters is an easy way to vary plants’ heights while only investing in one structure. It’s an excellent place to start. Some tiered designs feature corner stands or some that canvas a wall.
Balcony Garden Pots
You may have some potted plants out on your patio already, but they can easily get lost and overlooked in the view. Make those potted plants the star of the show by adding vine trellises to them.
Planting Your Balcony Garden on Tables & Stands
Don’t underestimate the power of setting some of your pots on side tables or plant stands. Not only does that raise the focal point on the balcony, but it opens up valuable real estate for shade-loving plants too. Tuck plants that prefer shade or that need added shelter underneath elevated structures.Kellogg Garden OrganicsAll Natural Potting Mix
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How to Plant a Balcony Garden
As you plan out your balcony oasis, always look at the plants’ growth patterns before planting. Some plants grow quite tall, while some trail downward, overflowing out of a pot. Plant them in planters accordingly, so they don’t impose on each other.
- Plant trailing plants that overhang from hanging planters, rather than taller upright ones.
- Observe your area and tuck in shade-loving plants alongside taller plants or underneath raised planters.
- Add trellises for climbing varieties.
- Combine companion plants that work well together to boost the production of your plants.
- Consider mixing plants with varying heights, colors, textures, and growth patterns to create a living work of art. For example, you might select a trailing vine, a taller showstopper, or a vine-trellised plant along with a vibrant bloomer to create visual interest.
Balcony Garden Sunlight and Water Requirements
As you ponder your balcony garden design, take some time to observe how the sun hits your balcony throughout the day. Make a note of the sunlight trends and identify whether your balcony falls into the full shade, partial shade, or full sun category and make your plant selections accordingly.
If your balcony is subject to shade for much of the day, do not lose heart. Look to low-light plants such as impatiens, hosta, ivy, succulents, coleus, ferns, and begonias. Herbs and some greens like swiss chard, kale, spinach, or lettuce can also grow in shady spots.
The amount of sunlight your balcony receives will also impact your watering duties. If plants are in full sun conditions all day, they will need more frequent watering than shadier balconies.
To make watering less of a chore, consider choosing self-watering varieties or add self-watering garden globes to some of your potted plants. Keep a decorative watering can out on the balcony, so you will have easy access to water.
Attracting Pollinators to a Balcony Garden
It is equally vital to consider pollination when contemplating balcony garden ideas. Mix flowers, herbs, and some vegetables to boost plant productivity and provide you with a steady and plentiful yield all season long. You can also add a hummingbird feeder to the balcony setting.
Consider companion plants when designing and planting a patio garden. Plant flowering additions to attract beneficial pollinators while adding texture, color, and fragrance to your balcony garden such as:
Spacing Balcony Garden Plants
While it may be tempting to fill your balcony with as many plants as you can, it is crucial to consider spacing allotments to get sufficient air circulation for your plants. This is vital for the health of plants. A lack of airflow can make plants more susceptible to fungal infections and diseases.
Pruning Your Balcony Garden
Once you have implemented an array of these balcony garden ideas, remember that your plants will grow and flourish rapidly. While this is often what we as gardeners hope for, when you are limited in space like on a balcony, plants can quickly get unruly. Pruning is the key to establishing balance, ensuring healthy plants, and keeping your balcony tidy.
- Many plants like herbs and healthy greens can be harvested regularly using the cut and come again method. This should be all the pruning that is needed for these plants.
- Flowering plants may need regular deadheading to keep plants looking vibrant and to encourage new blooms. Pinch off spent flowers and discard them in a compost bucket.
- Other plants that overgrow their space parameters or encroach on other plants should be snipped back with pruning shears to keep them tame.
