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Balcony Garden

sharon 155sharon 155 Posts: 4
in Garden design
hi everyone. Apologies for not having photos but am posting from work.
I have a small balcony garden approx 8' by 5'. it is North East facing and there is a wall between two small doors leading to it. We only use one door however. I'm keen to grow a climber up that small wall. Would honeysuckle work? Or is clematis more hardy?

We are located in west Essex, and it can be quite cold in the winter. We do sit out in nice weathe though and currently have two small chairs and a low coffee table.

Also, would appreciate any advice about what plants i could grow in pots to brighten up the space. There is no hose so watering will all be done by hand (!). 

Final question; am I too late to do anything for this year? Should I wait until spring next yea before starting?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Posts

  • LauraRoslinLauraRoslin Posts: 496
    How much light does it get?   
    I wish I was a glow worm
    A glow worm's never glum
    Cos how can you be grumpy
    When the sun shines out your bum!
  • sharon 155sharon 155 Posts: 4
    its bright with direct sunlight in the morning and then shaded in the afternoon, currently.
  • LauraRoslinLauraRoslin Posts: 496
    You can get plants in pots for this year but they will be more expensive than getting them very small and growing on.  Are you wanting to do actual gardening (growing seeds, potting on, compost, all that stuff) or more in need of something to make the space look beautiful without getting involved in the nitty gritty?   That's a genuine question, not a judgement.  Some plants are gorgeous but need a heck of a lot of looking after.  

    Re the climber wall.  Is there direct sunlight on that wall or is it mostly shaded?
    I wish I was a glow worm
    A glow worm's never glum
    Cos how can you be grumpy
    When the sun shines out your bum!
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    You describe your wall as small, it would be helpful to know measurements.
  • sharon 155sharon 155 Posts: 4
    I will measure tonight when I get home! At a guess it's no more than 1m wide. 

    I am happy to do gardening although not sure I have room to grow from seed in the flat (v small!). Happy to mess about with re-potting, trimming, deadheading etc though.

    I keep a number of orchids thriving inside the flat :)

    When I lived in NYC I had a similar size balcony that was west facing and successfully grew annuals including pansies and some herbs (basil, dill, and chive) etc in long window boxes on the floor. There was much watering in the NYC summer!
  • LauraRoslinLauraRoslin Posts: 496
    edited July 2018
    Your biggest problem will most likely be the shade.   Google shade-loving plants and you should get a good choice.   I can't help with plant varieties as I have the opposite problem.  My garden faces south so gets the sun on it for the majority of the day.  I'm sure there's plenty of people on here who will have some good ideas though.
    I wish I was a glow worm
    A glow worm's never glum
    Cos how can you be grumpy
    When the sun shines out your bum!
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 22,320
    How high up is the balcony? Gets very windy the higher up you go. 
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • sharon 155sharon 155 Posts: 4
    we are only on the 3rd floor and relatively sheltered by other houses and some large trees to the east...
  • FireFire Posts: 17,373
    edited July 2018
    Easy, hardy plants like ferns and hostas might do well. Also fuchsia and begonia are happy with low light levels. You could try a bush fuchsia in a large pot. A shade loving clematis (large pot)?  Perhaps a little water feature? You could go lush. It's amazing how much you can get into a small space if you go with vertical planting, wise beds and hanging planters off the railings. There was recently a GW feature on balcony planting.
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