If your goal is a balcony that will be filled with flowers all spring and summer, choose appropriate plants. Without climbing plants It is impossible to imagine landscaping a balcony. You will need to build supports for them - tie a regular rope along which the climbing plant will stretch upward.

It is better to plant vines in boxes that stand on the floor. They are placed closer to the wall so that some of the shoots grow along it. With the help of vertical gardening, green walls are created that protect the balcony from dust and sun, significantly improving the local microclimate.

Use plants with unusual coloring and structure of leaves: speckled jasmine, petiolate helichrysum, Forster's plectranthus, enanthe, ivy-leaved glechoma. On the balconies of city apartments, hanging plants (geranium ivy, lobelia, ampelous fuchsia, verbena), whose flowing shoots form lush green caps, look good. If space allows, it is quite possible to grow ornamental shrubs: serviceberry, forsythia, quince, apple trees, ornamental plums, finger maple, rhododendron. Don’t be afraid of the winter cold - they will survive the winter well if you first insulate the container or tub.

Combination of colors when landscaping a balcony

The number of plants planted does not guarantee effective landscaping. Adopt a few simple rules, and you will be able to harmoniously combine plants that differ in flower shape and color. Remember: if the inflorescences have diametrically opposite colors, it is better not to plant them next to each other.

When landscaping a balcony, not only the plants, but also the objects around them must match each other in color: accessories, walls (against a gray wall, for example, white and red colors look great), furniture, flowerpots.

Regarding the color of the boxes, there are two options - either you focus on the plant that lives in it and choose neutral colors (white, green, light brown), or the container acts as a bright spot in the design of the balcony, and then you should not plant in it conspicuous large-flowered plants. Black containers are not suitable at all - they attract the sun's rays, as a result of which the soil overheats, and the plants can get sick because of this.

Fresh air is preferred by many indoor flowers, and in the summer you can easily take them out onto the balcony. Before doing this, think about their placement in order to get a harmonious ensemble with seasonal plants. When selecting plants that will be in the same container, take into account their care requirements so that they develop well and feel equally good.

Planting and caring for plants

Initially, drainage is poured onto the bottom of the container - expanded clay, crushed stone or small pebbles. This layer should be approximately 1 cm. Then soil is poured, but what kind of soil depends on the plants.

1. Some people like sandy soil, others like acidic soil, however, there are also universal soils in which the composition of microelements is balanced. This option is suitable for almost all plants, except perhaps the most capricious ones.
2. The soil must be well moistened before planting. If the container will be suspended from outside balcony, top layer soil after planting is covered with the same drainage. When the balcony landscaping is completed, this little trick will prevent the soil from washing away when it rains.
3. Some people prefer to plant ready-made seedlings, while others are much more pleased to see green sprouts appear from seeds planted with their own hands. To do this, small depressions are made in the ground at a distance of 2.5-3 cm using a toothpick, into which the seeds are placed and sprinkled with soil on top.
4. Seedlings love melt water, and if possible, first put snow on the ground. Seeds are sown directly on it - the snow will melt and they will settle to the ground. Small seeds They are simply distributed over the surface, there is no need to add droplets later. To space them evenly, mix the seeds with a small amount of dry sand.
5. The soil is once again carefully moistened, for which you need to use a spray bottle so as not to wash away the soil. Then the container should be covered with glass or plastic film and put it in a warm place in the apartment. Open the drawer slightly for ventilation (otherwise mold may form) and moisten every day.
6. The time for emergence of seedlings varies individually, on average it is 10-14 days. As soon as all the sprouts have sprouted, the film can be removed. Take the seedlings out to the balcony and distribute them to permanent places after the end of the night frosts.
7. Planting greenery is just the beginning, because plants in containers require intensive care. For their health, they need daily watering; in hot weather, this should be done twice or even three times a day. Usually, flowers are watered in the morning, when the sun is not yet shining, and in the evening, before sunset. Pots must have holes for water drainage so that root system didn't rot.
8. Once or twice a week you can use different mineral fertilizers and nutritional mixtures, but you need to constantly loosen the soil. In addition, faded inflorescences, yellowed or dried leaves (sometimes entire stems) will need to be trimmed. Plants that will no longer bloom must be pulled out entirely and replaced with new ones.

