I’m currently sitting on my balcony soaking it all in… I’ve finally finished decorating my balcony! It only took about eleven months after moving in.
It’s been really nice to have this little, relaxing space to turn to. This is where I go to read, work on my laptop, eat lunch, play Sims, and get fresh air, while being able to stay in my pajamas.
All of my plants were bought at Home Depot and Walmart, and I was surprised to learn that almost all were grown here locally in Auburn. The pots came from the thrift store, my grandma, Walmart, Home Depot, TJ Maxx, and Target. During my planting and decorating spree, I couldn’t believe how many flower pots didn’t already have holes at the bottom. Fortunately, my grandma taught me to always line the bottom of flower pots with rocks to avoid root rot. In fact, the only pots out here with drainage holes is the one on the table from Home Depot, and the plastic pots the hanging plants came in.
As it turns out, bumblebees love my balcony. While I was taking photos for this post, one sweet worker bee flew up and checked out my flowers, and as I sit on my balcony typing this, she’s still flying around and exploring! In my head it’s the same bee, but it’s probably not.
The bees are a big fan of my begonias (above), mandevillas, coleus flowers, torenias, and impatiens. Part of my goal for decorating my balcony was to make it a bee friendly spot. Every little bit helps, and I’m glad to see my hard work paying off for the little fellas.
I hung the tapestry with velcro command strips so I can easily hang it up and take it down–three at the top, and two at the bottom cut to fit the railing. It doesn’t like to stay up, and when windy, it turns into an actual sailboat’s sail, turning me into a ghost as I try to take it down.
I’m obsessed with my tapestry, mostly because it has little bees all over it. It’s HUGE, inexpensive, and does a great job blocking the afternoon sun that reaches my balcony.
Additionally, I hung my hanging plants (torenias, ivy, and begonias) with just nails and they seem to be working just fine.
My other plants include dracaena (the tree in orange pot), tomatoes (in giant blue pot), another coleus (in white and brown pot), caladiums (big elephant ears), fittonias (on table), anthuriums (on blue shelf), and various succulents. I keep a giant list on my iPhone notes of all my plant names and their unique requirements since it can get a bit confusing with nineteen different plants all around my balcony and inside my apartment. Nineteen Different Plants and Counting!
Surprisingly, the little tomato seeds I bought from the dollar section at Target have turned into an absolute unit of a plant and have just started blossoming the little yellow flowers. I was worried it may not do well potted on a balcony, but so far it has been growing like a monster. I’m hoping to start to see some tomatoes in a few weeks. The stakes are made from bamboo sticks, and I’m not sure how well it will work–but it was the easiest and cheapest solution I had. They’re tied together at the top with one of my hair ties.
I also have a small fan, as well as a citronella candle and a bug repellent light bulb to prevent it from getting too buggy out here. It gets really hot during the day time, so the fan helps a LOT.
I’m ecstatic that my hard work has finally paid off and now I can fully enjoy this little space. It’s been so nice to have my morning bowl of cereal and cup of tea out here, and I’m excited for many more mornings like these to come. War eagle to that!
Kressie Kornis 