Balconies, decks and terraces offer a unique way to bring greenery into small spaces or concrete highrises.
Container gardening is helping produce tiny garden havens for those with limited space and resources. They are easy to create and can give smallspace gardeners enjoyment season after season.
Giorgia Van Helden, a former North Shore resident and owner of GardenUp, a Vancouver-based company specializing in small-space gardening, says whether it's full sun or partial shade, there are plants for every type of sunlight.
Containers should be lightweight, moveable and have good drainage, says Van Helden, and plants should be chosen that fit the space and work well together.
"I love using perennials mainly because (they're) very sustainable, they keep coming back over and over again," she says, adding evergreens can act as anchors throughout the season. Annuals can be swapped out seasonally for continuous colour.
Van Helden suggests mixing plants with different textures and structures to create a unique effect, with taller plants towards the back to avoid blocking light from shorter varieties. "Look at how the plants are going to grow and form," she says. "And layer down from there."
Though most plants work well in containers, avoid using any that can be invasive, such as bachelor's button, says Van Helden. Plant more aggressive species in separate pots, as they can overtake other plants.
Soil composition is also an important part of the process. Van Helden suggests using an organic soil specifically meant for containers as it retains moisture and provides nutrients. Mixing in a porous material, such as coconut husks, may help to improve drainage. Planning out your containers can take some rearranging and adjusting. Van Helden says she fills the bottom of containers with a material that allows for drainage, such as Styrofoam packing-popcorn, which is then covered with landscaping fabric to prevent the soil from leaking out yet still allowing water to drain. She starts with a certain amount of soil in the container and arranges the plants in their plastic pots on top from "something tall and wispy like a grass, all the way down to a ground cover or something that will hang over the pot." She then switches them around and once she's happy with the arrangement, she plants them.
Though decks and balconies may seem isolated enough, container gardens can have their share of pests, including aphids.
Van Helden avoids using chemical pesticides, but says there are some decent organic sprays and homemade options. And water works just as well.
"The best way to deal with aphids is to hose them off with a jet stream," says Van Helden. If a hose is not available, she advises using a water bottle or soapy water to get rid of the pesky critters. But, she adds, make sure you know which insects are beneficial and which ones will harm your plants.
News Photos: Mike Wakefield / Gardener Giorgia Van Helden says container gardening offers green havens for those with limited space.; / Giorgia Van Helden;
