A balcony transformation by Patch

We recently hosted a balcony competition to help one lucky plant fan bring their urban oasis to life, just in time for summer. Winner Nichola invited us round to her flat in London, where her cosy suntrap provided the perfect blank canvas for us to impart our modern balcony garden ideas.

As Nichola typically uses her balcony “to read and sunbathe,” we wanted to help her create a space where she could relax and unwind. The first step was to arrange a consultation between Nichola and our Plant Doctor Kelly, to get a better understanding of her balcony. Finding out the weather conditions that the balcony receives was an important first port of call, as this impacts the choice of plants. “It's a bit of a wind tunnel where the balcony is, which can be a bit frustrating,” Nichola says of her outdoor space. “Even though the balcony is south facing, the sun isn't there all day. When it does come, it brightens up the area and the apartment.”

High winds are a common disadvantage of balcony gardening (you’re gardening in the air, after all), so plants made of tough stuff were on the agenda for Kelly. She also made sure to think about sunlight, rain and the size of the space when selecting the plants. “The factors I took into consideration were the balcony’s exposure to wind, the fact that it received sunlight for a few hours at two points in the day, and that it was undercover so not exposed to rainfall,” Kelly explains. “I also considered the fact that it was quite narrow, and that the homeowner wanted plants that weren’t too high maintenance.”

With these considerations in mind, Kelly set to work. She started with honeysuckle and jasmine climbing plants, placing them in either corner to create a wall of greenery that “adds a bit of a wind break and provides some privacy, without blocking out the view of the planting in the surrounding garden below”.

Next, Kelly selected evergreen plants in different heights, shapes and textures to provide a good basic structure that can easily be maintained. Her low-maintenance balcony plant ideas included a pyramid laurel tree, some palm-leaved fatsias, delicate ferns and trailing ivy, all of which need very little care. “We definitely wanted some flowering plants, and the homeowner was particularly keen on hydrangeas,” Kelly adds. “Together with lavender and the honeysuckle and jasmine climbers, the balcony will blossom into a fragrant and floral display from Spring to Autumn.”

Working with a smaller space also means there’s limited room for plants to grow, which is where container gardening comes in – by grouping potted plants together, you can make a small balcony feel cosy without impacting the space. For Nichola’s balcony, we grouped plants of different heights to create interest, ensuring there was a mix of colours and varieties on either side of the space. Pots in different shades of green and grey were used to add a subtle splash of colour, in complement to the blue hydrangeas and purple lavender.

“The overall effect of the foliage and flowers is soft and lush and has a proper garden feel, rather than your average plants in pots display, which can often look quite stark,” says Kelly. “As the plants grow throughout the season, they will knit together to form a layered and textured tapestry with pops of colour.”

The result is a space that feels perfectly tranquil, a peaceful haven away from bustling city life. “I love it. It’s wonderful to look out the balcony doors and see everything there,” Nichola says of the transformation. “It had been so bare before and is now all lush and colourful. I can’t wait to see it all next year too when the plants are more mature.”

If you’re on the hunt for small balcony plant ideas, explore the edit below or visit our balcony plant page for more inspiration and advice.