A
Garden in Your Balcony
Gardens,
however small, provide a place of retreat, and gardening is an effective
stress-buster. But fulfilling our green thumb in a small apartment balcony or
terrace is an art.
For most of us urban dwellers, home is a box of an apartment in a concrete jungle. Access to a garden or a park is increasingly becoming a luxury in most cities and towns. We can curse city mandarins for the lack of planning, or we can create our own little green zones in our balconies. But gardening is no mean task. Sriram Aravamuda, cofounder of Bangalore-based My Sunny Balcony, which designs gardens in small spaces, says you must be prepared to invest a lot of time and energy in the maintenance and upkeep of your garden, however tiny. Here are some design tips for your balcony garden:
The Startup Plan
If you have a large balcony or an attached terrace, go ahead and get yourself a miniforest. But if space is limited, mark out a zone for the plants. Leave enough space in the middle for a couple of chairs and ensure there are gaps between pots for cleaning. If you dry clothes in your balcony, put up a flexible partition like a rollable ceiling-to-floor bamboo screen that divides the utility area and the garden.
If you have a large balcony or an attached terrace, go ahead and get yourself a miniforest. But if space is limited, mark out a zone for the plants. Leave enough space in the middle for a couple of chairs and ensure there are gaps between pots for cleaning. If you dry clothes in your balcony, put up a flexible partition like a rollable ceiling-to-floor bamboo screen that divides the utility area and the garden.
The Pots
Get pots and planters of varying shapes, sizes and colours, or make your garden more fun by re-using materials as planters. You can convert wooden crates, large coffee mugs, wooden basins, water cans, wide-mouthed bottles and traditional earthen cooking ware into pots. Make use of the railings and walls too. Get flower or window boxes than can be fitted onto the railing, or create a trellis screen to mount creepers. You can also hang a series of multi-coloured coffee mugs to hold your herbs.
Get pots and planters of varying shapes, sizes and colours, or make your garden more fun by re-using materials as planters. You can convert wooden crates, large coffee mugs, wooden basins, water cans, wide-mouthed bottles and traditional earthen cooking ware into pots. Make use of the railings and walls too. Get flower or window boxes than can be fitted onto the railing, or create a trellis screen to mount creepers. You can also hang a series of multi-coloured coffee mugs to hold your herbs.
The Plants you Choose
Do not buy too many plants altogether — add to your garden regularly. Decide whether you want just ornamental plants or you want to mix them up with herbs and veggies. Anthuriums and spathiphyllum are two flowering varieties that do well in tropical balconies; dieffenbachia, palm, ficus and philodendrons also grow well in the shade. Herbs and greens need more sunlight, but the easiest to grow are spinach, coriander and mint.
Do not buy too many plants altogether — add to your garden regularly. Decide whether you want just ornamental plants or you want to mix them up with herbs and veggies. Anthuriums and spathiphyllum are two flowering varieties that do well in tropical balconies; dieffenbachia, palm, ficus and philodendrons also grow well in the shade. Herbs and greens need more sunlight, but the easiest to grow are spinach, coriander and mint.
The Basics & the Design
To start with, spend some time in your balcony or terrace to figure out how much sunlight it gets, and depending on that you can choose sun-loving or shade-loving plants. Place pots and planters on the periphery, but don’t line them. Make clusters and islands with pots of different colours, varying heights and girth. If you have pots on the wall, put smaller pots at the base and the larger ones on the other end.
To start with, spend some time in your balcony or terrace to figure out how much sunlight it gets, and depending on that you can choose sun-loving or shade-loving plants. Place pots and planters on the periphery, but don’t line them. Make clusters and islands with pots of different colours, varying heights and girth. If you have pots on the wall, put smaller pots at the base and the larger ones on the other end.
The Accessories
Just because you have a small balcony garden does not mean you cannot accessorise. You can put up windchimes or brass bells, or hang a series of Chinese lanterns across the ceiling of the balcony. A budget option would be to weave a string of fairy lamps in between the pots and over the plants. Add a water element, like a petite water fountain. Its magical sound will draw you out every evening. Also, spread out garden accessories like a gnome or a frog or even a small sculpture. Finally, put up some outdoor furniture, depending on the space you have. It will be a perfect perch to watch the stars.
Just because you have a small balcony garden does not mean you cannot accessorise. You can put up windchimes or brass bells, or hang a series of Chinese lanterns across the ceiling of the balcony. A budget option would be to weave a string of fairy lamps in between the pots and over the plants. Add a water element, like a petite water fountain. Its magical sound will draw you out every evening. Also, spread out garden accessories like a gnome or a frog or even a small sculpture. Finally, put up some outdoor furniture, depending on the space you have. It will be a perfect perch to watch the stars.
Radhika
P Nair ET120811
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