Only with such care will the green decoration of your balcony remain fresh and attractive until the fall. Neighbors, acquaintances, relatives and friends will ask you about landscaping your balcony, and with our help you will know exactly what to answer.

Message quote Blooming balcony... Ideas and tips for landscaping a balcony.

The best decoration for a window or balcony in the warm season is flowering plants. Greenery and bright colors of flowers stand out effectively against the background of the walls, decorate the building and delight the eye of both the owner of the flower garden and the passerby. As you know, plants also bring benefits, reducing street noise, purifying the air from harmful exhaust and dust, shading windows on a hot afternoon.

The growing conditions for plants on the balcony differ from those in the garden and room. They are often extreme and unfavorable for their development. However, here too many plants can achieve beauty and lush flowering. To do this, you just need to choose the most suitable assortment of plants and create the necessary conditions for them.

Light is one of the most important growth factors. With its deficiency, light-loving plants become elongated and bloom later. Therefore, when choosing a plant, it is necessary to take into account the location of the balcony. Most flowers develop well on the south side, but such widely loved ones as, for example, tuberous begonia and fuchsia, grow poorly in the sun, produce few flowers and look tired and sad.

Temperature also significantly affects life processes. Most balcony plants tolerate high summer temperatures, but are very sensitive to late spring frosts. Therefore, you can plant them on the balcony only at the end of May. If frost is expected, and the plants are already on the balcony, they need to be temporarily moved indoors or covered with film.

Strong winds - mainly near the upper floors of high-rise buildings - can tear off leaves and break shoots. Tall, upright plants and flowers with drooping shoots are especially affected by this. Therefore, starting from the 7th floor, the choice of plants for the balcony is limited. In these conditions, it is better to grow only low plants; among them, ageratum, begonia, daisies, and low-growing marigolds are especially reliable.

In most cases, they plant on the balcony annual plants, as well as some perennials that do not winter in open ground(dahlias, tuberous begonias) and indoor ornamental plants.

It is advisable to grow annual flowers that have a long development period through seedlings or buy ready-made ones to enjoy their long flowering from the beginning to the end of summer.

What is the best place to grow flowers?

On balconies, plants are planted mainly in special balcony boxes, pots made of wood, plastic, and ceramics; You can also use tubs, buckets and basins: the latter are now in the top. Wooden or plastic balcony boxes should be as spacious as possible to provide stability to the roots and provide nutrients to the plants. In wide and deep boxes, the soil does not dry out as quickly. The width of the box should be at least 15-20 cm, preferably 20-25 cm. The length is selected depending on the size of the balcony, but boxes longer than 1 m are not recommended - they are inconvenient and, filled with earth, are quite heavy.

It is better to paint wooden boxes in a neutral color - brown, black, green. Due to constant dampness wooden boxes are susceptible to rotting and often dry out due to changes in humidity and temperature, so it is better to paint them with alkyd-resin or enamel paints. For the winter, it is better to remove wooden boxes from the balcony if it is not glazed and store it in a dry room. Plastic boxes are very convenient.

For creeping plants, it is good to use a trellis made of thin wire, bamboo, or reed. For climbing plants, a few wires, rods or ropes are quite enough. Containers with climbing plants are usually placed on the floor of the balcony.

On a south-facing balcony and window, it is advisable to place containers for plants in larger pots, and add wet sphagnum moss or expanded clay between the walls. On sale you can find boxes with a spare water tank. They are more expensive, but they make it easier to care for plants and save them on those days when you do not have the opportunity to water your favorite flowers.

The same requirements apply to containers for hanging plants: they must be of maximum volume with pallets, and the soil must contain hydrogel.

Reliable and safe

When setting up a flower garden on a balcony or under a window, it is very important to follow safety rules. Even a small pot with a favorite flower falling from the third floor can cause a fatal blow to a random passerby. Therefore, all containers with plants must be securely fastened. Moreover, both those that hang from a window or balcony, and those that are placed on the inside of the balcony.

Balcony boxes and flowerpots should have drainage holes to drain excess water, but to prevent it from raining on the heads of passers-by, the containers must be placed in pallets. And hanging boxes outside the balcony and windows must have attached pallets.

