It's cold and muddy outside. And I want to return to my home, as in winter's tale. After all, even on small balcony You can create a cozy tropical corner for yourself. A winter garden on the balcony is not difficult. There would be a desire! About, how to make a winter fairy tale come true, read on.
The health benefits of a winter garden
The winter garden creates a relaxing atmosphere and relieves fatigue after a working day. The beauty of exotic plants and the freshness of green foliage gives a lot of pleasant sensations. The famous medieval physician Avicenna, reflecting on the frailty of earthly life and ways to prolong it, wrote that the aroma of plants cures headaches.
In addition, plants enrich the room with oxygen. Therefore, “enriched” , or .
Preparing the balcony for arranging a winter garden
Temperature conditions for the winter garden
First you need to measure what temperature regime maintained on your balcony. It is desirable that it be warm and light there. If it’s cold, we recommend doing it on a balcony or loggia with a winter garden - that is, using double-glazed windows inside plastic or wooden frames.
- on the window: or
- along the walls: or even (as an option - “water heating”)
- on the floor:
And double-check everything for any cracks. Drafts are the main enemies of a winter garden.
Lighting
A fluorescent lamp creates the luminous flux necessary for plants
Light is the most important growth factor for plants. Therefore, you need to make the most of natural light. It is important to achieve the optimal ratio of temperature and light. The rule here is that the higher the temperature a plant requires for successful growth, the more light it should receive.
In winter, this rule is broken. The batteries produce too much heat, and the daylight hours are short. Because of this, plants shed their leaves and continue to grow and become very tall. For heat-loving plants, there will probably not be enough sunlight.
But there is a way out - artificial lighting. You can buy ordinary fluorescent lamps and attach them under the ceiling of the balcony. Choose the most economical option, otherwise the winter garden will cost you a pretty penny. How many lamps are needed depends on the number of plants. There are no strict rules here. Even the most experienced gardeners At first they always watch how the flowers behave. If the flower doesn’t like the temperature, you will immediately notice it by its changed state.
Natural ventilation
As we have already indicated above, plants tolerate overheating just as poorly as hypothermia. Therefore, in summer the balcony will need to be ventilated. 10-20% of the total glazing should be open to air baths.
Hydration
Fountain in the winter garden on the balcony
The plant must constantly receive water. There are two extremes here - underfilling and overfilling. Remember - if the flowers are not topped up, it is possible to restore them. And if it is overwatered, the roots stop breathing. Air is more important than water for plants.
You have to learn to “feel” your pets. And only then follow the required watering regime.
Growing plants in pots is the easiest option for a winter garden
You can also install modern systems moisturizing. They are sold in specialized stores and can also be ordered online. These are: special air humidifiers, boxes with automatic watering sensors, decorative fountain or a reservoir with water entering through a pipe.
Floor
The floor of the winter garden must be moisture resistant. The most commonly used floor tiles are ceramic tiles.
Interior
Option for a winter garden with plants placed in pots hanging from the walls
The simplest option – buy the pots you like from an interior design store and arrange them at your discretion on the floor and shelves. Most often they do this.
If there is not enough space on the floor and balcony shelves , you can purchase a shelf rack for the balcony. On our website you can find.
Winter garden on shelves
But you can get confused and come up with special design for your winter garden. With decorative elements and artificial stones.
You can put an old rocking chair on the balcony or small table. Wicker furniture looks harmonious among plants and tolerates moisture well.
Composition
Winter garden with decorative stones
You need to think about how to place the plants relative to each other. So that they look organic together and do not block each other from the sun and lighting. Consider the compatibility of plants. Certain plants can be planted in one container. For example, cordyline and calathea get along well with each other.
Let us remind you once again that it is important to provide individual watering for each species. Feed the soil twice a week. And inspect the bushes for pests.
Plants for the winter garden on the balcony
Plants for the winter garden can be rank by size:
Large plants
They usually become the centers of the composition. For example, ficus. A very popular species in winter gardens, as it is unpretentious and easy to care for. You just need to limit the growth of roots all the time.
