Methods of vertical gardening of balconies and loggias. Proper landscaping of a balcony Landscaping of a balcony and loggia

As soon as warm weather sets in, townspeople begin to arrange their yards and loggias. In spring summer period For many, the pressing question is how to decorate a balcony with flowers, taking into account its position relative to the sun. Fragrant flowers on the balcony became fashionable back in medieval Venice; they were grown to fill apartments that were damp during the winter with aromas. Designers offer different ways to organize external space, taking into account centuries-old traditions and new ideas.

Flowers on the balcony

Balcony with flowers

Although a balcony is a limited space with a narrow area, there are still proven ways to fill it almost entirely with vegetation for the summer. The fashion for decorating loggias, apartment greenhouses and winter gardens is quite changeable, but there are many interesting ways that have become classics:

• external boxes with petunias and night violets, fixed around the perimeter;
• ampelous varieties of lushly flowering and indoor plants in hanging pots;
• small tubs for “indoor” palm trees, citrus fruits and tall flowers, which are brought indoors for the winter;
• climbing plants and vegetable crops that take root well as an addition to the decoration of the balcony with flowers;
• decorating balconies with compact sized garden crops - lilies, dahlias, roses, etc.

Balcony design with flowers

Flowers on the balcony

Although there is always little space in city apartments, even on a loggia or balcony with an area of ​​no more than 2-3 sq.m. There is always a corner for your favorite flowers. To do this, it is enough to create a base for curly forms on the free end wall. It is better to attach hanging ones to the ceiling flower pots. On the remaining area add:

• shelves;
• jumpers on the frame;
• light shelves for flowers.

Advice. To have more space for flowers, it is worth removing unnecessary objects, old furniture and all sorts of little things stored “just in case” from the balcony. If you are engaged in floral decoration of a balcony, then you need to do it with all seriousness.

Before landscaping the external space of the apartment, it is important to sensibly assess the additional load from large pots filled with soil. If this an old house for demolition, and the balcony itself does not inspire confidence, it is better to limit yourself to flowers fixed on the main or load-bearing wall as in the photo.

Balcony with flowers

Flowers on the balcony

You should not buy unfamiliar plants if you do not know the specifics of caring for them, otherwise they may degrade and die. Decide in advance how to decorate your balcony with flowers to get maximum results at minimal cost. If everything is organized well, then next year it is enough to add a few new flowers.

Attention! When buying rare plants or difficult to care for, it is important to assess whether they will have enough light, heat and watering if you have to go on vacation. Today there are many ways to organize automatic watering with your own hands.

When choosing plants for landscaping a balcony, it is important to consider whether it is glazed. The open space will not be protected from sudden cold snaps, gusty winds and slanting downpours. For open terrace, loggias and balconies use low-growing plants with strong stems, dwarf conifers and ampelous (hanging) forms.

When decorating a balcony with your own hands, it is important to imagine the end result. For example, you can choose vertical gardening for one wall or cascading for the entire balcony. It is useful to make a preliminary plan, markings and sketches of how the balcony will be decorated with flowers (as in the photo).

Balcony with flowers

Balcony design with flowers

What is important to consider when landscaping a balcony

For lovers of flora and fauna, the main thing is to have a loggia or balcony all year round decorated with evergreens - dwarf bonsai, low-growing thuja and juniper. They are sold in garden and flower shops in pots and do not require replanting or planting in open ground.

For those who practically do not go out onto the balcony in winter, it is better to plant large-flowering annuals every year. Seeds in autumn and winter cost much less, the assortment is much wider than at the height of the season - use catalogs.

Flowers on the balcony

Balcony with flowers

Indoor plants need good lighting, and to compensate for the lack of sunlight, they are often taken out to the balcony in the summer. Think it over separate place for each pot so that the flowers do not shade each other.

Advice. The orchid is not suitable for outdoor gardening with indoor flowers; it does not like rearrangements. Use chlorophytum, tradescantia, pelargonium, zamioculcas (dollar tree), violets, mother-in-law's tongue, cyclamen, hibiscus, etc.

Plants that require shading are best separated from the glass with gauze or translucent curtains - think about their design. You may need an additional canopy or blinds for your balcony in the summer.

Relaxing surrounded by fragrant flowers is a pleasure. Plan what you will sit on there. If the balcony is very narrow, use reclining seats, stackable chairs or stools. They will not interfere with the passage during daily flower care.

