I started The Balcony Gardener because of my difficulties in finding gardening products and plants suitable for my own small outdoor spaces. I wanted to make the most of my balconies and create an area where I could sit, look around, relax, and grow my own little bit of green in the midst of the city. Growing different types of shrubs, flowers, herbs, and small vegetables in such a small space has been a joy. Looking out on the flora and visiting fauna is not only uplifting—my garden is also a source of great pride. For this reason, I would like to encourage others to create an area where they can relax at the end of a long day and feel those benefits too.
New developments in gardening products also mean that gardeners can use any available space very efficiently, so now you can have your own garden even on a wall or windowsill. In this book, I have tried to give some helpful advice as a starting point to inspire you on your own horticultural journey, and I hope it helps.
We all live busy lives and, if you have never had a garden before, it can be a daunting thought not knowing where to begin. I know that this was how I felt initially and, looking back, my balcony garden started out as not much more than two pot plants. So, I would suggest that you start small. By small, I mean growing easy-care and low-maintenance plants at first to start to build the foundations of what you want to achieve. There is nothing worse than spending lots of money and seeing everything die in front of your eyes. This will certainly dampen any hopes and dreams you may have, but, in saying that, you don’t have to be especially skillful to create a garden. You simply have to appreciate that plants are living things, which means they need water, food and light, a little tender loving care, and a habitat in which they can thrive. This may sound rather glib, but that really is all there is to it.
By carefully selecting plants that you like and which complement each other, as well as sourcing contemporary and vintage accessories to reflect your tastes, you, too, can create the outdoor space you deserve. So, turn your garden into an extension of your home, and pay as much attention to the decorative features as to the planting. Consider, for example, how you might include outdoor lighting, furnishings, and other items to create a special oasis of your own. If you are on a budget you can be thrifty and reuse old cans, wooden crates, and even old pallets, as well as antique or thrift (charity) store finds.
The growing popularity of gardening, especially the desire to “grow-your-own,” reflects a positive shift in values. For many gardeners, growing vegetables and herbs is a form of self-sufficiency, and what nicer way could there be to enhance your life than cutting home-grown herbs for cooking or inventing a dish from what you’ve grown. I personally love entertaining, particularly when using ingredients in my cooking that I have grown myself.
It’s a good idea to take photos of every season once you’ve got started; believe me, there is nothing better than documenting how you have grown in knowledge and practice, however narcissistic this may seem. I don’t believe a year goes by in which I don’t adapt an idea or experiment in some way. I don’t think you can ever know everything about gardening, but that to me is the joy—forever being surprised!