Philodendron in the winter garden on the balcony
Another popular type of large planting is philodendron. Its homeland is South America. These are vines that can be erect or climbing. Very unpretentious, easily tolerate home conditions.
Tetrastigma is different rapid growth, and can very quickly cover the entire balcony with its greenery. Not demanding in terms of maintenance conditions, it is ideal for winter gardens.
Beautiful flowering plants
Orchid is a beautiful flowering plant
They are planted near large plants. During flowering they require individual care. Here the most popular types for winter garden: amaryllis, primrose, roseanna chinensis, clivia, eschalot, poinsettia, hydrangea, geranium, petunia, cyclamen, orchid
Succulents
These are plants that easily tolerate water shortages and tolerate direct sunlight well. Unpretentious. Just keep in mind that many species are poisonous.
If you want to add desert exoticism, then this is for you:
- cactus
- agave
- spurge
We cannot tell you about all the shrubs and flowers for the winter garden. The choice is huge. You just need to make a decision and don’t be afraid to sacrifice a few days to decorate your balcony. And to inspire you, we suggest you watch examples of winter gardens in ordinary apartments.
By landscaping a balcony or loggia, everyone can give free rein to their imagination and decorate it to their liking, picking up plants different shapes height, size, decorative features, flowering dates. In this case, you have to take into account the requirements for normal development of plants, as well as to what extent the conditions of your balcony or loggia meet these requirements.
Almost the most important factor, which determines the range of plants to design a balcony, is its orientation.
The vast majority of plants used for landscaping balconies prefers a south, south-west and south-east orientation, although many grow well on semi-shaded east and west balconies.
The most light-loving plants include sage, snapdragon, and gillyflower. Only a very few species avoid bright sun. For example, tuberous begonias and fuchsias suffer from it, which grow and bloom better on northern and eastern balconies. Fragrant tobacco, nasturtium, and marigolds do well on balconies with northern exposure.
Almost everyone prefers a semi-shaded position houseplants, taken out into the fresh air in summer, with the exception of cacti and other succulents.
An equally significant circumstance that must be taken into account when choosing plants is- height of the balcony. On upper floors In multi-storey buildings, plants suffer from drafts and frequent winds.
Gusty winds can damage tall plants and break them. It dries out both the soil and the plants themselves, causing strong evaporation of moisture from the leaf surface. They react especially painfully to the wind hanging plants with long hanging shoots. Indoor plants taken out into the open air also do not tolerate drafts.
Thus, if plants of any size can be grown on the balconies of the lower floors, then above the 5th - 6th, and even more so the 10th floor, their choice is very limited. Only low-growing species and forms of plants can be grown here painlessly: ageratum, alyssum, marigolds, daisies, pansies, tuberous begonias, low-growing varieties pelargonium, nasturtium.
In principle, you can plant any flowers on the balcony, even and tall specimens. Perennials will require more care as they will need to be properly preserved over the winter, and tall plants grown on balconies in pots or containers are much smaller in size than their garden-grown counterparts.
And of course, you can and should grow a wide variety annual plants and curly, they will make up the main mass decorating the balcony. In addition, you can plant perennials, as well as display indoor plants. potted plants(be sure to shade from the sun to avoid burns, as plants all year round are in the rooms).
Plants are an excellent material for decorating balconies, Moreover, grown by seedlings, they bloom quite early (asters - blooms at the end of June, lobelia - blooms in early June, marigolds (Tagetes) - blooms in May, etc.). It is for beginner “balcony gardeners” that it is recommended to use an assortment only of annuals.
Start, since it is better to sow some flowers in advance as seedlings and get large specimens by the time of planting permanent place. This category includes lobelia, petunia and its various hybrids.
The seeds of these flowers are very small and the seedlings are also miniature; The period from germination to the beginning of flowering is quite long, so it would be more rational to plant these plants as seedlings in late February - early March. You will have time to care for such delicate seedlings, since in May this very time you will have catastrophically little time: you will have to plant and care for other flowers.
You can also plant in early March, Don’t be afraid that they will stretch out from lack of light. Place the pots with seedlings in the brightest place, preferably on a sunny windowsill (experiments have shown that aster seedlings located on a sunny windowsill were much larger than the same seedlings standing on the northern windowsill), do not thicken the plantings too much, and, if necessary, pick up the plants when 3 - 4 true leaves.