Balcony design with flowers

Flowers on the balcony

Place tall plants along the wall, small plants along the perimeter along the aisles. On the spacious balcony, surrounded by flowers, you can place a sun lounger or attach a hanging swing.

If the balcony is glazed, make sure that the plants will not interfere with the closing of the transoms, and the pots will not break if a door or window suddenly opens in a draft.

When deciding how to do landscaping on the balcony with your own hands, try to minimize the load on the supports. Do not use forged flower stands, banquettes or heavy furniture. To sleep on outdoors It’s better to use an air mattress or a light cot so as not to weigh down the balcony with bulky old furniture.

Attention! The total weight of pots with moistened soil, stands and decor, plants and furniture is an additional 200-500 kg. The lighter and more elegant the design of the balcony, the better you feel there and the more pleasant you spend your relaxing time.

Balcony with flowers

Balcony design with flowers

Functional landscaping of the balcony

climbing plants – good way hide defects in the walls of a balcony or loggia. It is easy to hide boxes with tools and other rarely used items behind the mini-garden. Murmuring indoor fountain promotes relaxation and diverts attention from unaesthetic areas of the living space.

Today it has become fashionable to cultivate not only decorative flowers on the sunny side of the balcony for the sake of design, but also to shade it with useful and edible plants.

Flowers on the balcony

Balcony with flowers

Ennobling open area apartments for the summer, you can make the most of it:

• use as a greenhouse for growing vegetables (special varieties of cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers are needed);
• sow in boxes spices(dill, anise, parsley, shallots);
• grow houseplants for sale with maximum natural light;
• acquire special varieties of strawberries ( garden strawberries) ampelous, curly and remontant forms;
• collect indoor lilies, roses, orchids, violets;
• organize a greenhouse for growing dwarf lemons and tangerines.

Loggias can be grown in storage rooms edible mushrooms on a mixture of wood dust and seed husks. Mushroom culture is ordered from the catalog. The main condition is to maintain a certain temperature regime and high humidity. On the northern part of the house they do not take root light-loving plants, but you can use shade-tolerant exotics if the balcony is insulated.

Balcony interior with flowers

Flowers on the balcony

The simplest methods of “green” balcony design

To decorate a balcony, it is not advisable to buy everything in a row; it is better to use one interesting idea or general concept. Plant varieties are selected according to the principle of compliance with the design concept.

If you organize a gym or mini-hall on an insulated loggia, then there is no place for large plants. They will interfere with your training. It is better to place a collection of succulents in the free corners. These are compact plants with fleshy leaves that retain moisture, like cacti. It is cacti and others thorny plants What would be inappropriate here would be an awkward movement and a mass of needles in the body. Nothing will happen to lithops and succulents, even if you hit them with a weight, they easily reproduce vegetatively. The plants are undemanding in care and are rarely watered, which is convenient for those people who forget about them.

Balcony with flowers

Flowers on the balcony

Balcony plants will help emphasize the Japanese style in interior design. This is a collection of bonsai, a compact sakura tree in a tub and 2-3 junipers for a “rock garden”, skillfully laid by craftsmen around a small homemade pond, as in the photo. Curtain in Japanese style with hieroglyphs will complement the overall picture.

There are many other ways to decorate a balcony with flowers. For example, imitate a corner of a certain climate zone or a recognizable corner of the planet. Or you can arrange several square meters like a Parisian courtyard terrace, using adhesive glass film with views of Paris. Inside, the balcony is designed as a place for romantic dates with indoor roses. Another option is the same collectible cacti for Mexican-style apartment design.

Balcony design with flowers

Flowers in the interior of the balcony

Unexpected play of color - good design technique. Today, dark purple, black and green colors (of different types) are in fashion against a background of lush greens and whites. plastic containers. Extravagant decoration of the balcony with flowers is appropriate in an apartment with elegant white decor in any modern style.

Ivy and wild grapes- ideal plants for landscaping and shading an apartment on the 1st floor on the south side of the house. You just have to plant them under the balcony in the yard. There are very beautiful varieties, which would be quite appropriate for decorating a corner of the house in the English style. The apartment will have an aristocratic interior and a courtyard covered with ivy, as in literary works. Just don’t forget to cut off several cuttings of ivy for the winter and place them in a vase to receive cuttings. Ivy dies during severe frosts, although it is a persistent perennial.

