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Balcony/corridor garden

taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
in Garden design
Hi Alan 
i love your show and I’d love to have a beautiful gardens. Unfortunately I live in a block of flats and have concrete corridor outside leading to each door. I’m trying to make more pleasing sight for the building. It’s hard work and lots of watering and I get complaints from the neighbours downstairs when the water drips down. 

Any tips to make my life easy and I have a pretty outdoor garden to visit too? 

Your biggest fan Christina 
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Posts

  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    Can you post pictures of the area? You could use saucers to catch the water or go down and mop up the drips after you water. Perhaps your neighbours are a bit jealous and may not complain if you put some plants where they can enjoy them? Or plant something which smells so wonderful they put up with the drips? I hope you continue your garden. We'll done for trying to improve where you live 
  • taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
    After 10 years planning anything and everything, I find it a bit messy. I do have dripping trays for the most the pots but some were too big to get the tray. I also need to make sure I leave plenty of room on the corridor otherwise it’d see as fire hazard. 




  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    That is fantastic! Very well done, you've made that space lovely and green. You could put some trellis on the wall and grow climbing plants up it to make it more green and you could put railing planters on your railings with trailing plants hanging down.
    What are you most concerned about?  Making the watering easier, fitting in more plants or neighbour complaints?  Do the neighbours on your floor like it?
  • taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
    As you can see, the water doesn’t constrain a lot and last for long with pots.. I’m in the process of changing the new pots too as some of them are too old. Is there any way I can make watering easier, specially sometime when I am away for 3 weeks...neighbours on my floor love them
  • taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
    I do some some climbers thru the railing. I cut them off right down in the winter. 
  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    Have you thought about  adding water saving crystals to the pots when you replant them? You might not have to water quite so often then. Bigger pots need watering less often so some tall narrow planters would do a job for you but might cost a bit of money.
    You could use watering globes or a drip irrigation system when you are away but i dont think you will find anything that will last for 3 weeks. I think you will have to ask a neighbour or a friend if they will look after the plants for you.

    Here is an example of the type of planter i am thinking off 

  • taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
    Thank you... I have a look around and find something to suit my budget. I have now adding the water beads in the soil for the new pots to retain the moist longer too. 
  • oooftoooft Posts: 191
    Good luck with it. Post some more pics as the garden grows. It's really lovely. I like to see gardens growing where they really shouldn't be. Yours is a special garden, i bet the insects are grateful you made it
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Would it be possible to have an outside tap fitted, so that you could have a drip irrigation system on mains water, with a timer to turn it on and off?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • taiwaneseladytaiwaneselady Posts: 7
    Hi Jenny

    i live in the block of flats, so can’t fit a tap outside the flat. 
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