Cat, who sent in photos a few weeks ago for the Flower Box Awards, has just moved to a new apartment near Manhattan and is looking for advice for her balcony. Its depth is 5' and gets bright northern exposure. She wants tons of plants, but also to be able to sit out there - and is looking to see if AT readers have any advice (on either plants/planters or appropriate patio furniture).
This is what Esther has to say:
I just moved into this apartment a year ago, and the biggest draw of it was the balcony and the view! I can see the plants from my living room sofa, and it somehow connects to the trees in the distance and makes me feel so calm and happy.
Also, a lot of the plants I am growing are herbs that I use in my kitchen (rosemary, basil, sage, mint), so my little "garden" is functional as well as pretty. It is well worth the effort of having to water the plants almost daily in the hot weather!
This was my first attempt at a balcony garden. It actually has a lot of limitations. The dimensions are approximately 5 feet deep and 17-18 feet wide (it's wider near the railing than against the wall). It has a northern exposure and is covered on top, so the plants get indirect light all day and only a couple hours of direct light. It was a challenge finding plants that could tolerate those conditions.
I also wanted lots of plants but not to give up a lot of space.
I will hopefully be living here for many years to come (how could I give up this view?!), so this is going to be an ongoing project. I am going to try to overwinter some of the perennials, but I think most of them won't make it through the winter... so I will have an almost blank slate next year.
I'm also planning on getting some nice small chairs and a table (like a modern-looking bistro set or something).
I'd love to receive input/advice!
Best wishes,
Esther ("cat" on AT)
Some quick patio plant advice:
One large and taller planter (or something built to fit the space)may be good to use in the trapezoid corners of the balcony, be a good anchor for the small pots, and help your plants overwinter better.
You may also want to go vertical with either hanging tomato planters(I've heard some varieties can actually do well in northern light) or something that will trail upwards (morning glories, squash) on a lattice or wire trellis against the wall space.
Plants and pots on balconies can freeze - but putting them on top of a blanket or a cushion of mulch when the weather gets cold, and also shielding them from wind and rain, will help them survive to come back next spring.
The AT archives are a good resource for folding chairs and other posts for patio furniture, specifically in the June 'Outdoor Month' archives. Garden Design Magazine also regularly has patio furniture eye candy - and had an article earlier this year about the hottest plastic outdoor chairs.
Any readers tips for small patio spaces?
matt at apartment therapy dot com
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
well, there are several things you can do. if you just want 'green' on your balcony...see about putting a small treliss on one wall. you can wrap one of your climbing plants around it. also there are hanging baskets that you could put in the ceiling.
these options free up your ground space which will be the most pressing issues on a balcony. also using smaller plants will give the green effect without taking up alot of room.
if you think of the area as extra living space not just balcony you will be able to use your space more effectively, i have found. your ledge boxes do great--what do you think about putting some on the opposite wall? you can do a staggered effect like some people do with shelves.
just a few thoughts.
view wwoolsey's profile
i'd totally use the triangular spaces for layering pots of plants...shorter in front, taller in back, etc. that will also give that window (in the picture) a view of the flowers, too. it'll be like a window box for the...window!
i'd get a simple low wood bench, no frills, that can fit under a long and skinny table, and then two comfy chairs - these can all be placed seperately on the balcony, but be brought together for dining lots o' people...rectangular pieces will take advantage of how long your balcony is, for sure, and the bench doubles as extra surface space for elevating the pots.
ultimately, that's what i think the balcony needs most....the plants should be elevated a bit, not just on the floor. maybe get a few of those cool retro bullet planters?
you're really lucky to have this kind of outdoor space. yo es jealous.
enjoy!
view kdkaboom's profile
Such a lovely balcony! I think I've mentioned this before, but the plant finder on rhs.org.uk can search for plants according to your specifications (soil type, sun/shade requirements, preferred temperature etc), so you could ask it to search for anything that would suit your balcony. It's kind of for plant geeks (hello!) but its really cool! Don't know anything about growing things in Manhattan climate but I would get some tomatoes going if possible :) Have fun!
view tin_angel's profile
I have New Guinea impatiens in my north-facing windowboxes this year and have decided they may be the perfect plant for a spot of color. They thrive no matter what, both foliage and flower look great, and they don't get eaten by bugs, rabbits or deer. (You are so lucky not to have rabbits and deer rampaging around on your balcony, chomping down the greenery!)
