A Wildlife Balcony?

[Cameleopard]

Hi Everyone,

I live in North London and don't have a garden, but I do have a wrought iron balcony about 15 feet long by 2 feet deep, which is in full shade in the morning and full sun in the afternoon. I would really like to maximise the wildlife value of the area, on the grounds that every little helps. In such a limited space, does anyone have some advice on what to plant? I'm tempted towards maybe one or two UK hedgerow plants (Hawthorn and Elder maybe?) but they would have to be containers, so I'm not sure how they'd do...also thinking about Ivy. I'd like to grow some flowering plants as well, but again I'm not sure what would maximise the wildlife interest.

In terms of the wildlife that I currently see, we have hoverflies, various bees and wasps (including leaf cutter bees), and red admiral/tortoiseshell butterflies. Birds include Great/Blue Tits, Jays, Wrens and the usual magpies, wood pigeons, feral pigeons. Plus (and I'm not sure if this is a good thing) we also have a very acrobatic grey squirrel.

All advice and opinions would be very much appreciated!

Thanks

Vivienne

[nightshade]

A twisted Hazel in a container would serve as decoration and wildlife refuge,offset by Buddlia and an assorment of nectar rich flowers it
is possible you could attract Butterflies, Moths, Bats (in pursuit of
insects) and with sunflower seed feeders some birds
Good luck

[Kayleigh]

I would go for herbs. They attract lots of bees butterfly's ect. Lavender is a must and herbs don't need lots of water as they originate from the Med.

[Susie]

I'd second Kayleigh in suggesting herbs. Lavender, thyme and oregano for bees and butterflies in the summer, rosemary for bees in spring. All seem to survive with very little water and are happy in pots. Also buddleia and valerian as both seem to be quite happy in harsh conditions and so will thrive on your balcony if you forget to water them every now and then. Everyone knows that buddleia is loved by butterflies and Valerian is a great one for moths like Silver Y.

[Mr Mag00]

im with susie and kayleigh, the herbs could be used in the kitchen too 'win win'

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Cameleopard

I live in North London and don't have a garden, but I do have a wrought iron balcony about 15 feet long by 2 feet deep, which is in full shade in the morning and full sun in the afternoon.Vivienne

That two feet of depth is the real limiter in what you can do, both from the perspective of the health of the plants and practically in maintaining them. You also need to take into acount just what the load bearing capacity of your balcony is - an externally fixed structure which seems to be what you have, is going to be limited in what it can safely take. Soil is heavy stuff and if you are considering filling up your balcony with pots/tubs/troughs you should probably consult a structural engineer.

I would advise against any larger shrubs, and agree with those who have suggested lavenders etc. The only thing I would add to that is that London winters can be quite harsh so providing winter protection on an exposed balcony would probably be wise.

CM

[goosey]

Hi Vivienne, you have already had some excellent advice so I won't go over what has already been said. I came across this website a while back which you may find useful to use in conjunction with the other ideas as it's not necessarily for wildlife.

Windowbox gardening

Good luck with your venture and welcome to WAB .

[Cameleopard]

Thanks so much to everyone for your excellent ideas - strangely enough, I hadn't thought about herbs (doh!) even though I do lots of cooking. Thanks also for the link to the bumblebee website, and for the advice about checking up on the weight bearing capacity of the balcony....it would be a bit embarrassing if the whole lot came down, taking off the front of the house (though I always did want an open plan living room )

I think I'll get planting, and if anything interesting comes along, I'll let you know!

Vivienne

[smartie]

Don't forget the option of hanging baskets or other containers screwed to the walls, which won't add to the weight on the balcony and which can hold all sorts of trailing and nectar-rich flowering plants. And you may be lucky - one of my friends regularly has wrens roosting in a hanging basket next to her kitchen window.

[Seajay]

Trailing nasturtium would be nice! Can't improve on the advice already given just take care when your out there!

Colin