Mark out to yourself what flowers you want to place on the balcony. If you want a balcony covered with climbing plants, feel free to buy seeds of morning glory, kobeya, fire beans, climbing nasturtium; focus on curly ones, but also buy some hanging ones to fill the voids on the balcony.
If you don’t need “green walls” of climbing flowers, choose hanging flowers and other types (carpets, etc.). One nasturtium has a wide variety of varieties - ampelous (form a chic bush), climbing (reach a height of up to 3 meters), carpet (form a beautiful blooming carpet). One type of plant, only its different varieties, can already decorate a balcony (for example, nasturtium, petunia, etc.).
When choosing flower seeds, be guided by the location of the balcony; if it is on the north side, do not buy flowers that only grow well in the sun. Read the labels on the seed packets carefully. The height of plants on balconies is always less, so do not pay attention if the height on the bag is indicated, for example, 90 cm and above, the plants will grow to a maximum of 50 cm, and then only big pot. As a rule, the volume of soil does not affect flowering; proper care the plants produce many flower stalks and bloom profusely, and the size of the flower is sometimes not inferior to a garden flower. The main thing here is proper and timely care.
It will also be necessary to draw a rough plan of your balcony from above. On this plan roughly draw your future plantings. For example, in the background there are pots with morning glory, on the sides of the balcony there are fire beans, between the pots with climbing ones there are double chrysanthemum and petunia, in hanging baskets there are ampelous nasturtium and lobelia. On the balcony railings, in the boxes there are nasturtium, ageratum, parsley and marigolds. In general, fantasize and everything will work out for you.
After drawing up a rough plan, go buy seeds; in the selection process, you may find some other unplanned plant that is worth planting on your balcony.
Experienced flower growers can create compositions on the balcony using only flowers having strong aroma(marigolds, sweet tobacco, sweet peas, nasturtium, etc.), or from different colors, but having one color scheme. There are many options for decorating a balcony, the main thing is to try to learn more about certain plants and the conditions for their cultivation.
Can be achieved with the right combination and skillful arrangement of plants different growth forms, heights and colors. When placing plants, first of all you need to make sure that they do not shade or block each other.
With their long flexible stems planted close to the wall or on the sides, near the dividing partition of a loggia or balcony, they can form a beautiful green frame for brightly blooming annuals placed in hanging boxes along the balcony railings. Most appropriate place for large tub plants - also in the corners of the balcony. Tall perennials - dahlias, gladioli, cannas are rarely grown on the balcony, but if they are, it is better to place them near the wall, where there is less risk of damage and where they will not suffer from the wind.
In order for the balcony to look elegant throughout the season, you need to choose plants different terms flowering. At the end of April - May it can be decorated with early spring flowering bulbs - crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, as well as primroses, daisies, pansies, and forget-me-nots.
After flowering they should be replaced with summer flowering plants, which includes the vast majority of balcony summerers. These are petunias, gillyflowers, snapdragons, sage, alyssum, sweet peas, marigolds, tuberous begonias and many others. Marigolds, nasturtiums, and pelargoniums bloom almost until frost. And when the flowering of floral and ornamental plants fades, the foliage of tree vines - maiden and Amur grapes, wood pliers and others - colors with bright gold and crimson colors.
When choosing plants, you should not strive for a wide variety of colors. It is enough to use plants of one or two, maximum three colors.
Excessive diversity in a small balcony space is perceived poorly. Balcony railings look much more beautiful if they are decorated with one type of plant with a single color of flowers or two colors in harmony with each other or opposite colors, for example, only orange nasturtium or red zonal pelargonium, or pink ivy-leaved pelargonium, as well as one tuberous begonias different colors.
Red and white zonal pelargonium, bright pink and white petunia, pink and blue asters look beautiful. Two-row plantings in one box are very decorative. In this case, it is necessary to take into account both the color and height of the plants. WITH outside In the box facing the street, ampelous plants with flowing shoots or low-growing compact forms are planted; in the inner box, taller bush forms are planted.
