Six Tips for creating a Balcony Garden

It’s National Gardening Week! A week-long initiative promoted by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to raise awareness of gardening and urge more people to take part in healthy outdoor activity. Finding small ways to improve wellbeing and live a healthier life is something we can get definitely get behind. Living in a new build development, especially an apartment means you probably have a balcony or terrace instead of a traditional garden. But this shouldn’t stop you from creating your very own balcony garden! Any outdoor space can be transformed with a little imagination and some helpful guidance. 

We’ve found some great tips from Gardener’s World about balcony gardens and we’ve picked our top six tips to help you to start creating your own little oasis, a step outside of your home.

1. If you’ve got a north, east or west-facing balcony, chances are you might not get lots of direct sunlight so choose plants that thrive in shady spots such as begonias, geraniums and ferns.

2. A south-facing balcony may not get much let up from the sun so plants that thrive in Mediterranean climates will work well such as lavender, pelargoniums and succulents.

3. Lots of balconies are exposed and at the mercy of the Great British weather. Windy balconies can mean flowers and petals are blown away along with any moisture. Using windbreakers such as pots and furniture will help as well as plants that grow naturally by the sea such as tough evergreen plants like Brachyglottis.

4. You could attach pots and trellises to the walls which will give a bit more space for climber plants to flourish. If you can’t attach anything then sweet peas or clematis will grow up a wigwam inserted into pots.

5. Having to use pots and containers on a balcony means it’s an ideal place to grow vegetables that thrive in this environment, such as tomatoes, lettuce, carrots and potatoes as well as herbs. Make sure you plant them at the right time and you’ll have some extra vitamin C for your salad, straight from the balcony.

6. A great tip is to consider the weight of your containers and pots being used – terracotta pots full of soil can be very heavy so consider using more lightweight versions and fasten in place if you’re in a windy spot.

If this has sparked your interest in creating a balcony or terrace garden, why not visit Gardener’s World and start indulging in some research about what plants and vegetables you might want to grow.

You can also check out the larger than average balconies on offer at No.1 Millbrook Park on our remaining available apartments. It was our mission to ensure we provided generous balconies and terraces to give our homeowners as much flexibility as possible to enjoy their private outdoor space