A 5-yuan plant fills a small balcony in 1 month, and I wouldn't sell it for 1 million
Succulent Balcony
The photo above is a balcony belonging to a beautiful gardening friend from Shenzhen. At a glance, it's all succulents, so many that you don't even know where to put your feet
Just tidy it up a bit and arrange things properly, and it instantly turns into a succulent park! With a little succulent balcony like this, why even go out? Staying home every day would be pure bliss
Even though Shenzhen is very hot, the beautiful owner still takes great care of her succulents, and even the ones in dormancy look this gorgeous
Many gardening friends must be asking, with succulents this beautiful, how can TheNaturePlanet still say they're cheap? Actually, TheNaturePlanet doesn't encourage everyone to buy a pot every time they see one. Succulents propagate so easily, you can absolutely do leaf cuttings yourself
1. Leaf Cuttings
As long as the succulent leaves are healthy, basically just placing them on the soil surface will let them take root and sprout. With high summer temperatures, be careful to place them in a cool, ventilated spot, mist them with water regularly, and they'll take root in 7-15 days
2. Care
Succulents are actually very drought-tolerant, and since many are now dormant, there's even less need to worry about watering. As long as you don't expose them to blazing sun, there's basically no big problem. Just make sure to control your hands and don't water randomly
Rose Balcony
Roses are truly loved by everyone. As a serious flower fanatic, how could you miss out! With hundreds to thousands of varieties, your eyes will glaze over, and if you're obsessive-compulsive, you'll need one of every color
A 5-year-old large plant is also very impressive. Planting just one on the balcony is enough. Who needs a riot of colors? This one alone is a national beauty
Don't say roses are expensive. TheNaturePlanet only bought 3, and the rest all came from sharing cuttings with friends. Want to grow more? Just worry about not having enough flower pots~
1. Cuttings
Many gardening friends think cuttings depend on luck, so it's better to take more cuttings: drill some holes in a plastic cup for ventilation, then fill it with sandy soil (a mix of granular soil and garden soil), cut 8-12 cm long current-year green vigorous branches, insert them into the soil and place in a cool spot, keep them moist, and they'll take root in about 10-20 days
2. Care
The main problems with roses are fertilizer and pests/diseases. You must regularly apply nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer to ensure blooming across multiple seasons; observe promptly for pests and diseases, and the environment must be clean and well-ventilated, otherwise no amount of spray will help. If it's severe, just cut everything back and let it regrow
Small Flower Balcony
Don't underestimate these little herbaceous flowers. Planted on a balcony, they have a charm all their own. Unlike those big lush blooms, small flowers are delicate and cute and easily fill a pot, making them an absolute must-grow for lazy gardeners
The small flowers come in every color, and the tiny balcony is so beautiful you can't look away. When friends visit, they don't even want to leave~
Besides daisies, marguerites, and petunias that grow into balls, there's also the climbing nasturtium, all varieties that go crazy growing the moment they touch soil!
These little herbaceous flowers grow fast, so there's really no need to buy potted plants that are already blooming. You can sow seeds yourself. A few yuan's worth of seeds, scattered on soil, will sprout, and in less than a month they'll be blooming
1. Sowing
The plastic packaging trays left over from snacks are perfect for sowing. First add soil, then evenly scatter the seeds on the soil. Larger seeds can be lightly covered, small seeds don't need covering. Then sprinkle water to soak through. The weather is hot now, so be careful to shade and keep moist. They'll sprout in about 1 week
2. Care
These little herbaceous flowers all have the trait of going crazy growing when they see light, making them perfect for balcony growing. Don't worry about watering either, just water when the soil is dry, and don't let water accumulate in the pot to avoid root rot. The most important thing to note is to prune promptly, because they grow too fast and easily become leggy and ugly
Hydrangea Balcony
Gardening friends with poor lighting at home, don't be discouraged. Look at this gardening friend below. The 1st floor has poor lighting, which is just right for growing hydrangeas. With just a few square meters of small balcony covered with turf, a fully packed little hydrangea garden is built
At night, dim and yellow, with a few small lights installed, the star is the hydrangea, but it's very lively
Hydrangeas are famously easy to propagate from cuttings. A 5 cm branch is enough, and it can take root and bloom the same year. Tell me that's not impressive
1. Cuttings
Cut current-year hydrangea branches into 5 cm segments, ideally each with a pair of leaves in the middle. Cut the leaves in half to save nutrients, then insert them into moist sandy soil. Keep in a cool spot and they'll take root in about 7-10 days
2. Care
Hydrangeas prefer cool, moist conditions, so don't expose them to sun. Normally water about once every 2 days, and in hot weather water every day. If your hydrangea always has problems, TheNaturePlanet suggests cutting all the branches back and letting it regrow, and it'll instantly look brand new
Hydrangeas turn blue in acid and red in alkaline soil. If you want to change their color, you can first adjust the soil's pH. Adding ferrous sulfate before the blooming period can turn them blue, and adding a bit of calcium powder from preserved egg shells can turn them red
Green Vine Balcony
A balcony always needs some climbing vines. Choose a few pots of climbing greenery. Though they don't bloom, they stay evergreen all year round, and just a few glances a day lifts your mood
String of Pearls, String of Tears, Purple Heart, and String of Hearts are all excellent climbing greenery. Rather than keeping them stuffed indoors, it's better to grow them on the balcony where they grow faster, and you can even skip the curtains
These vines can fill a pot from just one strand. Besides collecting seeds from seed pods after flowering to sow, you can also directly take cuttings. One branch is enough to fill a pot
1. Cuttings
Cut the vines into 5-10 cm long branches, insert them into moist flower soil, place in a cool, ventilated spot, and they'll take root in about 10 days
2. Care
Most of these vines are also succulents, but they're very easy to grow. Plus, hanging them gives even better ventilation. Just water them enough normally. Now you must be wondering, hanging so high, how do you water them?
Hanging pots generally don't have holes, so water won't leak out when you water them; or choose double-layer lazy pots, where excess water automatically filters down to the lower compartment, continuing to supply moisture
The best spot for growing flowers is our balcony. Versatile gardening friends, make sure to put it to good use
After seeing these small balconies
Do you have any inspiration?
Then get moving right away