SMALL SPACES: New Impressions from the Balcony Garden

This year the weather is really crazy - very humid but relatively warm - at least most of the time. It's good for the plants because they grow like crazy - not so good for the blooms I must say though. Simply not enough sunshine.

I have grown 3 different Tropaeolum this year and they are forming a real jungle in the meanwhile and the bees and bumblebees love their blooms which is wonderful - even at a height of more than 120 feet!!! I love bumblebees. Here are some vignettes how even a small space can transform into a lovely little garden.

This was the beginning of May:

As you can see I have quite a lot of pots hanging from the ceiling which is doing the trick if you are very constraint with space (even my little Oleander tree is hanging):

 4 weeks later it already looked like this - the Tropaeolum started to climb:

Now this is the view I have when I am sitting on my balcony - the ugly outer world has been shut off completely - at least by sight:

Our pigeons love this jungle - can hide between the leaves and relax there:

My Epiphyllum gave me soom blooms this year again:

Btw - this year I have spent less than a 100 bucks on my balcony garden including all the new pots/containers, potting soil, new herbs and seeds and even my new Oleander tree. (Last one was killed in the awfully cold winter). You see you don't need to spend a whole lot of money to create a little garden in your modest home.
Btw - you don't even need to buy expensive seeds or plants. Some vegetables have lovely blooms and the green leaves are sometimes very interesting, climbers and non-climbers. And if you are lucky you can even harvest the fruit in the end. Last year I even had some beans on the balcony. Unfortunately the rest of the plant was eaten untimely by lice.

I am growing a lot of Anthericum as well which can serve as a filler for empty places, is easy to grow from its own branches and looks wonderful when blooming (the blooms here are from my cactus though).

And this is my balcony as it looks now - wonderfully overgrown:

 (all photos above ©Petra Voegtle)

Here are a few more impressions what you can do with your balcony:

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This is a real surprise for me that you can grow Brugmansia on the balcony:

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Such a balcony garden adds to a romantic feeling - doesn't it - and is full of life instead of grey concrete. The plants create a soothing climate on your balcony, keep off dust and even pollution to some extent. They can serve as a windshield as well as a sunscreen. I could not do without them any more...

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