Balcony landscaping often suffers because of pets who like to rummage in the soil with plants and nibble on fresh herbs (due to a lack of vitamins). You shouldn’t punish them for this - organize a green “lawn” in a small box. The corner where they can misbehave with impunity should be at the bottom. It’s better to plant flowers in hanging planters, forming a kind of arch on the front side of the balcony. Plants can be hung in any order, the main thing is that they are inaccessible to the cat.

Various flowers on the balcony

Balcony with flowers

Beautiful flowers on the balcony

Experts have developed an all-season way to decorate a balcony with flowers. This is when different flowers delight with their fragrance all year round. For example, crocuses and primroses are replaced by balcony forms of tulips and daffodils, and then “flowerbed” annuals bloom wildly. In autumn they are replaced by asters, dahlias and chrysanthemums, and in winter dwarf needles with small cones turn green.

Do not forget about adequate lighting, watering and fertilizing of plants. Then, with any balcony design, they will delight the eye with their healthy appearance, juicy greens and charming flowers.

The open space of balconies and loggias, the presence of large vertical planes on them, the vast selection of flowering and decorative foliage plants will allow you to create an amazingly beautiful picture of living colors that will give a great mood throughout the spring-autumn period.

Taking into account the design features of balconies and loggias

Structurally, balconies and loggias can be open or glazed.

The main places for open balconies and loggias for placing plants are enclosing railings and walls. If the railings provide good penetration sunlight, let's say simplest option with plants in pots placed on the floor around the perimeter of balconies and loggias.

Fully closed type railings are supposed to be placed on the outside ornamental plants in flower boxes, in hanging baskets. External fastenings must be very reliable so that massive flower boxes can safely withstand even strong gusts of wind. For the same reason, it is not recommended to use plants with long and weak stems in landscaping. Climbing and climbing plants can withstand strong winds well. They can be used for decoration, both railings and vertical walls. The aristocratic style is considered to be the placement of just one type of ampelous flowering plant on the railing of an open balcony.

Balcony landscaping inside can be created using species of flora that are tall enough so that they do not experience a lack of sunlight.

The presence of a balcony or loggia on the top floor provides the opportunity to install hanging flower pots with pots of indoor plants. The main enemy of this spectacular option placement is still the same wind, during which you will have to quickly dismantle it from the ceiling suspended structures with flowers.

The area where hanging or climbing plants are placed on the walls is affected by the size of the window and the required amount of sunlight to illuminate living spaces.

Should be observed building codes safety and avoid overloading flower boxes and pots with soil and plants, both on the balcony itself and on the railings.

A closed version of the loggia and balcony, with appropriate heating, makes it possible to have a corner here flora and in winter time. The rules of plant life in this case are identical to the living conditions. When the heating is weak, but there are positive temperatures even in severe street frosts, indoor plants that are in the resting phase are placed on balconies and loggias. This kind of winter garden can also boast vertical landscaping on balconies. Plants in such a gentle temperature conditions provided there is sufficient lighting and normal humidity, they feel great all year round.

Nature's wealth of choice

For landscaping balconies and loggias, there is a huge number of flowering, decorative deciduous, hanging, and climbing plants. It is possible to choose plants that bloom throughout the summer or alternate the gradual flowering of several species. Flowers for landscaping a balcony are formed by the different-level arrangement of boxes or pots, the direction of growth of hanging and climbing plants.

When arranging flower boxes, it is necessary to take into account the factor of rapid plant growth during the spring-autumn period. This will prevent unwanted plants from blocking the access of sunlight to others.

For landscaping, plants are used either with a one-year growth cycle or perennial species with a long spring-autumn flowering period and rapid development. For a period of rest perennials pruned, moved from an outdoor location indoors, in which they safely winter until next spring.

Ideas for landscaping a balcony

The position of the balcony and loggia relative to the direction of sunlight, the degree of air humidity and values maximum temperatures in the region determine the final choice of plants for landscaping the loggia in the apartment.

Many plants cannot withstand direct scorching sunlight and may stop flowering or even die. It is better to plant them on balconies located on the shady or moderately sunny side.

We will systematize and offer a short list of plants that are most often used for landscaping balconies and loggias:

1) Sunny side with maximum level Sveta:

• Floral: geranium, petunia, chrysanthemums, spurge, verbena, violets, purslane.
• Ampelous: dichondra, ampelous geranium, surfinia, hanging begonia.