Thus, ampelous white petunia or white alyssum go well with taller red zonal pelargonium, and blue lobelia, ageratum or purple ampelous petunia appear even brighter against the background of orange marigolds or yellow calceolaria.
Photo
All residents of Russia dream that summer will never end, that flowers will bloom all around, herbs will smell fragrant and birds will sing. After all, plants not only fill with oxygen environment, but also calm the eyes and nervous system of a person, this is especially true for city dwellers. But now autumn is coming outside the window, everything around is starting to fade, and I really want to see such beauty all year round. Of course, there is a solution to any problem; if desired, every resident of the metropolis can grow a piece of green, bright and incredibly beautiful summer garden in their apartment.
You just have to approach this decision creatively. You can simply plant various indoor plants in pots, constantly water them and care for them properly. But if there are small children and funny animals in the apartment, then such beauty will not live long even on the windowsills. And the area of the apartment or the interior does not always allow you to place a large number of greenery in the apartment. And the solution is actually very simple: you can simply build a winter garden on the balcony.
The practice of apartment designers has already shown that a winter garden on a loggia will significantly enrich the interior of a home and make it harmonious.
This trend is firmly conquering Europe; many decorate their loggias with various palm trees or flowering plants. The practice of apartment designers has already shown that a winter garden on a loggia will significantly enrich the interior of a home and make it harmonious. It will always be a pleasure to be in such an apartment, because plants delight any person with their beautiful flowers or unusual interweaving of branches. It goes without saying that for design and construction you can hire a special person who will do everything in a couple of days. But it’s still more pleasant to make a winter garden with your own hands. After all, your work is always valued more, and the design can only be chosen to your liking.
Can only be dropped off tropical plants or flowers that will delight the eyes with bright buds. A small fountain or something like a decorative pond, figurines of birds, butterflies and various insects will look beautiful. Anyone can create such beauty in their apartment if they wish, without reducing the total living space.
Preparation of materials and tools
Work always begins with the selection of tools.
Necessary tools: To arrange a winter garden, the following tools are required:
Reliable fastening of the structure will be ensured by the use of a screwdriver or a household drill.
- overalls, hand protection (gloves);
- screwdriver or drill;
- Bulgarian;
- construction knife;
- roulette;
- mixer for dry mixtures;
- pencil for marking;
- putty knife;
- gun for liquid nails;
- container for stirring the mixture.
The entire structure will be attached using a screwdriver or compact drill. There is no need to hammer anything in here with your hands or a hammer. To cut the planks you will need a grinder or special knife. Accordingly, it’s worth stocking up required quantity fasteners, tape measure and pencil for marking, as well as liquid nails and a pistol under them. When everything is ready, you can start working. It won't take much time, but it's better to do it together.
Necessary materials:
- insulation (mineral wool);
- profile (wooden, plastic or aluminum);
- panels made of wood or plastic;
- wood screws;
- Vetonit putty;
- floor screed;
- thermal insulation for the floor (foil plastic);
- floor heating system (warm floor);
- liquid Nails;
- linoleum, laminate or ceramic tile to choose from.
You must immediately understand that a winter garden on a balcony is not a cheap structure, because you will need a lot of things to equip it.
It is advisable to insulate not only the walls of the loggia, but also the floor, because this will be a kind of relaxation area.
Of course, costs will be reduced if you arrange everything yourself. First of all, you will need insulation for the balcony, because plants cannot live and bloom in cold conditions. An excellent solution would be to use mineral wool, which is fixed to the slatted structure. In order to decorate the balcony from the inside, you should choose between wood, aluminum or plastic profile. Of course, it is best to use wood. This will not only give the entire garden the most natural look, but it also retains and retains heat perfectly. If tropical plants grow in the winter garden, then wood will not be suitable as cladding. After all, for the tropics you will need high humidity, which will destroy the wooden structure.
