London Newbie

[jcec1]

Hello again to everyone. Here's the space I have to work with the balconies are only 1.2m wide and about 10m long, the panorama shot runs from east to south so you can see its pretty built up around but nothing overshadows the space.

[RogerBacardy]

Ah, cool. No balcony above yours, combined with the elevated position, would make it pretty bright. Dark slate on the walls would help tender plants in winter as it radiates warmth. You've got one hell of a microclimate going on up there.

You're not anywhere near Chilton street, which is off brick lane, are you?

Anyway, I think you've got the right idea already, planters of bamboo at the end to give a sense of enclosure and non abrasive plants as you will be brushing against them.

Still reckon a ponytail palm in a zinc planter would look pretty cool as a focal point, especially if you gave it accented lighting.


Given how narrow it is, i'd be tempted to try not to rob yourself of valuable floorspace and see if you can get long troughs to grow climbers against the railings, or even against the slate wall with the help of some funky curved metal poles (rather than trellis), to take advantage of the vertical space.


I'd also purchase one of these and mount it somewhere

[The Codfather]

Cool I am off looking for one of them.........

[jcec1]

Roger - some great ideas there - especially the bottle opener . I'm just off Old Street - near Moorfields Eye Hospital - probably about a mile I would guess.

[The Codfather]

Bought one.......on a "buy it now"......best buy of the year.

[Mr List]

going on what knowlage i garnered from my alan titcshmarch book you should plant very tall plants at each end and this will help stop it feeling so long and narrow.

i have lots of trailing plants covering up the railings.
is there a little roof aboth the balcony?
could you put any pots up there?

you could get some kind of arch going from the railing over the top of the balcony to the wall/roof.
like RogerBacardy said you dont have floor space to give up so i would try to think of ways to contruct extra planting space where all you have now is air.

[Dave Brown]

Hi Justine, and welcome

A bit late, but been a busy week and still trying to catch up with all the posts.

I know the Old Street area quite well as I worked from an office in Batches street for a few years, but I don't recognise it from a 6th floor prespective.

I would certainly go for some of the softer succulemts, like Aeoniums, which may well be completely hardy for you. Also Agave attenuata which for most of us can't be grown outside, but is a real softy, beauty.

What you need are plants that become tall before wide. A potted Musa basjoo once 8 feet tall, provided it is not too windy. Queen Palm, Suragrus romanzoffiana might be another. Then there is Archontophoenix cunninghamia, the Bangalow palm.

Basically, you should be able to grow anything that Nathan can..... Lucky buguar

[jcec1]

Dave thanks for the welcome and suggestions.

Baches Street is just the other side of City Road from me, about 200m as the crow flies, so you were definitely very close.

Justin

[kata]

The link is that palm Dave said:

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/ ... nning.html