Balcony Green Wall Ideas to Transform Your Outdoor Space

Balcony green wall ideas feature fascinating outdoor space designs. City dwellers need to be creative, especially when they want to invite Nature into their homes. In today’s article we will show you the most beautiful ideas for fashionable vertical gardening on the balcony. These ideas will be most appealing to the people looking for a way to sit in the shade surrounded by Nature without leaving their home.

The pleasure of being on your balcony is a personal moment and prying eyes should be isolated. If you want to transform your outdoor space, we will help you choose plants for your green wall, decorate your balcony and indulge in the scent of beautiful flowers near you. Vertical gardening will give you creative pleasure. A green wall will not only decorate the environment, but also bring its own individuality, which will help you live in harmony with nature.

Balcony Green Wall Ideas – What are the Main Functions of Living Walls?

In summer, the balconies turn into a real resting area. Many indoor plants migrate here, and minimal costs and care efforts allow you to create a full-fledged potted garden even on the smallest balcony. Large or small, balconies can be a wonderful oasis in hot summer days. Surrounded by green plants, it is a pleasure to enjoy your morning coffee, cool cocktail, evening breeze or the sunset. Eco-friendly, creating not only a joyful atmosphere, but also a pleasant microclimate on the balcony, saving from excessive heat and purifying the air, vertical green walls recreate the comfort of a blooming garden in a small balcony space.

What is a living vertical garden wall? This is not a far-fetched idea but a way to intelligently use an outdoor space. Vertical gardens and living walls can transform a bare, unused balcony or patio. A balcony green wall can create opportunities to grow and enjoy plants in all types of environments and locations. From rooftop terraces to courtyards, the walls come alive and teeming with vivid colors of succulents, ornamental grasses, shrubs, vines, etc. This method of vertical landscaping creates the impression of a solid wall of plants on the balcony.

A living vertical garden wall provides privacy and hides unpleasant views such as a pile of garbage in the neighbors’ yard. While the term conjures up images of the magnificent living tapestries that adorn walls and public buildings, vertical gardens include smaller residential versions, vine-covered trellises, borders of closely planted shrubs or trees, and walls, decorated with traditional and reused planters.

What are the Advantages of Balcony Green Walls?

One of the main advantages of vertical gardens in general, is that you can surround yourself with a lush garden even if you have a very small space. All that is required is a small strip of land and the necessary plants. That explains the growing popularity of balcony green wall ideas and why we see them more and more often. A living green wall on the balcony takes up less space, which is especially important for people who live in apartment buildings where space is limited.

• It offers instant privacy and can disguise an ugly wall or block an unsightly view.
• The plants around us are very important because of their ability to purify the air and have a calming effect on us.
• A living wall on the balcony also has the role of wind protection.
• It allows people without a garden to get busy on the balcony.
• If the balcony green wall is well designed and regularly maintained, it can become the focal point of your outdoor space.
• It’s an environmental choice: many vertical planters and wall installations are made from recycled or reused materials.
• A hydroponic system is a soilless alternative where the vertical garden thrives.
• Growing vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs is quite possible in a small urban space.
• With greenery, understated exteriors have a real chance to be invigorated.
• A living wall can be created at the end, partition or part of the balcony facade, used as a screen or protection from the bright summer sun.

How to Choose the Best Plants for Balcony Green Walls?

When creating a balcony vertical garden, you can either create neutral background compositions, or select plants so that you get a lush and bright canopy. The color scheme can be changed and selected to your liking, combining flowering and decorative deciduous plants so as to achieve the maximum effect. There are three factors that determine the choice of plants:

• the conditions in which the plants will grow, i.e. orientation of the balcony to the sun or shade side;
• the homeowner’s ability to care for capricious plants. It is best for inexperienced gardeners to choose more hardy species.
• The personal preferences for the shape, color, details of the structure of flowers and leaves;

Harmonious pastel colors, bright one-color compositions or contrasts between the main garden colors – it’s up to you to choose the options for decorating the balcony. The main thing to remember is that plants should complement and emphasize each others beauty, contrast in leaves and flower shape, while maintaining their individuality.

A balcony living wall needs to be planned as carefully as you plan the interior of your home. Decide whether you will be landscaping the entire balcony around the perimeter, entire or part of wall, etc. As we said, the choice of plants will depend on your local climate conditions. You know that plants can only thrive in their optimal environment. For example, ferns feel great in shady areas and are not afraid of cool nights, herbs prefer full-sun and succulents thrive in partial sun and require very little water. You can use indoor plants – those species that love fresh air and are not afraid of drafts will thrive on the balcony during summer. If your wall gets less than half a day of sun in midsummer, then choose shade-tolerant plants.

Balcony green wall ideas feature a range of herbaceous perennials, grasses, small shrubs, herbs and even fruits and vegetables. Here are some suggestions:

One of the most popular plant for green living walls is Air plant (Tillandsia spp.). It does not require soil or drip irrigation. Tillandsia collects nutrients and moisture from the air and is the perfect choice for low-maintenance vertical gardens.

Hostas (Hosta spp.) thrive in shade and are extremely easy to care for. Their striking green, patterned or variegated leaves look absolutely great on vertical gardens.

Ferns are an excellent choice for balcony green walls. A wall of cascading ferns looks fascinating and impressive. Generally, ferns prefer shade to part shade and require regular watering. Some of the species that you can combine with other plants are:

• Adiantum /maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus- veneris), Asplenium/ Hart’s-tongue (Asplenium scolopendrium),
• Davallia (Davallia fejeensis)
• Nephrolepis
• Platycerium.
• Bear’s paw fern/hare’s foot fern (Polypodium aureum “Mandianum”)
• Blue Star Fern (Phlebodium aureum)
• Kangaroo Paw Fern (Microsorum diversifolium)
• Bird’s nest ferns (Asplenium nidus)
• Button Ferns
• Pteris ferns (Pteris cretica)

Tropical Plants require indirect light to thrive. Here are some of the species for your balcony living wall:

• Gold Allusion (Syngonium Podophyllum)
• Song of India (Dracaena Reflexa)
• Birds Nest Fern (Asplenium Nidus)
• Lemon Lime Maranta (Maranta Leuconeura)
• Zebra Plant (Aphelandra Squarrosa)
• Rattlesnake Plant (Calathea Lancifolia)
• Fishbone prayer plant (Calathea Burle Marx)
• Philodendron Prince-of-Orange
• Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema Mystic Marble)
• Baby’s tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)

Edible plants for balcony green walls include a wide variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables. Herbs will add a fantastic fragrance to your outdoor space, green-leaf vegetables add texture and you can even harvest them.

• Mint
• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Basil
• Beebalm (Bergamot)
• Marjoram
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Sage
• Leaf Lettuce
• Mustard Greens
• Spinach
• Swiss Chard

Have a look at the inspirational photos and the spectacular balcony green wall ideas in the gallery below. Do you think it is time to transform your place into a beautiful retreat?