What can you grow on the balcony?

Honestly, I just want to answer - yes, almost everything, except for the large ones! Much depends on the size, floor height and orientation of your balcony. And secondly, on your desire to tinker and possibilities. In appropriate tubs you can grow dwarf and columnar apple trees and tangerine trees, low-growing thujas and junipers, aromatic herbs and sunflowers, heathers and cereals. Only, in order to preserve trees, evergreens and perennial herbaceous plants, they will need to be placed in a cool room for the winter so that they do not freeze (in a container, the soil quickly freezes to the bottom at subzero temperatures). Mandarin, of course, will overwinter in an apartment, an apple tree can be planted freely in the garden, as well as evergreens, perennials, and cereals, if there is no appropriate room. You can save them on an insulated balcony by placing them together with the pot in a larger container filled with sawdust, peat, covering them with spruce branches on top and wrapping them in lutrasil or agro-film. In especially cold periods, add additional insulation with bags and blankets.

Usually flowers grow from the ground and stretch upward towards the gentle sun. But it happens the other way around! Flowers, against all laws of nature, grow from top to bottom, which makes an indelible impression on everyone. Do you want to create the mythical Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Choose hanging plants- bacopa, pelargonium, petunia, begonia, fuchsia, verbena, strawberry! For their comfort, they require hanging on a bracket.

What to plant in?

The basis for good flower development and long flowering is healthy, fresh and nutrient-rich soil. If you prepare it yourself from the fertile layer brought from the garden, then carefully check it so as not to introduce pests and be sure to water it with “Baikal EM1” to neutralize pathogens that are always found in any soil. The soil in the balcony boxes is updated annually, but with the use of the above-mentioned preparation, this can be done every two to three years, simply adding required quantity fresh soil.

If you want to be free from the hassle associated with the soil and ensure long-term flowering and health of your flowers, then there is nothing better than a special universal flower soil from the TERRA VITA (“Living Earth”) series and special soil mixtures for different groups of plants in the “Garden of Miracles” series.

When choosing certain plants, you should adhere to certain principles: the color of the different flowers should be in harmony with each other, as well as with the environment, especially with the wall of the house; the height of the plant should be taken into account - on the balconies of high-rise buildings,

So, plants with red or raspberry-pink flowers are not suitable for the red wall of the house. Flowers of yellow, orange, white or dark blue color look good here.

White and rich red flowers look good against a red wall. Yellow and brown wall colors are a spectacular backdrop for blue and purple colors.

Almost all flowers of various colors stand out against the white background of the building, especially red, pink, blue, bright yellow, as well as variegated combinations.

On long distance Spectacular plants include red pelargonium and salvia, yellow calceolaria, marigolds, nasturtium, godetia, and nemesia.

Ageratum, mignonette, salvia, marigolds, lobelia, daisies, gazania, zinnia, and verbena look good up close.

Whether to plant only one type of plant with a single color or combine several different types with different flower colors and growth patterns is a matter of taste and experience. We offer you some combinations.

For the sunny side: white creeping petunia + red erect pelargonium; blue lobelia + low marigolds alternating with red salvia; an amazing “blooming cloud” is obtained from erect and cascading verbena with flowers of different colors.

For partial shade and shade: blue creeping petunia + yellow calceolaria; red and yellow tuberous begonia + red upright fuchsia.

Plectrant gives a lush mass of greenery; its variegated form is especially impressive. Plectrant is used to separate different types of plants, as a transition component from one color to another. It softens and unifies the composition.

Let's move to the air

In summer you can keep indoor plants on the balcony. Stay on outdoors beneficial for cyclamen, aralia, aucuba, azalea, primrose, calla, chlorophytum, hydrangea, clivia, hippeastrum, araucaria, aspidistra. Plants should be placed in a semi-shaded place, especially protected from the wind. The bright sun harms them. It is better to place plants not on the floor of the balcony, but in large clay vessels or plastic plates filled with well-moistened peat chips.

At the end of September, pots with indoor plants are moved into the rooms.

