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As the spring days get warmer, a balcony becomes a room alongside other rooms again. Even a small balcony can be turned into a blooming garden with a touch of creativity and these tips about spring 2017’s balcony trends listed by our gardening expert Mats Wikström:
Utilise height
Grow upwards - utilise the walls and the ceiling and use hanging baskets! Plants don’t have to take up all the floor space of the blacony. You also need room to enjoy the balcony.
“Even a small balcony can perfectly well include a green wall or other planted plants that make use of the height. Hanging baskets don’t have to be white plastic pots; they can be bowls, old tins, or even made out of fabric,” says Mats.
The layout can include contrast and be explosive
There can also be elements with powerful colours, like deep red cannas. Create contrast with gentler greens.
The classic way to create a layout is to place a taller plant in the middle, surround it with mid-height plants, and line everything with creeping plants. The plants in the pots can be switched to bloom throughout the summer: the spring violets can be replaced, for example, with lavenders, mandevillas or buddlejas around midsummer.
In addition to growing plants for their beauty, also try growing edible and scented plants
Fresh rosemary picked from the balcony can add flavour to summer cooking, and homegrown mint tastes delicious in a mojito. Strawberries and tomatoes can also be grown, especially if the balcony is glazed. Bigger balconies and patios can even hold a vegetable garden.
“Herbs like quite a heated environment. If you regularly prune the herb, it needs a lot of strength to grow new leaves, which means it needs regular watering. During the summer you should switch the seedling at least once - a single seedling can wither and produce less. Edible herbs and blooming plants can be placed in the same pot. This way a single pot can provide beauty and function,” Mats points out.
Ask our gardeners for advice for problems with yard and balcony greenery. Request an offer, for instance, for preparing your yard for summer parties.