Terracotta pots may break if you leave them outside for the winter.
Enjoy your balcony!
view JoanneM's profile
I have a balcony that is a real oasis, and I use planters specifically designed to hang on the balcony railings, in addition to different height plant stands. I do not have as plant-friendly exposure as your balcony (mine faces southwest) but I have had wonderful luck with impatiens, marigolds, begonia, salvia, and geraniums. One of the nice things about the balcony railing planters is that they are lined with coco mats, so at the end of the season you can simply pull the liner out and toss the entire thing away if you should desire. I have done that in addition to pulling the plants out and using the same mat the next year. Good luck!
view eileen's profile
Thanks, everyone.
Sorry I missed this post on Friday!
I am taking notes now so that I have a plan when next spring comes!
I love the idea of a trellis against the wall. I am not allowed to make any permanent alterations to the outside of the building, so I am not sure I can attach anything to the brick (also not sure how I would anyway!). I am also not sure if there's enough light against the wall. The reason I have all my plants pushed up against the railing is because that's the only way they get any direct light. There is another balcony above mine, so my balcony gets no direct light, except right at the edge.
I wanted to add more boxes on the railing as opposed to on the floor, but the railing is just at the height of the view of the river and that lovely bridge from my sofa, and I didn't want to block it any more than I had to.
I have all my plants in plastic pots to minimize the weight on the balcony, so I have no expectations that any of them are going to survive the winter. I may try to bring the clematis, basil and rosemary inside, but I expect that I'm going to have to replace the others in the spring.
Does anyone know if the sweet potato plants and fanflower would do well inside on a sunny west-facing windowsill??
As for furniture, I definitely want a small table and at least 2 chairs so that I can really take advantage of this little oasis (great word choice, eileen!).
Thanks, tin_angel, for that great website. I will definitely be consulting it for next year's plant selection process!
My euonymous bushes are doing great and add a lovely greenness to the corners, but I will definitely not be bringing them back. When they flower, they attract hundreds of flies. Not pleasant. I would much rather have the occasional bee that the other flowers attract than hundreds of nasty flies.
And JoanneM - I seriously laughed out loud just now imagining rabbits and deer running around on my 7th floor balcony!! And you are right, the impatiens I have are doing beautifully. They are such sweet little flowers.
Thanks again to all of you!
"Cat"
view cat's profile
Lee Valley Hardware (leevalley.com) has some great small-space options for balconies & fences that I've been dreaming of :
-> 'Adjustable Pot Rings' - take any pot and hang it from a balcony -- same thing can probably be done with regular zipties
-> Three-Arm Garden Hanger -- this can be planted in a deeper pot and ziptied to a railing for extra support
-> they also have a 'wall trellis kit' that is glue based but also removable
As for a trellis - this year, I made self-watering pots (very)loosely using these instructions.
http://hometown.aol.com/jmalt31/myhomepage/Earthbox.PDF
2 or 3 of these against a balcony wall would look lovely.
I used the largest (cheapest) square planters from Home Depot that I could find and sank metal trellises (also from Home Depot) into each planter. The final result was remarkably similar to my inspiration (Terrazzo planters from the Gardener's Supply catalog) but only ~$7/each (without the trellis)
I used fluorescent light 'eggcrate' grill covered with window screening to separate the water reservoir from the soil and, instead of PVC, I used cut down milk jugs & the 6inch pots the plants came in to support the grill.
my (out of pricerange) inspiration - since I wanted 8-10 to line the length of my driveway. http://www.gardeners.com/Self-Watering-Planters/default/StandardCatalog.PotsPlanters_SelfWateringPlanters.cat
I had a very late start planting and set up only the basics... tomatoes, peppers, basil, scarlet runner bean behind all plantings to wind up the trellises...which were also handy as tomato supports. Next year, I'll be expanding at least another 10 planters and adding more veggies and FLOWERS.
view gardenkat's profile