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To Blog

Balcony Gardens

June 10, 2018
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Balcony Gardens, Landscape Design
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Posted by Parveen
Succulent in pot for Mount Waverley balcony garden design

With working lives becoming busier and its becoming more expensive to travel to an oasis, why not create a home oasis of your own?  A balcony garden is a perfect initiative!! Personally, its not about adding to clutter, but its about organising your space to be more of what you need in life with plant friends along the way and which can improve the air quality to boot!!

There are some of my tips for creating a balcony garden:

1.Install an irrigation system if possible.  However, it is sometimes not possible in a balcony.  A lot of high rises do not have external taps in their balcony areas.  Not to worry, if you want a balcony garden, there are ways around it.  Simply invest instead in a good quality self watering trough!

2.Planters/troughs – there are heaps available.  However, research the specific product thoroughly.   In a sunny spot, it may be worthwhile looking into a UV stabilised which will cost more in the short term but will be beneficial in the long term.  Also, consider the planting space you have.  Research the plant – whether it is suitable for pots, whether it will break your pot (yes some do) and whether there is sufficient space for it to grow healthily.  Now, don’t forget repotting in a couple of years too…

3.Consider the aspect (sun v shade) and wind factor.  These are very important considerations in small spaces to design for such as balcony gardens.  Increased wind factor will impact on watering requirements and safety (e.g. plant or pot being blown away/over).

4.Be mindful of weight issues.  Factor in the pot weight along with the weight of the plant and wet soil.

5.Be mindful of council regulations and body corporate regulations (if applicable).

6.Be considerate of others – I’m sure your neighbour downstairs will mind if your pot leaks down to their level Or if you have leaves or your hanging pot blown away!!!

7.Keep on top of pests and diseases.  Make it a rule to go through every plant, every couple of weeks.  Gives you a chance to admire their beauty  and your handiwork too 😉

8.Ensure that the garden’s well looked after in your absence.  You can outsource this functionality to someone reliable and get your house cleaned at the same time!

9.Don’t emphasise flowers.  Focus more on foliage to give you colour and interest for all seasons and allow for the occasional pop of flowers to bring a smile to your face.  Choose plants that will thrive in your conditions.

10.Make sure you’re realistic on maintenance!  Don’t plant things that you don’t have time to take care of.

11.Plan the layout carefully and ensure that you have adequate resources in place.  For example, do not sprain your back lifting heavy pots and bags of potting mix on your own!!

12.Potting mix – please use a good quality potting mix and that which is suitable for your plant type.

13.Fertilisers – instead of slow release chemical fertilisers, use slow release pelletised manures.  Liquid seaweed or fish emulsion fertilisers provide easily absorbed nutrients.

14.Think vertical!  Increase your potential planting area.

15.Remember of have fun ;-).  As with all aspects of gardening this is key.

If you need further suggestions on all or any of the above, contact us for an onsite 90 minute consultation.  We charge $220.00 for the visit and can subsequently quote on implementing the entire transformation for you within your budget.

Refer to our portfolio for an example of a simple balcony garden we designed!  For more information on balcony gardens, refer for example to the City of Melbourne Sustainable Guide!

Our other writeups that would be of interest are on trellises and succulents.

Our passion, your garden!

Sedum donkeys tail Melbourne

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Vertical gardens1

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Kew

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Brighton

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Vertical or small space gardens

