BALCONY PLANTS
Balcony Plants
It could have been a floral failure but by slipping down the calendar to September, this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show provided a stunning masterclass in autumnal design. It was a pleasure to see Chelsea interior designers step aside for Chelsea garden designers, with the forced flowers of early summer making way for dahlias – the new darling of the gardening world – together with salvias, asters, fruit-laden apple trees and even plump pumpkins.
The horticultural spectacle was a timely reminder that plants have a luxury interior quality both inside and out, no matter the season. While Chelsea provided a blaze of manicured colour, balcony plants are starting to look a little grey and withered.
It’s easy to lose interest once the summer months have passed but with a little TLC, pots, baskets and troughs placed on a balcony can complement interiors in London through autumn and into winter. Here are four ways to be a better balcony gardener this winter:-
Choose your pots wisely: porcelain and terracotta pots can be susceptible to frost damage, while being incredibly heavy when filled with water-logged soil – not a great aspect when balcony gardening. Instead, you could choose from a vast selection of durable yet lightweight fiberglass and polyethylene options.
Select the right soil mix: always refresh the soil in your pots, as outgoing plants will have depleted the nutrients. Choose a special balcony plant or container mix but remember, good drainage is essential in winter. Apply a liberal layer of pebbles or crocks to the bottom of every pot as plants do not like cold, stagnant water. Raising pots up off the balcony floor using pot feet will also improve drainage.
Get ready to overwinter: any perennials, shrubs and small trees you may be growing on your balcony may need protecting from biting winds and cold snaps. Arm yourself with horticultural fleece or even bubble wrap, watch the weather forecast religiously and move plants to the most sheltered spot.
Plant winter wonders: if you use your balcony to create riotous displays using summer annuals, your pots may look forlorn come autumn. Create year-round interest by planting bulbs for spring and fill any gaps with winter flowering plants (cyclamen, pansies and violas are excellent), together with hardy evergreens such as ivy, skimmia and carex grasses.
Although we are a London interior design studio, we are only too happy to advise on matters of flora, fauna and foliage, both inside and out. Plants add architectural elegance, colour and focal points to any home environment, so if you’d like a lush, luxury edge to where you live, please contact us for ideas.