If you have an apartment building with a balcony, one of your most attractive landscaping options is to create a beautiful balcony web garden. This will not only add a new look to the exterior of the building but will also allow for additional apartment features such as balcony gardens, pergolas, trellises and many other creative landscaping designs. The best thing about balcony gardening is that it is easy to do, requires minimal work and does not require the use of toxic chemicals or pesticides.
Before you start, however, you need to choose the plants that will be suitable for your balcony. One of the best things about using ornamental grasses in your web garden is that they are very versatile. They can be used to cover pathways, provide edging, support vines and even act as a barrier against winds. In fact, ornamental grasses are so versatile that you may want to consider planting two or three types of grasses depending on the time of year and the climate where you live. Using two or three grasses of different colors is a good idea because they will blend nicely together and will create a very attractive centerpiece for your rooftop garden.
However, if you are just starting out and have limited funds, you still have plenty of choices for plants to grow in your garden. You can use potting soil and plant seeds in small containers. Keep in mind that you want to select plants that are going to grow slowly and require less maintenance. Typically, ornamental plants like these require only a lot of watering once a week in order to thrive. Most people find this to be a very relaxing type of gardening.
You should also plan on planting perennials, especially if you have a large balcony. Perennials are great because they will grow back next year and save you money. You can purchase numerous seeds from any nursery and plant them in small containers. Many perennials that are suitable for balcony planting are fast growing and beautiful plants such as California poppy and California bluebell.
Regardless of which plants you choose, you will need some sort of structure to place them on. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something that allows you to move your plants about should the need arise. For example, if you are planning to plant a vine, you can tie it up with a piece of string or rope. Some rooftop gardens take inspiration from a number of different elements and are unique enough to be their own thing.
You should always be sure that your plants are getting enough sunlight, however. Some plants are sensitive to the lack of sunlight, while others don’t seem to notice. One of the best balcony garden ideas is to install metal or plastic structures that can house your plants and provide them with the sunlight they need. Make sure you check the area where you want to plant to see what type of light it receives.
Another idea for an apartment balcony garden is to use gravel in your garden to create a sloping surface that will help your plants take root. To make this work, simply dig a hole and fill it with gravel. Once your garden is in place, spread a couple of inches of sand in the bottom of the hole and level it off with a stone or wooden block. Now you simply use your plants to climb up the sand and grow vines up and down the sides of your sloped garden. If you like a lush green look, you can also opt for French drainage to help contain the roots so they don’t drown in the water.
If you like a simpler method, consider using plant pots. Simply place pots on the wall and fill with pebbles or other plants. Just be sure that the pots you use are large enough to allow air to circulate around them and that there are enough leaves for them to get lots of sunlight. You can easily grow lots of small plants by using pots and hanging them from the wall or balcony railing.