Green fingers! Adlington’s Expert Landscape Gardener shares his top five tips for your patio or balcony to celebrate the Chelsea Flower Show!

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23rd May General

With a wealth of research suggesting that gardening can be beneficial for wellbeing and mental health,[1] Adlington, the developer of luxury retirement communities, is celebrating Chelsea Flower Show with its Expert Landscape Gardener, James King, and showcasing some top horticultural tips for small outdoor spaces. With landscaped gardens on site, Adlington residents also benefit from their own individual balcony or patio, so there’s no reason homeowners can’t add some greenery to their very own patch!

Maintaining your own small gardening space can be therapeutic and offer a sense of responsibility. Having plants to care for can help combat depression and anxiety, so perhaps it’s time to get back to nature with James’ top tips.

  1. Grow Herbs

Herbs are the perfect plant to cultivate on a balcony, patio, or even in a window box. Not only are they relatively easy to grow, they can also liven up your cooking and add that extra punch of flavor. Most herbs will tolerate a dry spell and can bear shade for short periods of time. Some great ideas for herbs to grow are thyme, rosemary, chives and oregano. These are all perennial herbs, meaning that they usually live for more than two years, so you’ll get a lot for your money! Not only will growing herbs save you money at the checkout, but they can also offer health benefits through additional nutritional value.

  1. Hanging baskets

Hanging baskets are a great way to maximise on limited space and add some variation and colour to your outdoor balcony or patio. Make sure you use a good lining material for your basket and a reliable, multipurpose compost. In summer, consider plants like pansies, petunias and geraniums, and for winter, go for crocuses, ivy and winter-flowering heathers.

  1. Be inventive!

There are a lot of clever ways to create a vibrant and dynamic garden on balconies and patios without using window boxes or a traditional container. Why not try using old jars or cans for your herbs, or re-purposing a shoe organizer or old guttering to grow your salad leaves in? Not only will these help you save some pennies on gardening material, but these clever additions can add some interest and excitement to your outdoor space.

  1. One-pot container vegetable gardens

There are a variety of different one-pot containers that can be used to create your own mini-garden in a smaller space. A steel tub or wooden planter can allow you to grow salad plants, chili plants or herbs. Tomato grow-bags are also really convenient solutions to help grow your own tomatoes with ease. Runner beans and squashes are also very easy to grow in pots and containers.

  1. Choose your plants wisely

Think about your plant and flower choices before you buy. Stick to plants that can grow in containers and that are robust in extreme weather conditions. Depending on how high up your balcony is, your plants might be exposed more to sunlight and strong winds. If your balcony is slightly covered by overhang from the property above, you may need to consider plants that don’t require much water, as they could miss out on rainfall. Pines or brooms are great at tolerating sunlight and wind, as our plants with small leaves such as cotoneasters and escallonia.

Adlington is building luxury developments across the North West and West Midlands, offering superbly appointed apartments with tailored 24-hour on site care and support for homeowners, should it ever be needed. The design of each Adlington apartment is carefully considered with safety and security in mind, and an exceptional quality of materials and finishes is delivered throughout. Homeowners will enjoy generous living and dining spaces, fully fitted, quality kitchens and a balcony or patio to their apartment, as well as use of a spa suite offering a variety of relaxing treatments. There will be a table-service restaurant offering a tempting deli menu, breakfasts and a three-course lunch daily, a hairdressing salon, sociable lounge area, as well as an activities and crafts room for everything from gentle exercise to art classes.

[1] https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/blog/gardening-great-mental-health-wellbeing/

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