2) Side with moderate sunlight:

• Floral: pelargonium, begonia, hydrangea, petunia, balsam, tricolor violets, viola, primrose.
• Ampelous: dichondra, ampelous geranium, surfinia, ampelous begonia, tradescantia, climbing roses.

3) Shady side with minimal sunlight:

• Floral: balsam, pansies, tuberous begonia, viola, primrose
• Ampelous: Tradescantia, ivy.

Naturally, this list is not final. It is possible to participate in landscaping and other types of indoor plants. On loggias, for example, thujas, palm trees and other ornamental trees feel very good along the walls. To clearly see the process itself, we recommend that you look at photos of landscaping loggias, as carried out by Elavotek specialists.

With a colossal selection of flora species, there is an opportunity to show creativity and create a truly unique look for a balcony and loggia with the help of their landscaping.

It has long been known that plants have a calming and relaxing effect, and they also saturate the room with pure oxygen. They charge you with energy in the morning and give good mood. Lucky are those who have a balcony. After all, you can organize a home garden on it and enjoy the beauty of plants even in winter period. But how to do this? Let's take a closer look at how to do landscaping on a balcony with your own hands.

Types of landscaping for balconies and loggias

To create a home garden, various planting options are used. At the same time, different planting methods can be combined with each other, which will give special originality. home garden on the balcony.

One way to decorate a balcony is horizontal gardening. With this type of landscaping, the emphasis is on horizontal lines. To decorate your balcony in this way, you need to place pots with various plants and flowers around the perimeter. Pots can be placed on special shelves or racks with flower stands. A great option There will be a strip installed along the entire length of the window. Next, vases or flower boxes are placed on the bar and plants are planted there.

Horizontal gardening is suitable for large and wide balconies and loggias

Vertical gardening is also widely used. For this method, the entire wall is used. Plants with long-growing stems intertwining are recommended. As with horizontal gardening, shelves or stands are placed along the wall, and pots of flowers are placed directly there. Flowers such as liana, hoya, ivy and the like will look gorgeous. Flower pots can be easily replaced with a tall rack with existing planting spaces, or flower pots can be installed on specially installed shelves.

Vertical balcony gardening is usually preferred by owners of small balconies and narrow loggias.

Phytowalls are especially popular. This is relatively new and modern design premises. A phytowall is essentially a structure that provides a system automatic watering and backlighting. Flowers are planted in pots with peat, without adding soil. The result is a continuous flower wall. Thanks to its compactness, automatic watering system and beauty, phytowall is becoming very popular for decorating rooms.

A phytowall on a balcony is a new trend in landscaping balconies and loggias.

Designers love to combine various ways landscaping. So they combine both horizontal and vertical gardening. And the phytowall is combined with large shelving in the same compositions. This creates a harmonious space.

Some rules for landscaping balconies and loggias

The balcony is a place of relaxation, especially in summer, so you should not clutter it with all sorts of rubbish. A much more acceptable solution would be to decorate the balcony using greenery. Then not only you, but also your guests, and even passersby, if you live low, will admire it.

However, there are certain rules for landscaping a balcony.

1. Climbing plants are ideal for a balcony located on the sunny side. If such plants create shade for the window, then you are guaranteed a cool place in the summer heat. It is best to choose plants that grow quickly and form a dense wall. These include annual vines, Turkish beans, and morning glory. You need to monitor such plants: set their direction using a net or any other support for growth. If the balcony does not get a lot of sunlight and heat, climbing plants can be planted along the wall, and lush flowering plants in flowerpots can be planted along the balcony.

Climbing plants are simply necessary for a balcony located on the sunny side.

2. The balcony is not a copy of the garden. Not all garden flowers are suitable for decorating a balcony, for example, gladioli and dahlias. Such flowers are simply cramped in balcony conditions, because there is not enough land and nutrition there. As a result, they do not take root: they bloom poorly, stretch out and become not as attractive as they are used to seeing.

3. Indoor flowers are in any case suitable for landscaping a balcony. It is important to remember that in the summer heat their roots need to be protected from overheating, for which they should be transplanted into containers with soil and fertilizers. Such plants can be geraniums, aloe, cacti, agave and many others. Some of them tolerate heat well and take root well.

Option for arranging flowers on a balcony or loggia.

In the fall, you can plant tulip or daffodil bulbs in pots. Then, with the arrival of spring, they transform the balcony into a magnificent flowering meadow.