Planting and care

At the bottom of the box or pot, lay a drainage layer 1-2 cm high from expanded clay, clay shards and fill the box 2/3 with earth. Before planting, plants need to be watered abundantly, as dry rhizomes are easily damaged. In the box, the seedlings are planted at the same depth as they grew in the pot.

Creeping plants are planted obliquely so that they grow towards the edge of the box. After planting, water them gently but thoroughly and leave them for a few days without watering to allow them to become established. Planting too densely should be avoided, given that as the plants grow they will take up more and more space.

Throughout the growing season, they are regularly watered, weeded and fed, and faded flowers and dry leaves are removed.

Nutrients needed include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and trace elements. Since the amount of soil in balcony boxes or pots is limited and nutrients are quickly consumed, the soil must be fertilized regularly.

If the flowering of plants such as ageratum, lobelia, nemesia weakens, their tops should be cut off by 3-5 cm - this promotes the rapid development of new shoots and flower buds.

The modern city dweller is so accustomed to the fast pace of life that he can rarely find time for a break. As a rule, trips outside the city have to be planned in advance, which already brings a lot of difficulties. Imagine that you can touch wildlife right in the territory of your own home, or rather, on your own balcony.
Landscaping loggias has become especially popular in recent years. And no wonder: this is an excellent way to add freshness to your home, update the facade of the house, and also a unique chance to build a small but very cozy corner in the form of a winter garden for relaxation. On the one hand, it is good for health, since plants produce oxygen. On the other hand, it’s fashionable and pleasing to the eye! Vertical gardening is especially relevant today.
The loggia is a kind of transition between the residential area of ​​​​the home and nature. It is on the balcony that you can retire and hide from the bustle of the city, giving yourself the opportunity to enjoy the silence. Nothing can create an atmosphere of comfort and tranquility like plants do.
How to competently approach the choice of flowers and plants for the loggia so that they lift your spirits with their colorfulness? Let's talk about this step by step.

The easiest way to have a beautiful front lawn

You've certainly seen the perfect lawn in a movie, on an alley, or perhaps on your neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area on their site will no doubt say that it is a huge amount of work. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, and watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think this way; professionals have long known about the innovative product - liquid lawn AquaGrazz.

Fundamental rules for decorating balconies

Landscaping balconies and loggias may seem like an easy process, but this opinion is far from the truth. As practice shows, in order to create a harmonious, cozy winter garden on your balcony, you should take into account a number of important nuances. How to decorate a balcony with plants correctly?

Be sure to consider:

• balcony area and free space for a greenhouse;
• on which side the structure is located (sunny or shady);
• preferred loggia design;
• Remember about the flowering periods of vegetation, because it is different for each species (but you can also decorate the balcony with evergreen vegetation).

We recommend that you be careful and follow the rules of the southern and shady sides when arranging a winter garden and greenhouse - this will free you from possible difficulties in caring for plants in the future. In addition, it is preferable to dilute green spaces bright colors- contrast is now held in special esteem.

In order to fully enjoy the beautiful blooming greenhouse on the loggia, take into account the design features and its type. It is important to understand that for closed, open, insulated and cold structures they are suitable different varieties plants.

Plants for an open structure

If your structure is open and there is no platform (there is only a fence in the form of a figured lattice), you should give preference to climbing and cascading varieties of plants (ampeloid).

They will very elegantly weave around the lattice: climbing roses and petunias are suitable. With the help of these flowers and plants you will reproduce a real French garden on your balcony.

The best option for both open and closed structures is annuals. On the south side it is worth planting drought-resistant flowers (you should choose between purslane, chrysanthemums, verbena, marigolds, etc.). Geranium of any variety will fit no less harmoniously. Colorful flowers for loggias always attract the admiring glances of passers-by. On the north side, you should plant vegetation that can withstand cold weather - viola, primrose, ivy, fuchsia, begonia. Various varieties ivy can create favorable conditions shade, and mignonette thins out a refined aroma that soothes and promotes relaxation.

Owners of open structures often wonder: what to do with plants in the cold?

The optimal solution is to grow bulbous and tuberous types of flowers, because during the winter months they can be quickly stored in the pantry. In addition, with the arrival of spring, bulbous flowers are among the first to bloom.

