Balcony on a Budget

Sydney graphic designer Elly Clark lives in a red brick block of flats with a rounded Art Deco influence. The building itself presents an interesting challenge, but Elly was really stumped when it came to her tiny, useless balcony. What could be done to make it look good, and how could plants possibly survive in the hot, dry conditions out there? To answer those questions we sought the expert advice of garden designer Graeme Greenhalgh, who helped transform the area into a fabulous outdoor room that's both colourful and low maintenance.

The makeover

The mortared capping on the balcony wall was dry brushed, and then two coats of Porter's Limewash were applied. A pink/orange colour called Madras was chosen to complement the terracotta wall pots. Four terracotta-coloured plastic wall pots were attached to the brick wall. They were evenly spaced and installed on the wall at Elly's eye height. The pots were filled with a mixture of potting mix and river sand, then planted with a trailing succulent called donkey's tail (Sedum morganianum). These plants look great and thrive on neglect, but they are incredibly brittle so care must be taken when handling them. 'Glis' tables from Ikea were placed on the balcony. These blue and green kids' tables not only provide a burst of colour, but they can also be used as seating and storage. We removed the tops from two tables, drilled holes in the bottoms, filled them with potting mix and planted them with Euphorbia trigona, an attractive, easy-care succulent. We put a mulch of white pebbles around the red/purple cultivar, 'Red Devil'.

Cost and availability

The total cost of our makeover was: $378.10. Porter's Limewash in colour Madras costs $19.80 per litre.
Rustic wall planters are available from nurseries and garden centres across Australia. Prices range from $5-$6 for a 23cm (9") planter, $10-$12 for a 30cm (12") planter and $15-$18 for a 38cm (15") planter. For more information contact Day 1 Pty Ltd, PO Box 518, Bayswater, VIC, 3153. Phone: (03) 9720 9533. Fax: (03) 9720 9544.
Glis children's tables cost $29 each. They are available from Ikea stores in WA, VIC, NSW and QLD, and by mail order to other states.
We used a mixture of two thirds regular potting mix ($4.90 per 30 litre bag), to one third sand ($5.40 per bag).
ECO pebble in colour 'Arctic' costs $5 for a 1kg bag.
Euphorbia trigona costs around $6.00 for a 75mm (3") pot, and $25 for a 150mm (6") pot. Donkey's tail (Sedum morganianum) is priced at about $6.00 for 100mm (4") pots, and $8.00 for 125mm (5") hanger pots. These plants may be difficult to find. Order from your local nursery, or try succulent and cactus specialists such as: NSW
Valley View Nursery, 19 Bay Road, Arcadia, 2159. Phone: (02) 9655 1550.
Hamilton's World of Cacti, 4th Avenue, Llandilo, 2747. Phone: (02) 4777 4876.
VIC
Collector's Corner, Gardenworld, 810 Springvale Road, Keysborough, 3173.
Phone: (03) 9798 8095.
WA
Fraser Giftware and Garden Centre, 72 Fraser Road North, Canning Vale, 6155. Phone: (08) 9455 1174.

Further information

Graeme Greenhalgh, Landscape Designer
"Tropic of Sydney"
Phone: (02) 9369 1991
Fax: (02) 9389 0273 Graeme has written an excellent article to help you make the most of your balcony. It's in the October 1999 edition of the Burke's Backyard Magazine.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999