4. Do not mix plants at random. It is best to use all your imagination and come up with interesting compositions in which the colors will be combined. A winning option would be several plants of the same color or similar shades. The contrast will also look very impressive. Plants of the same species and several colors are another design option. The color of the plants should contrast with the color of the house so that nothing “merges.” You should not plant more on one balcony four types plants.

5. Plants must have a place where their shoots will develop, so you should not plant them in one box. At creative approach You can even build multi-level plantings. Then “hanging” plants are best placed at the upper levels. All standard containers for balcony plants are sold in specialized stores; their sizes should be selected based on the size of the flowers.

Modern manufacturers balcony boxes, flowerpots and holders offer a wide range to suit every budget.

Caring for balcony flowers and plants

What soil should I plant balcony flowers in? As a rule, landscaping a balcony is carried out by planting annual flowering crops, so the soil must be changed every year. In garden shopping centers Specialized soil for container floriculture is available on sale, but if it is not possible to purchase such soil, then you can use universal soil with the addition of river sand and composted peat.

Plants and flowers should be watered with settled water. Once every 15 days, plants should be fertilized and loosened. Don't overwater, but don't dry out either.

Specialized soil for balcony plants is saturated with useful microelements, so during the first month after planting there is no need to feed the flowers. In the future, it is necessary to apply complex fertilizers every week to flowering plants as foliar and root feeding.

Experienced gardeners recommend carrying out preventive treatment of balcony plants by washing the foliage with a weak soap solution or garlic infusion to prevent diseases caused by pathogenic insects and pests.

Every person wants his home to be pleasing to the eye. That's why we all try to decorate our houses and apartments, not bypassing a single room. The balcony is no exception: if it is beautifully arranged, it will lift your spirits every summer day.

Get inspired by ideas for landscaping balconies and loggias.

Vertical gardening is a design technique that can be used not only in gardens. To turn balconies into real summer oases, you don’t have to limit yourself to just balcony boxes and a potted garden. Using design methods that take up minimal space but create beautiful blooming walls, you can achieve the stunning effect of immersing yourself in wonderful colors and aromas. Growing ordinary annual vines, placing a large number of ampels on the wall or creating a real green fur wall - there are plenty of options for decorating balconies with flowers.

Using vertical gardening in summer, a balcony can be turned into a real garden. © aboutespanol

Advantages of vertical gardening of balconies

In summer, balconies turn into real recreation areas. Many indoor plants migrate here, and minimum costs and care efforts make it possible to create a full-fledged potted garden on even the smallest balcony. Closed and heated, open, large and miniature, in summer balconies can become a wonderful blooming oasis. Surrounded by colorful flowering plants, it is so pleasant to enjoy morning coffee, a cool cocktail, the evening breeze or a conversation in sun rays sunset

Even displaying simple summer flowers in pots or several balcony boxes can make the balcony space look elegant. But nothing, perhaps, compares in effectiveness and beauty with flowering walls. This method vertical gardening the balcony creates the feeling of a solid wall of plants. At the same time, a flowering wall does not necessarily have to be the wall of a house. A flowering wall can be created at the end, partition or part of the facade of the balcony, used as a screen or protection from the bright summer sun.

Eco-friendly, creating not only a joyful atmosphere, but also pleasant microclimate on the balcony, saving from excessive heat and purifying the air, vertical walls recreate the comfort of a blooming garden on small space balcony A best approach to their creation is when landscape design and gardening techniques provide inspiration and job satisfaction.

Drawing up a sketch, determining the landscaping area, initial conditions and selecting plants for them to implement the idea - these are all the steps that need to be taken at the planning stage.

Plants for vertical gardening of balconies

In vertical gardening of a balcony, you can use indoor plants - those species that love fresh air and are not afraid of drafts, “happily” moving into gardens and balconies for the summer. But the bulk of plants should be made up of annual stars - crops with abundant and long flowering and capable of creating color spots and elegant accents in the design.

Even in creating continuous phytowalls, annuals are the main favorites. Lianas or bushy plants allow you to freely form crops and achieve their maximum decorativeness without the need to save the plants for the next year and strictly adhere to the rules of their cultivation.

The choice of plants should be dictated by three main factors:

• your own preferences for shape, color, details of the structure of flowers and leaves;
• the conditions in which the plant will grow (orientation of the balcony to the sunny or shady sides);
• the ability to provide careful care for capricious plants or the preference to choose more hardy species.

