A garden on the balcony: follow these tips to create an oasis in the city

A well-furnished balcony becomes a core, valued space in the use of the house, systematically transforming itself into the favorite place to spend time on as soon as the temperatures allow it. To make it welcoming, in addition to furniture and any screens for privacy or shade, can be to use plants.

Surrounding ourselves with greenery has calming and relaxing effects on us, and when there is enough to shade, plants manage to make the heat significantly more tolerable. Of course, it cannot be compared to the coolness of a garden full of vegetation, but even one plant set up on the balcony can do a lot to improve the quality of life at home. So, how do you do it and make the most of the available space? Here are some useful tips:

Do research

Any home furnishing and renovation project starts with a careful design plan, and this is true even for the humblest of "hanging" (or other type) of gardens you can create on a balcony. Among the things to check to get a clear idea are:

• Make sure you know what you can and cannot do according to the condominium rules: for example, repainting the walls, putting up partitions, adding curtains or pergolas, and similar considerations.
• Talk to some experts to find out which plants are best suited to be grown in your area. Seasonal minimum and maximum temperatures, exposure to the sun and wind of your balcony in particular, drought or excessive rain conditions that occur each year - these are all factors that will help you find the plants that are best able to adapt to life on your balcony.

The balcony is an extension to the home

Always consider the external space as an extension of the internal one (i.e. the home): therefore, consider a look that fits well with that of the rest of the house and always leave room for a chair / sofa / armchair / bench ... anything that allows you to stop and relax in the middle of your outdoor green corner.

Just like at home, decide on the best color paint for the walls and floors. If you can, consider repainting the walls that frame the balcony. Generally, white is the best choice for fresh and modern environments, but if you want to accentuate the feeling of being in the middle of nature, there are several shades of green - even very neutral and sober tones of green - that can do wonders.

And don't forget that you could cover the floor surface with a decking, or you could choose new surfacing (there are also wood-effect tiles, for example). Or even help use outdoor rugs or carpeting for the area to be furnished, just like in the living room. 

The plants

The Internet is the first source of inspiration to use to determine how plants will look when they are mature, and maybe even to find examples of balconies set up in a way you would like to too.

You may want lots of flower boxes on the railings, or low ones resting on the ground and full of seasonal blooms. You may prefer pots with large plants, such as certain philodendrons, which give an exotic look. You might also consider using supports or simple wire guides to grow some easy-to-manage vines (or some other creeper) that will create a green screen.

And then there are the urban gardens, or dwarf fruit trees or even the great variety of aromatic herbs to take into consideration.

Other useful tips

Once you have selected the plants you would like, consider the pots, saucers or supports - special trellises, walls to be filled with plants, etc - that you could use to grow them in or on. First of all, they must be of the dimensions and materials suitable for the various types of plants, and then also have an appearance which will create a harmony of shapes and colors that will match the rest of your home (and style).

If there is a bare minimum of space available somewhere, consider the idea of a container for creating compost: with all the kitchen waste, it would be very useful to have one available, and your balcony garden will be happy to receive it.

Would you like to set up a garden on your balcony?