Sunday, January 15, 2012

The winter balcony


Many friends who live in a tiny flat in the city and who need to constantly adapt to the (lack of) size in soviet-era homes were inspired by what I managed to do on my tiny balcony. To all my fellow citizens, here comes the smallest balcony - the Winter edition.




When I first moved here, it was March 1st and spring was right around the corner. The fact that the balcony was enclosed with non-removable glass frames was driving me crazy. I felt that I couldn't breathe. A couple of seasons later, the freezing winds from the North brought a stone cold winter. Boy, was I glad about the enclosed balcony then!
Over the years, I learned which plants are strong enough to live on my balcony during winter time. As you can see, I've come up with a wide selection. It keeps me smiling and nourishes the good vibe in the house!
















7 comments:

  1. I'm curious when the pictures of the smallest balcony post were taken? The plants are completely different in that balcony post. I take it it's probably around late spring/summer. Do you switch out your plants seasonally or move some of the plants that need more humidity warmth inside the home?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sandy, you've got a great eye for little green friends!
      The pics from "The smallest balcony" were taken September and the ones from "The winter balcony" were taken in December. Some of the summer plants die naturally when the weather gets cold - I throw them away. Some are dormant through winter - I place them in the balcony cupboard, in a dark place and no water. Some plants are sturdy enough to remain on the balcony, like the fern and the succulents. And some of them are too fragile for the cold temperatures, so I move them in the study and I take them out on the balcony again on the 1st of May. I hope this helps!

      Delete
  2. Wow wherever you live is extremely cold that you can't have them even in the balcony till May! :) We've had a bizarre winter here extremely mild this year! Good for my plants and good for me..although maybe not natural and good for the earth. I've been steadily adding to my plant collection, but I don't have any yet that go dormant in the winter. I just have some plants that need to be inside all through winter and kept alive, teheh :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So I live in Romania and winters can be terrible. This month, we had -20 degrees C (-2 degrees F) in the daytime for the last 3 weeks, so even if my balcony is enclosed with glass, it's almost freezing during the night. I've learned the hard way which plants can survive that!

      Delete
  3. Wow! That is awful! In Indiana we normally do have bad winters never anything like snow storms but we are known for our ice storms. I've definitely fallen on my bum outside in the ice! In the time I've been here it's never been in the negatives and I don't think it's the norm here, but it can get to single digit numbers in the winter. However, this winter was bizarre! All through December and even January it would be in the 50s F. Then out of no where now in February it decided to go down to the 20s some days, but that's been the worst of it. I know in Europe it's been really bad winter wise. I don't know how you can do it! I'm from Florida and cold weather does not suit me.

    On other news--I look forward to reading your posts and seeing what you've been up to :) I love all the happy colors you use in your home. Although it doesn't get as cold here as it does there, I also used a bunch of happy colors in my home right before winter to be able to survive the cloudy/grey weather.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Color is always the best therapy :) You are welcome anytime on Meeha Meeha!

      Delete
  4. I like your balcony. I love plants and I have to put some on my bathroom and a lot in my garden. :)
    house for sale philippines

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...