When creating vertical gardens and landscaping the walls of a balcony, you can either create neutral background compositions, or try to plant plants so as to get a lush blooming and bright canopy. Color range you can change and select to your taste, combining flowering and decorative foliage plants so as to achieve maximum effect.

Harmonious pastel colors, bright single-color compositions or contrasts between the main garden colors - the options for decorating your balcony are up to you to choose. The main thing to remember is that plants should complement and emphasize the beauty of each other, contrast in leaves and flower shapes, while maintaining their individuality.

You can grow seedlings for growing annuals or colorful vines yourself or buy ready-made, already flowering ones. healthy seedlings. At latest version It is better to choose plants in containers, carefully assessing the condition of the leaves for traces of pests and the consequences of improper maintenance.

The main ways to organize vertical gardening of balconies

When vertically gardening balconies, three design methods are used today:

1. Creating a vertical canopy, screen or screen from vines.
2. Creating a vertically located potted garden - placing it on a stand or directly on the wall using mounts for a series of potted and hanging plants.
3. Creation flowering walls using hydroponic methods or growing on a fur wall.

Each balcony design option has its own advantages and disadvantages. If you like to tinker and experiment, you can allocate a larger budget, you can afford a hydroponic wall. If you need the least labor-intensive and complex option, then you should choose vines. And if you love Italian, Scandinavian and Spanish motifs, then you can think about colorful potted gardens on the wall.

Classic vertical gardening with vines

Simple stretched mesh made of wire, twine or a fixed trellis made of different materials(metal, wood, plastic), boxes for raising summer flies with installed gratings - the most traditional way create vertical lines on the balcony. Green and flowering screens, which will create continuous screens on such a support, will allow you to fully use the possibilities of landscaping without losing valuable space.

Creating such a flowering wall comes down to laying drainage, filling the container with substrate and planting plants, the shoots of which will need to be guided and tied up.

For southern and partially southern balconies, the choice of annual vines is especially rich. Here you can use nasturtium, modest in character, but dazzling in color, and exotic kobeya, and airy azarina, and romantic sweet pea, and the inimitable black-eyed thunbergia winged or the fashionable today quamoclite.

If you like original fruits, you can think of decorative pumpkins. You can also grow clematis or climbing roses as a container plant, but in this case you will have to take care proper wintering vine

Creepers for shady balconies are a rarity. For these purposes, ivy and vineyards are usually used, which are taken out into the fresh air in the summer. But it grows well on the northern balcony and sweet pea, especially if he gets proper care. Another liana that demonstrates amazing unpretentiousness is morning glory, the bright gramophones and no less bright greenery of which look more elegant on the balcony than in the gardens.

Ivy, like a vine, is ideal for use on shady balconies. © idolza

Vertical potted garden

By attaching fasteners for flower pots to the balcony wall, using multi-level stands, different variations of hanging multi-level shelves, you can create a flowering wall of dozens of pots on the balcony wall.

Today, the choice of “attached” structures is very large. Narrow racks, ladders, shelves, racks, which are often a work of art with forged elements, old stepladders or whatnots will help to place plants no worse than “hooks” and brackets with circle stands for pots, and other hanging holders different sizes and shapes. You can place a series of plants not in containers, but in bags made of canvas or thick fabric, in improvised containers (for example, old tins or an old set).

Of course, the possibilities of placing flowerpots in large quantities There are purely practical limitations on the wall - from the possibility of using reliable fasteners to the stability of materials and the ability to drill holes. Add-on shelves simplify the process, but they also need to be provided with reliable fastening, preventing the structure from tipping over.

Not every balcony will allow you to hang a dozen pots on the wall. For this option of vertical gardening, be sure to select medium-sized, lightweight containers and a very light substrate and drainage in order to reduce maximum load on the design.

For potted vertical gardening, be sure to select small, lightweight containers. © Champsbahrain

Choosing Plants for a Vertical Potted Garden

Petunias, pansies and marigolds are the absolute favorites for decorating balconies. But when doing vertical gardening, it is worth considering the growth form of the plants. Ampelous plants with hanging shoots, capable of creating beautiful cascades, are the best choice. Today, even marigolds, pelargoniums, balsams, and begonias have such varieties.

