Hello from a newbie

Hi fairygirl (WONDERFUL name btw) and thank you for taking the time to write.
My balcony garden has been the best medicine for me. I have had to move into a care situation at a relatively young age (late 50s) and although initially that made me sad this space has brought such joy and healing.
I am on a first floor - facing north-north west so I receive very little sun which has been a challenge to find plants that will thrive. However, I'm discovering that some plants thrive even so, despite being plants that should receive more sun.
The other end of my balcony to the photo never gets any sun so I have ferns, ivy, hosta, a beginia and shade tolerant clematis.

 

Please keep an eye on that ivy and keep cutting it back and thinning as it grows up everything and anything and will leave dirty marks on your nice coloured wall when you try and remove it. Keep it within the confines of your trellis.

 

My username started as a bit of a joke with someone @Deneice , then it stuck, so I just kept using it.

I'd agree about the ivy. It looks like one of the more common hederas, which can be very vigorous. As a general rule the ones with smaller foliage, often variegated, are a bit better behaved, so you could always swap to one of those if it's a problem in future.
Many plants don't read the info about likes and dislikes, so you'll certainly find many will be fine with less sun than is suggested. Lots of annuals are also happy with shady spots, and if you want to grow edibles, lettuce and chives are easy in pots and in shade.

I wish you well with it all. For those of us who don't have health problems which affect what we do on a daily basis, it's always very humbling to see what can be done when you do have those difficulties.

 

Bless you - that is a kind thing to say.
I consider myself very lucky because on the days when I'm not well enough to attend to my plants my carers that come in help me. They know how important my balcony jungle is to me. They are so kind.
Thanks for the info re annuals and shade - very helpful. (6 months ago I didn't even know what an annual was )

 

Thank you so much for the advice.
I am only letting the ivy grow up the trellis and I have now had more trellis fixed since the photo. It does keep trying to get behind but I keep a constant eye on it. Mostly because if the wall gets damaged I would have to pay for the repairs and that's money better spent on more plants.

 

The biggest difficulty you'll probably find with many plants is being able to grow them in containers. Some just aren't happy long term in a pot. Experimenting is often the way, but you'll get help on this forum as to what will work and what won't - which also saves you money!
That's great that your carers help out too. An under appreciated group of people nowadays.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner @Deneice
There was once a member here called @Balc who only had a balcony, and every year it looked amazing. However he seems not to appear any more.
I'm sorry to learn you're disabled now, it must make things difficult for you, but your balcony looks well cared for, it's lovely

 

Next year you could try one cucumber plant if you like them (I hate cucumber) but grew one in a pot for my wife for the first time. I was surprised how it grew with so many cucumbers on it but what was the biggest surprise was the tiny root ball it had when I pulled it out. You could also grow garlic in a pot as planting season is next month (not the ones from supermarkets as they come from different climates) but from a U.K. supplier from your search engine or catalogue. One bulb will be enough as there are plenty of cloves on it for planting. There are also lots of small pots of herbs out there as well from suppliers. “Rocket Gardens” sell plugs (small plants) if you have no room for growing from seed.

 

Welcome to the forums @Deneice your balcony looks amazing.

 

Welcome @Deneice , you’ve certainly made a good start on your balcony, you’ll enjoy maintaining it and adding to it sometimes too! Are you able to take cuttings to increase your stock?

 

Thank you so so much to everyone for their warm welcomes, words of encouragement and advice.
I feel so lucky to have found you all.
water but would love to try cucumbers. Would they be ok on such a sunless balcony?

 

Probably, as I grew mine in our summer house that did not get much sun but I am sure there are better experts out there than me. Remember to water them regularly. One plant will be enough or try two just in case one dies.