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Balcony garden

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Parveen

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Probably my favourite view of this design and prob Probably my favourite view of this design and probably one of my best experiences of 2020.⁠⁠
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It belongs to a lovely couple I've come to know and who have worked tirelessly in making this design come to life.  My role here was as designer, plant enthusiast and a helping hand in empowering them to take the step to do it mostly on their own with some assistance.⁠⁠
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I love the fact that they continue to share their enthusiasm and garden updates with me whenever they can.  Really brightening up my day whenever I hear from them and seeing how the garden continues to mature! 💚⁠⁠
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The backbones to this garden were strong so we kept the large trees and resurfaced the deck, modernising it's look (but remaining consistent with the house). ⁠⁠
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Styled with some new pots and added new undergrowth plants that will survive the shade and heat in this garden, after properly documenting and understanding what didn't work in the past.⁠⁠
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So here you have it - a layered approach using curves (which I love and keeping the original structure of the garden intact (why waste money and some plants you can reuse)!⁠⁠
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And yup - I've used some of my usual favourites in this one - see if you can spot them! ⁠⁠
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Can't wait to take some professional shots of this garden later this year come Spring!! 💚💚💚
Garden Statues and Ornaments.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Do you Garden Statues and Ornaments.⁠⠀
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Do you have any in your garden?⁠⠀
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I love seeing these in my client's gardens as they are heaps of fun and add so much personality into a design!⁠⠀
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This lovely creation was by a client's parent who loves creating 3D mosaic pieces and came all the way from NZ!⁠⠀
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Do try styling your outdoors with some wonderful pieces like these and it really doesn't have to be something new - upcyle and use your imagination to create something wonderful and unique!⁠⠀
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Have a go and let me know what you come up with! 💚
Grasses.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ One element to design I real Grasses.⁠⠀
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One element to design I really love using is to incorporate different types of "grasses" into my designs⁠⠀
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I find them easy going maintenance wise and if used properly, quite visually and physically textural.⁠⠀
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Here is an example where I've used about 5 types - from broader leaved versions to thin and wispy flowering types! A couple of my favourite's have a quirky "Mr It" type effect! ⁠⠀
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Which grass types appeal to you? And what do you love about them? 💚⁠⠀
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to be Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. ⁠⠀
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Beginning makes the condition perfect ... and anytime is a perfect to play in your garden! 💚
Do you have a favourite nook in your garden that y Do you have a favourite nook in your garden that you can relax in?⁠⠀
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Perhaps somewhere to read a book or a magazine or to just laze about?⁠⠀
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These things are important when designing your garden as it's not only about creating something special to look at but also creating a space to be part of and to immerse yourself in. ⁠⠀
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What is your favourite gardening spot and how do you spend time in it? 💚 ⁠⠀
A snippet from a favourite design from 2020! ⁠⠀
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Completed last Sept and about to arrange for some professional shots of it soon!⁠⠀
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Probably the best part of the design for me was to see my client's fervour around building the nautilus feature and actually making that happen!  You'll have to see it in real life to believe it as it not only looks amazing but gives her a sense of pride whenever she drives home!⁠⠀
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No more a boring front garden with a square grassed area but something unique to come home to, surrounded by plants that make her happy and a garden she loved designing for herself! 💚
This is one thing that continues to fascinate me!⁠⠀
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I LOVE it when ferns unfurl.  It's almost magical and done with such grace of movement!⁠⠀
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From the alternating leaf pattern, the prominent lateral veins to the spores that finally appear underneath their leaves, it's so well planned and amazing!⁠⠀
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Isn't nature simply beautiful!!? 💚⁠⠀
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What's your favourite fern?
Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠ Feature pots for smaller spaces or courtyards. ⁠⠀
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The decision is a little trickier than you would initially think but here are some tips that can help!⁠⠀
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🌿Colours - lighter to make the area larger⁠⠀
🌿Size & number - would also depend on what you intend to plant and the aesthetic you'd want to create but if space is really limited I'd perhaps chose a single reasonably sized pot (to facilitate good root growth) that would allow for some layering of plants⁠⠀
🌿Opening - what  I mean by this is the "mouth" of the pot.  This has practical implication for on-going repotting and maintenance.  The wider the opening the easier to repot down the track!⁠⠀
🌿Texture - i love the earthy ones as they feel natural and similarly anything with laid stone or are handcrafted just adds that something extra but these tend to be expensive!⁠⠀
🌿Type - chose the look that compliments the overall style and aesthetic for your space.  For example, you'd not want to chose an ultra modern geometric pot for a farmhouse style cottagey space!  The pot here was chosen to compliment the earthy paving colour and was in line with the shapes of other structures in the courtyard!⁠⠀
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What are your key styling tips!  Do share! 💚⁠⠀
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⁠Slow and steady gets there eventually!⁠⠀
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Finally my dwarf senecio has got to a reasonable size and is looking very adorable at the moment!⁠⠀
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What especially I love about it is that it has a rounded growth and almost 'shines' at night against the moonlight which is why I've planted it next to the path!⁠⠀
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What's your favourite succulent? 💚⁠⠀
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