To achieve a particularly striking effect, it is worth combining ampelous plants with bushy ones in complex combinations, which will give the flowering wall from different pots additional volume.

For walls composed of several hanging balcony boxes located one below the other, staggered pots with summerhouses, or a potted garden located on a narrow rack, the choice of crops is carried out based on lighting conditions:

• On the eastern and western balconies a charming vertical garden can be created from pelargoniums, impatiens, begonias, petunias, lobelia, brovallia, bacopa, diascia. Any indoor plants that can be taken outdoors in the summer will feel great here.
• On southern balconies, heather and erica, catharanthus, gerberas, ampelous violas, marigolds, nasturtium, gillyflower, ageratum, carnations, phlox, the same pelargoniums and petunias of hardy small-flowered varieties are more appropriate. Even ampelous strawberry varieties can perform an impressive vertical task. Among indoor plants, cacti, dracaenas, yuccas, agave, laurels, citrus fruits, and aloe can be brought here and used in a vertical garden on a rack or stand.
• On a cooler north side at home on the balcony for a vertical potted garden, it is better to choose shade-loving indoor plants - ferns, fuchsias, tradescantia, ivy, cherry laurel, aspidistra, cissus. But the choice is not limited to them. Forget-me-nots and mignonette, begonias and marigolds, balsams and coleus will grow on the northern balcony.

If you decide to decorate with a vertical potted garden open balcony, which has no protection from the wind, then Special attention it is necessary to pay attention to the stability of structures. But pilots also need to be selected more carefully. Calendulas, ageratums, begonias, verbenas grow well on windy balconies, annual asters, chrysanthemums, gazania.

So that such a prefabricated potted garden, placed not horizontally, but in vertical plane, remained attractive throughout the year, we must not forget to add potted accents to the main annuals. Bulbous and small-bulbous plants, for example, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips and daffodils, followed by primroses, forget-me-nots, daisies and violets will help you wait until the main summer stars begin to bloom. And in the fall, it is worth adding asters, chrysanthemums, several cereal bushes and bright decorative foliage crops to such a garden.

Flowering walls in hydroponics

On balconies you can also use various methods of growing plants not in the traditional way - not in soil, but in special substrates that hold nutrient solutions.

Growing without soil allows not only to make the process “cleaner” and reduce the actual load on the balcony structure, but also opens up new perspectives in care: after all, such plants, as a rule, do not require such complex care. On the balcony, hydroponics and self-watering containers are used both for ordinary plants and for finding new ideas in the design of vertical elements.

For vertical gardening of balconies, you can use several options for hydroponic “walls”:

• vertical walls made of moss with hanging gardens laid out on them;
• using a bag or hanging soft wall, “canvas” with sewn pockets in which plants are planted (usually their base is made of waterproof durable fabrics - tarpaulin, burlap with complex impregnation);
• planting plants in plastic pipes with holes;
• creating a vertical garden in pallets (pallets) converted into “walls”;
• planting plants in converted tubs, canisters and barrels with drilled holes for planting.

You can create a vertical garden using hydroponics using pallets (pallets) converted into “walls”. © Aha

Organization of vertical structures in hydroponics

Most perfect look flowering walls on balconies are structures that migrated to balconies from interiors (phytowalls). This is special narrow design with an automatic watering system, and often with additional lighting, in which plants are planted in clean peat or ion-exchange substrate.

The essence of all such walls is the same: a base (structure) is selected or altered that will hold in vertical position moisture-intensive substrate, with holes or pockets for planting plants. Essentially this is balcony option vertical beds and strawberry gardens. Sometimes the space is lined with film as an insulating layer.

Any base in which holes with a diameter of 4-5 cm are located at a distance of about 15-20 cm is suitable. A hole for water drainage should be provided at the bottom of the wall, container, or pipe. The structure is filled in the same way as any container - from the drainage layer at the bottom to completely filling the space with the selected filler substrate and installing capillaries, conductors for an aqueous nutrient solution - thin tubes or branches that will help maintain high water permeability. The addition of hydrogel and loosening impurities is welcome.

For vertical walls on the balcony, ionite soil, expanded clay, coconut fiber, and peat are used. But the best choice, especially for hot balconies, is still moss. As a filler, it not only provides much more effective moisture retention, but also protects plants from overheating. The main requirements for the filler are a combination of rough texture with large particles, the ability to retain water, resistance to any decomposition and rot, neutral reaction and non-toxicity.

