Enjoying on a few square metres
Want more green in your outdoor space, but have a balcony or a small garden? No worries! Even with limited space, you can create a flower garden or make your garden green. Sometimes small is actually quite nice! With the right plants and clever design, you can create a blooming, vibrant environment full of colour. What a view! And thanks to tips from IVN Natuureducatie, it will be a success anyway.
How to design your small garden or balcony
Outline of Arnhem Climate Resistant
A flower garden on your balcony - In 4 simple steps
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Choose the right spot
Find a sunny spot where the wind is not too strong. And see if you can work in height with a climbing plant or a wall with pots or containers at different heights.
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Use suitable pots
The bigger the pot, the more flowers you can plant. Ensure a minimum height and diameter of 30 cm and place the plants at least 10 cm apart.
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Ensure good drainage
Holes in the bottom of the pot prevent plants from drowning. A saucer underneath helps to catch too much water.
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Use good potting soil
Fill the pot with potting soil without peat. Potting soil contains nutrition for about six weeks; after that, you can fertilise with liquid, organic nutrition.
A blooming balcony!
A balcony may be compact, but with the right approach, you can turn it into a beautiful flower garden. These attract bees, butterflies and other insects. Want more life on your balcony? Choose flowers that bloom from early spring to late autumn to attract bees and butterflies.
Check out the IVN flowering arch!
"On a balcony with lots of greenery it is less hot in summer! "
Anne, green gardener
More green in a small garden
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Remove tiles!
Replace tiles with grass or plants so that rainwater can penetrate the soil better. Do this in the sunniest spot possible, so your plants get enough light to grow. Or choose shade plants, so you can put your patio in the sun instead.
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Choose perennials
Perennials come back every year and require less maintenance. This is also a good way of providing food for insects and birds. They then have something to eat all year round!
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Choose a hedge!
A hedge attracts insects and is a good hiding place for birds. And a green hedge looks much cosier than a boring fence!
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Place a rain barrel
Do you still have space left? Collect rainwater to water your plants without wasting drinking water.
3x Alternatives to tiles in the garden - Make a path through edible greenery
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Gravel
You can lay a gravel path between the vegetable garden boxes. This allows water to run through better.
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Shells
A shell path crunches wonderfully under your feet - and it looks nice too!
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Wood chips
A really natural look is created with wood chips. You will have to replace them more often.
Smart tips for your balcony or small garden
A balcony or garden with pots of green
If you are short of space or do not want too many perennials on your balcony or garden, you can also use containers or pots to grow your plants, vegetables and herbs. Just make sure you make holes at the bottom so that water can flow away. And add some hydro grains if necessary. These will ensure that the water can drain out of the pot properly and prevent mould from growing in the pot. And don't forget to mulch! Cover the soil around your plants with a layer of organic material (such as straw) to reduce weeds and keep the soil moist.
A large garden around the corner
Can't really relax on your balcony or in your garden? In Lelystad there are plenty of places to relax: go to the park, get a breath of fresh air in the dunes or book an excursion to the marker Wadden or Oostvaardersplassen. But there are also solutions for your own balcony. Like ivy or a jasmine plant along the façade. Vertical gardens make for cleaner air and less noise. They bring nature back into the city. Whether you want to grow herbs for the kitchen or create a whole green wall... go vertical!
Walking in nature
