If you’re like me, your balcony or patio could use a little TLC (fess up in the LOTB Flickr group). That’s okay. The upside of having a small garden is that small changes can make a big difference. Here are five easy ways to spruce up your balcony fast. If you did one thing a weekend, you would have a whole new balcony or patio by the beginning of May.
- If your pots are looking worse for wear, or are a motley crew of mismatched pots, paint them! I upgraded cheap plastic pots with a special kind of spray paint that made them look like hammered metal. You could employ any number of paint techniques to give new life to your collection of pots.
- Use bedding annuals (the kind you get in a six pack or half-flat) to fill in around perennials or edibles that haven’t grown in yet. For about 30 cents per plant, it’s hard to get much more bang for your buck. Annuals flower quickly and profusely and grow like crazy. I don’t like seeing any dirt in my pots, so I’ll often tuck in “six pack annuals” around plants that will be a lot bigger 3 or 4 months from now, then when the time comes, I just pull out the annuals.
- Add lighting to highlight spectacular plants or create interesting shadows. Even better, you’ll get more use out of your balcony or patio if you can actually see out there at night. Imagine romantic dinners or inviting a few friends over for cocktails.
- You can upgrade the flooring of your balcony or patio, even if you rent. Check out these removable decking tiles. Creating a fabulous floor can be a good way to make a small balcony look bigger.
- Add a bit of privacy with plants or some other physical barrier. Even an umbrella can add privacy. Espalier a citrus tree onto a trellis, or pot up some bamboo. But do something to make your outdoor space more enjoyable by hiding it from nosy neighbors (or hidw your ugly neighbors from your balcony, if that’s the case).
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Love the deck tiles! I desperately need a new deck and this might be the perfect temporary solution.
I just read your Privacy on the Balcony, Part 1 and you have some wonderful ideas. One of our neighbours used two colourful vinyl tablecloths (dark tan with a bright green tropical foliage) to close off one end of her open balcony. She simply pleated the vinyl and stapled it from the “ceiling” boards at the top to the wooden railing. It was attractive and waterproof and also acted as a shade against the early day sun. I imagine a shower curtain might work well, too, and both are inexpensive at Dollar Stores, etc. We hung a sheet of privacy lattice on one end of our balcony, and that has worked well also. On the front, I have a roll-down bamboo blind that keeps the hottest sun away. You have lots of great ideas!
I love the spray paint idea! I know for a fact my in-laws are looking at 5 gallon storage containers when they come up next month to help with the set up of our garden. Spray paint sounds like a good way to bring in some different colors next year.
Louise — I thought those were sooooo cool when I saw them featured on Apartment Therapy.
Nancy — Those sound like great ideas too! Urban living is definitely a more efficient use of space, but it can be hard to feel like you’re not invading someone’s space, or them invading yours.
Eliza — It’s definitely worth checking out. Especially if you’re crafty, you can do some really gorgeous things with paint.
Hi Fern – I am totally working on the privacy barrier ideas, you give some great ones to start with. Though I am not sure what can block out 5am blaring bassline-heavy music! Earplugs don’t cut it. Oh and I saw some black plants at the Melbourne Flower show – seems black is very much in this year!
Prue–The only way I know of to block out loud music is to make a complaint with the police. Sorry about that, I live in an urban area too, and stuff like that is not one of the “upsides” of living in the city!