In this situation, it is worth choosing plastic panels. They are durable and strong, easy to install, with high humidity do not swell or rot. It is advisable to insulate not only the walls of the loggia, but also the floor, because this will be a kind of relaxation area. If finances allow, you can even make a heated floor. To construct it, you will need a screed for leveling, vetonite for puttying, thermal insulation in a roll, and a heated floor itself. On top it can be covered with parquet or linoleum, but for a more natural picture it is worth using tiles in the form of stone.
Preparing the floor for the winter garden
Thermal insulation will significantly reduce heat loss on the balcony.
As mentioned above, it is best to make a warm floor; it will create an additional source of heat in the winter room. In addition, with this design it will be possible to spend quite a lot of time among the plants without the risk of freezing and catching a cold. Most often, the floor on the balcony is uneven. This means you will need a screed to level it. Before pouring it, all the cracks are closed with vetonite, and 2 layers of foil-plastic are laid on top by hand. This is undoubtedly necessary so that all the heat from the floor does not go to the lower neighbors onto the balcony. Thermal insulation will significantly reduce heat loss on the balcony. A layer of screed is poured onto the foil plastic, the instructions for which contain recommendations for use specifically under heated floors. The thickness of the screed will be 5-6 cm.
After it is poured, work on the winter garden in the apartment stops for 3 weeks. This is exactly how long it will take for the leveling layer to dry completely. After this time, the heated floor structure is laid in accordance with the instructions, and even here you can do it yourself. Many people, having gone through the trouble of installing a heated floor, simply lay linoleum on top of it. But if you want the winter garden to look like paradise, then you should choose beautiful tiles with imitation under a natural stone. The tiles are attached to the floor with a special glue, and the linoleum is fixed by simple cold welding. This is where the work with the floor ends, and it’s time to move on to insulation and decoration of the walls.
Balcony cladding from the inside
Sheathing a balcony requires preliminary construction of a frame.
Before starting work, you should check if there are any cracks or holes in the balcony structure. Sheathing a balcony requires preliminary construction of a frame. Wooden or plastic guides are suitable as it. This will depend on the sheathing material. The frame is very easy to make: first install vertical profiles, the distance between them will be no more than 500 mm, and on the ceiling it should not exceed 300 mm. The guides are fastened with dowel nails using a screwdriver. Of course, window and door openings are outlined with such beams. After installing the frame, you can begin laying the insulation. Mineral wool It is simply placed between the beams and secured to the base with liquid nails. Working with such insulation is easy and simple, and the excess can be cut off with a knife. The next step The frame will be covered with panels made of wood or plastic.
It is worth pre-marking and carefully measuring required area coverings, cut out spaces on the panels for window and door openings. This must be done before starting installation work. The panels are fastened with self-tapping screws for certain type material. It's easy to do. The main thing is not to be afraid of the amount of work.
The final stages of equipping the balcony
After fixing the wood panels, it is worth protecting them special composition. At the same time, he can also give specific color designs. You shouldn’t skimp on it, because cheaper compounds can be quite harmful for indoor use. Treatment with a water antiseptic would be ideal. It is odorless, spreads well over the surface with a brush, highlights the fibers in the wood, and perfectly protects it from pests, sun and moisture. The composition is very versatile and at the same time absolutely safe, even if there are children or animals. Most experts recommend installing an air conditioning system, humidification and additional lighting on the balcony. But this should be done by a professional, because not everyone can install the wiring and install the equipment correctly. Eventually interior decoration the winter garden will be finished. Now comes the most enjoyable part - planting and arranging flowers.
Winter garden decoration
The winter garden on the balcony can be populated with any plants. They can be very tall, so they should be installed on the floor, or they can be in tiny pots, under which small shelves are pre-installed. A small fountain or pond will be just the perfect addition to such a landscape. Birds are installed on the branches of outdoor trees or between pots with flowering plants. Butterflies may stop on leaves or the edges of a pot. To make this place a real relaxation spot, there is little decoration. You can put wicker chairs and a table, even a rocking chair would be appropriate here. A shelf or cabinet for books or handicrafts will ideally complement the picture of peace.
Availability of a winter garden on the balcony - perfect solution for city residents. A cozy atmosphere, unity with nature perfectly calms and relieves stress and tension. A corner of green nature will delight your family and pleasantly surprise your guests.