How to choose flowers for closed structures

If your balcony is glazed, we can safely say: you have excellent conditions for growing plants. In addition, in indoors their flowering period is significantly extended. For this reason, an enclosed design implies a wide range of DIY landscaping ideas. If your balcony is insulated, you can decorate it with a real winter garden. Check out design examples on the Internet - there are truly a great many options.

Winter gardens are an area of ​​greenery where you can gain strength, get rid of unpleasant thoughts, and at the same time recharge your batteries clean air. Thus, you heal your body by admiring the beauty you created with your own hands. Vertical gardening has been called a kind of stress reliever in the field of landscape design for a reason.

Do-it-yourself balcony landscaping for a winter garden

Vegetation planted in the winter garden requires careful, constant care. It is necessary to provide the flowers with the proper type of lighting, climatic conditions, suitable humidity level.

The main rules for preparing a balcony for arranging a winter garden:

• the structure should be insulated and also equipped with additional lighting devices;
• provide the room with good ventilation;
• carry out complete insulation and sealing of the room;
• if you are glazing a balcony, choose a double-glazed window with at least two chambers;
• for internal finishing works give preference to natural materials (it is best to use wood).

Among other things, pay attention to how the structure is located, what temperature conditions and moisture content in the air. These aspects must be taken into account in order to correctly plan the installation of a winter garden. If an important detail is overlooked, the plants will not survive. Cacti are especially finicky for the winter garden - it is worth carefully studying their care and maintenance needs.

Cold-resistant vegetation is divided into certain groups associated with climatic zones:

• tropical vegetation (exotic);
• desert plants of Mexico;
• varieties growing in rocky areas;
• fruit.

Tip: if you want a pleasant aroma to reign not only on the balcony, but throughout the whole house, be sure to plant citrus fruits.

Important to know: if you want to grow in a winter garden fruit tree(oranges, lemons), do not forget that they can reach large dimensions and therefore require a significant area.

Winter gardens are installed exclusively in insulated rooms. What to do if your structure is closed, but not heated? There is a completely simple and logical solution to the problem - the use of cold-resistant plants. Thuja, chlorophytums and some varieties of geraniums (for example, zonal pelargonium varieties) are excellent for decorating unheated balconies and loggias. Spruce is no less resistant to cold climates dwarf variety, pine, juniper.

Ideas for organizing a winter garden for loggias

If you dream of plants pleasing the eye with their beauty throughout the year, be sure to take into account the periods of their color.

For example, in the spring months hyacinth and tulip bloom, in the summer months it is the turn of pansies and lilies, and autumn is the time for chrysanthemum and aster to bloom. Chrysanthemums are especially worth highlighting - they do not require special care, but they are able to lift your spirits with their beauty even before the onset of frost.

Remember that plants for decorating open structures and winter gardens should be chosen based on the principles of harmony and arrangement. The design should be designed in such a way that the vegetation fits favorably into the design of the room, but at the same time does not get lost against the overall decorative background.

• The most important rule, which simply must be observed in the process of decorating small balconies - reasonable use of free space. For example, a small structure can be exquisitely decorated with plants planted in various containers located on the railings. If you place flowers planted in containers on the loggia and then arrange them in a checkerboard pattern, you will visually expand the space of the room;

• a large winter garden can be decorated with vegetation, while respecting vertical principle. We recommend placing climbing plants along the walls, and then stretching the stems along the threads. You can also decorate shelves with a large number of tiers by placing flowers in pretty pots on the shelves;
• Do you want to decorate your balcony with hedges? Stock up on ivy, clematis, and hops.

How to choose containers for plants

An important rule: the plants on the balcony need to be combined into a coherent compositional ensemble. To achieve this, you should plant vegetation in a variety of containers - from containers to pots.

It is better to place plants in pots on specialized stands made of wood or metal. On the territory open loggias You can place compositions of flowers planted in hanging pots or baskets.

DIY ideas for decorating a narrow balcony with flowers

The pots can be painted in an original way, decorated with beads and stones. Such techniques significantly enliven interior design. If you approach the process with maximum creativity, the winter garden will turn into a fabulous corner that will become the favorite place of every family member.

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 your morning coffee, a cool cocktail, the evening breeze or a conversation in the sunset sun.