It is possible to grow flowering walls according to the principle of hydroponic installations only by using nutrient solutions for hydroponic crops. Strictly following the manufacturer's instructions for concentration and frequency of treatments, solutions for hydroponics are applied less frequently than conventional crops are watered and fed.

To create flowering walls on the balcony using the hydroponics method, you can use both annual and perennial plants. The main thing is that the selected species bush bush densely, are able to grow, create a continuous cover, or develop in the form of compact but curly bushes. Periwinkles and anemones, marigolds, pansies, verbena, alyssum, begonias, hamolepis, carnations, godetia, ivies, lobelias, impatiens, armeria and all types of annual hanging plants are planted in such walls.

Maybe you already have a vertical flowering wall on your balcony? Tell us about it in the comments to the article. What plants are planted there? Do they require a lot of attention?

With the onset of the warm season, you need to think about arranging your balcony and one of the options for this is its landscaping, which has recently become increasingly popular. This is especially true for city residents, because it’s much more pleasant to go out and breathe fresh air not in a gray lifeless box, but in a beautiful fragrant mini-garden, created with your own hands. In addition, for some, this is the only opportunity to realize their love for flowers and creating amazing compositions from them, consisting of petunias, daisies, pansies and others.

When landscaping, it is necessary to take into account some nuances, in particular, on which side of the world the loggia itself is located. It is also necessary to consider how the flowers will be protected from the scorching sun or from strong wind. If the balcony is glazed, you should periodically ventilate it, but without creating drafts. Therefore, it is very important to purchase the necessary species and varieties of plants adapted to certain conditions.

Sun-loving flowers

Almost all flowers are sun-loving, and when creating compositions from them, it is necessary to take into account their flowering period. Then you can be sure that your loggia will be fragrant and arouse admiration all summer, and almost half of the autumn, until the very frosts. It is worth paying attention to such flowers as kobeya, petunia, ampelous pelargonium, mignonette, asters and others. You can see them in the photo.

Begonias, daisies, pansies and violas deserve special attention; by planting them in May, you can get a multi-colored carpet at the end of spring. And petunia, begonia and kobeya will delight you with their flowering until the frosts. But on the sunny side you should not experiment with exotic flowers, as they are very picky about their habitat and can not only stop blooming, but also die.

Shade-loving flowers

Do not be upset if the room is located on the north or shady side of the house; there are many flowers that take root well and even bloom magnificently in such conditions. These include marigolds, ageratum, fuchsia, calceolaria, mignonette and others. If there is strong shade, it is better to decorate your balcony with daisies, begonias and nasturtiums, which have beautiful rounded leaves. Clearly visible in the photo different variants planting plants.

If the loggia is on a very windy side and, moreover, on high floor, also don’t be upset, because landscaping in such conditions is also possible. In such a situation it is better to plant low growing marigolds, daisies, gatsaniya and sedums, that is, flowers that do not grow tall.

Flower placement options

Depending on what kind of balcony you have and what size it is, you can do landscaping on it in two ways:

• horizontal;
• vertical.

The first is usually used for a small area in order to visually enlarge it. Pots or boxes with flowers are placed on the outside or inside of the railing in one line. To do vertical gardening, you need to have enough free space. This method is more suitable for loggias. Racks or shelves with pots are installed near the wall or on the sides. It would also look nice if you placed a long container near the wall, opposite the railing, and planted creeping plants such as ivy or grapes there.

On free space you can place several pots and boxes with plants at once, and different shapes and sizes, and make various compositions from them. In addition, they can be constantly swapped, thereby changing general form premises. All kinds of flowers can be planted in containers different periods flowering and height.

Nowadays, many people prefer to insulate loggias, so that they are relatively warm and humid all year round. Already in early spring, it will be possible to grow bulbous crops such as tulips, crocuses, daffodils and hyacinths there. It is also possible to display some indoor and exotic flowers there: pelargoniums, violets, anthurium, dieffenbachia and others. All this can be seen in the photo. It is not recommended to plant them in open ground, but in a place such as an insulated balcony with high humidity, they will feel great.

Landscaping can not only bring pleasure and joy, especially if it is done with your own hands, but also allows you to create your own little living corner. There you can relax after working days, relax and enjoy the beauty and aroma of flowers such as petunia, begonia, rose, aster and others. The photo shows various options for arranging balconies and examples of the arrangement of flowers on it.