When Oliver and his partner Marcus moved to their north-east London flat six years ago, the 5m by 1.5m balcony was just used to store bikes. But Oliver soon set about turning it into a relaxing haven, surrounded by greenery. His passion for gardening began with house plants, then expanded to propagation and trying out different plants.
First came the Malaga-inspired red pelargoniums. The couple then made a few aesthetic changes to the walls and floor. They also wanted foliage to cool the space, which gets sun for most of the day.
The many challenges of balcony gardening include keeping everything watered in summer, so they soon moved to larger pots to aid this, filling them with a range of perennials, annuals and succulents to create a colourful tutti-frutti effect. A natural ecosystem also evolved, regularly visited by birds and insects.
The balcony is now a hive of creativity and nature - a tiny but richly planted garden that's the perfect, patience-teaching, slow-living antidote to busy city life.
What inspired your garden?
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av BBC Gardeners World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av BBC Gardeners World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Sweet pickings
What are the best cordon cherry tomatoes to grow? Lucy Chamberlain tested a dozen varieties to find the sweetest, juiciest and heaviest cropping options for the season ahead
ON TEST Mini chainsaws
Take the strain out of pruning trees and shrubs with a handy, battery-powered, mini chainsaw. Harry Duncton puts six products to the test to see if they make the cut
DIY garden projects
To end his series, Henry Agg explains how to make a rainwater pond filled with aquatic plants
Act now for wildlife
Gardeners across the UK have been stepping up to support wildlife and combat related issues such as climate change. GW Wildlife Editor Kate Bradbury reveals the results of this year's review, celebrating successes and exploring how we can all help
Make the most of your kitchen garden
Getting out into the garden in winter, even for short spells, keeps things ticking over, especially fruit and veg crops, as Adam Frost explains
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
February is a great time to prune many garden plants, from herbaceous perennials to holly topiary, says Frances Tophill
Garden globetrotting Seville
With the cross-cultural architecture of its buildings and the gardens' diverse planting, the Real Alcázar de Sevilla has so much to offer visitors that Matt Collins has to resort to his diary to recall its every detail
Potting on a winter show
Nick Bailey saves the best till last, ending his winter container series with a vibrant display packed with plants in rich plums and silver
Growing THE GOOD LIFE
Join urban smallholder Sara Ward as she begins the month with a few key jobs for the year ahead
Sowing for Success
Start your growing year on the right footing with Monty's timely guide to sowing a garden full of colour and flavour