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 of vertical gardening on a 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 a pleasant microclimate on the balcony, saving from excessive heat and purifying the air, vertical walls recreate the comfort of a blooming garden in a small balcony space. And the best approach to creating them is when inspiration is drawn from landscape design and gardening techniques and job satisfaction is experienced.

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

Plants for vertical gardening of balconies

In the vertical gardening of the balcony, you can use indoor plants - those species that you love fresh air and are not afraid of drafts, “happily” moving into gardens and balconies for the summer. But the bulk of the plants should be made up of annual stars - crops that have abundant and long-lasting flowering and are 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 decorative effect without the need to keep the plants on 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 in such a way 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. With the latter option, 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. Creating flowering walls using hydroponics 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 version, then it’s worth stopping at the 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

A simple stretched mesh of wire, twine, or a fixed trellis 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. Clematis can also be grown as a container plant. climbing roses, but in this case you will have to take care of the proper wintering of the vines.

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 sweet peas also grow well on the northern balcony, especially if they receive 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

Having secured fasteners to the wall of the balcony for flower pots Using multi-level stands and 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, there are purely practical limitations in the possibilities of placing large quantities of flower pots on the wall - from the possibility of using reliable fasteners to the stability of materials and the ability to drill holes. Attached shelves simplify the process, but they also need to be securely fastened to prevent 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 small, lightweight containers and a very light substrate and drainage in order to reduce the maximum load on the structure.

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, placed in checkerboard pattern pots with summer plants or located on narrow rack potted garden - 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, balsam, begonias, petunias, lobelia, brovallia, bacopa, diascia. Any indoor plants that can be taken out into the open air in 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 hanging varieties strawberries will be able to perform a spectacular vertical task. From indoor plants cacti, dracaenas, yuccas, agave, laurels, citrus fruits, aloe can be brought here and used in a vertical garden on a rack or stand.
• On the cooler north side of the house 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 an open balcony with a vertical potted garden that does not have protection from the wind, then special attention should be paid to the stability of the structures. But pilots also need to be selected more carefully. Calendulas, ageratums, begonias, verbenas, annual asters, chrysanthemums, and gazanias grow well on windy balconies.

In order for such a prefabricated potted garden, placed not in a horizontal, but in a vertical plane, to remain attractive throughout the year, we must not forget to add potted accents to the main summer gardens. Bulbous and small-bulbous, for example, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips and daffodils, followed by primroses, forget-me-nots, daisies and violets will help you wait until the main flowers begin to bloom. summer stars. 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

Can also be used on balconies various ways growing plants traditional method- not in the soil, but in special substrates that retain 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, cans and barrels with drilled holes for planting plants.

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

Organization of vertical structures in hydroponics

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

The essence of all such walls is the same: a base (structure) is selected or altered that will hold the moisture-intensive substrate in a vertical position, with holes or pockets for planting plants. Essentially, this is a balcony version of 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 ok on the balcony they use ionite soil, expanded clay, coconut fiber, peat. But best choice, especially for hot balconies, there 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?

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 assume simplest option with plants in pots placed on the floor around the perimeter of balconies and loggias.

A completely closed type of railing requires placement 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. Hanging and climbing plants withstand well strong wind. 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 top floor provides the opportunity to install hanging flower pots with pots of indoor plants. The main enemy of such a spectacular placement option is 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.

Construction safety standards should be observed and the balcony itself and the railings should not be overloaded with flower boxes and pots with soil and plants.

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 in residential premises. 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 foliage, hanging, and climbing plants. It is possible to choose all flowering plants summer period or alternate stage-by-stage 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, you need to take into account the factor rapid growth plants 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. During the dormant period, perennial plants are pruned and moved from outdoor locations indoors, where they safely overwinter 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 the maximum temperatures in the region determine the final choice of plant for landscaping the loggia in the apartment.

Many plants cannot withstand direct heat sun rays, 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 light level:

• Floral: geranium, petunia, chrysanthemums, spurge, verbena, violets, purslane.
• Ampelous: dichondra, ampelous geranium, surfinia, ampelous 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) Shadow side with a minimum level of sunlight:

• Floral: balsam, pansy, 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 done by Elavotek specialists.

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