The Balcony Gardener: Creative ideas for small spaces

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Wood pallets turned on end, old book shelves, or tiered planters are all practical solutions for gardening up rather than out.

Thank you for telling me to choose the right plants to start with as soon as I decide to start gardening on my own balcony. When you only have a balcony or roof terrace, it can be difficult to know what to grow and how to ensure it thrives. Our 4m x 4m patch of London garden works seriously hard, containing a playhouse, table and chairs as well as fruit and veg. I think it’s really brought in a new generation into the fold, who enjoy both the visual aspects and caring for their plants. If you live in an apartment building or condo, be sure to check what’s permissible by the building owner before you begin.Colour is really important because it is what gives the garden its harmonious atmosphere and vibrancy. Isabelle Palmer is a renowned city garden designer and the founder of The Balcony Gardener, her innovative and fresh approach to garden design and gardening retail has earned her well deserved attention. Before you start your balcony garden, it’s important that you’re confident about how much weight the balcony can bear.

I found the style of the book was really handy too, very easy on the eyes and made reading this book easy and informative. Complete with a journal section, a plant list, a glossary, and comprehensive resources list, The Balcony Gardener is a must-have book for any green-fingered city-dweller. Balconies are great for growing vegetables because it’s easy to pick them fresh when you want to use them, and you can bring them indoors if the weather gets too cold. The House Gardener has more than 60 ideas, from Victorian style terrariums to cosy fireplaces, and even the ingenious idea of using old lightbulbs as small plant containers, providing me with some much-needed creative inspiration.The second section looks at how to create our balcony garden into a theme (country garden+ shared space, lazy garden, evergreen window boxes, shared spaces, butterfly and bee window box, fragrant window boxes, terrarium gardens, water gardens and beach gardens). She has also appeared in a number of TV programmes including Alan Titchmarsh’s Love Your Garden, London Live and Kirsty’s Homemade Christmas. Generally my strategy was to have a couple of tall pots with very tough plants in them and then nestle smaller things into their (still bright) shade to help keep them cooler. Yes, you still must adhere to the strict confines of your space, but there are many tricks for making every square inch count.