Expert Advice On Gardening: How To Decorate Small Balcony With Hanging Pots And Ladder Plants

Having a lush green garden in front of your house is a prized possession in today's world. The refreshing site of fresh grass and budding flowers has become a rare sight in the metropolitan cities. The vertical expanse of cities has made it difficult to maintain proximity with nature. Living in compact apartments has further limited the scope for planting greens. But, these apartments offer open spaces in the form of terraces and balconies. And with the right ideas, these balconies can be converted into beautiful home gardens.

How To Determine the Best-Suited Plants for Your Balcony

Designing the balcony landscape needs an eye for creativity as well as technicality. To begin planting in your balcony, you must first begin with understanding these four points:

● Area of the Balcony: The whole balcony cannot be covered with plants because you have to maintain a circulation space.

● The Amount of Sunlight a Balcony Receives: If you live on the top floor, you will naturally receive more sunlight than the floor below.

● Wind Received by the Balcony: For instance, a flat on the top floor of a skyscraper would be windier than a flat on the ground floor.

● Watering and Drainage: You need to plan for how to regularly water the plants and how the excess water should be drained off.

Types of Plantations for Balcony Gardening

Once you have figured out the kind of plants that would suit your balcony based on these considerations, you can begin researching them. The plants that work well for small balcony gardening include:

1. Railing Plants

These are potted plants attached to the balcony railing. You can opt for flowering plants since they will make your house facade look bright and colourful. They work well for small balconies as they occupy no floor space. Flowering plants such as orchids and hibiscus largely suit India's tropical climate and can be used as railing plants.

2. Ladder Plants

The plants are placed one above the other on a ladder-like structure and give the illusion of a green wall. This is an effective way to have plants and yet save space on a small balcony. One needs to make sure that the ladder is strong enough to sustain the weight of the potted plants. Plants such as peperomia and succulents can work well in this category. The drainage for these ladder plants needs to be well designed so that no water gets accumulated in the pots at the lowest level.

3. Hanging Pots

It is ideal to hang small pots from the ceiling which are lightweight. You can drill an S-hook into the ceiling and tie the pot to it with a metal chain. Avoid making the plants heavy by using plastic pots and garden soil instead of clay pots and potting soil. You can hang pots in a hierarchy and symmetrical pattern to achieve a nice elevation. Make sure that the plants are hung high enough to not interfere with your line of vision or hit your head.

Planting in your balcony will not only add to its aesthetic value but also improve the air quality in your home. It will act as a screen to filter out the light and sound and create a serene environment at your house. Make use of these ideas to decorate your balcony with plants and let us know how it worked out for you.

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