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June 22nd, 2011 admin

Landscaping Your Patio or Balcony by Kevin Moore

For those of us living in urban areas, our landscaping space is rather limited. We should not let this lack of space prevent us from making our patios or balconies look appealing and inviting. All you need is a little bit of imagination, planters, and desire and you can have an attractive container garden for your small space.

There are only 3 basic necessities for plants to survive: soil, sun, water. As long as you have these, you have the opportunity for a beautiful garden. To begin, gather together items that can be used to house plants such as urns, planters, pots, hanging planters, etc. Make sure that the item allows for good drainage to prevent water from pooling around the roots, and provides enough room for the growth of the plant.

When you pot your plants, be sure to use potting soil instead of regular soil. Potting soil is looser, richer, and has added nutrients to help hold the moisture in the soil. Keep in mind that you will have to water and fertilize your plants more often than a traditional garden. This is because the water will drain out the bottom of the pot and evaporate, taking any fertilizer with it.

Plan the layout of your container garden with sun and watering in mind. Most plants thrive off of full sun, which means they need to receive sunlight for at least 6 hours of the day. For watering, do you have access to a nearby hose or spigot, or will you have to carry water from inside your home to your garden? Knowing this will help you decide on the best placement of your plants and containers. If you have room for it, consider implementing a rain barrel to use for watering. Rain barrels use a funnel to direct water from your gutter into the barrel for storage. During hot periods you will need to water every day, and only every couple of days during cooler periods.

Do not forget to look out for pests. Container gardens can still attract bees, bugs, birds, etc. It is a good idea to regularly check your plants for bugs or signs of disease. If you find a bug on one of your plants, remove it as soon as you possibly can to prevent it from moving on and potentially damaging the others. When watering, be careful not to get water on the foliage - this can lead to the buildup of mildew and other fungi.

All in all, container gardens are a great way to add landscape to your patio or balcony. Remember the three essentials (soil, sun, and water) and you can have yourself a great little area to forget about all the urban and city hassles.

About the Author

Kevin Moore is a long-standing landscape designer and contractor for Carroll Landscaping, Inc..
Offering award-winning landscape design and maintenance service for over 20 years, Carroll Landscaping, Inc. is Maryland's premier landscaping company.
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