With land getting scarce and houses, hotels and hospitals being bulldozed to make way for apartments, fewer people have the luxury of possessing a patch of soil to do a bit of gardening. Because of the growth in flat living - apartment gardening is becoming more popular. It’s a hobby you can enjoy no matter in which floor your flat is.

Many developers are already aware of flat owners desire to enjoy greenery and are adding more landscaped area to their developments.

Here are some ideas for you to try:-

Balconies and Rooftops

If your apartment has the luxury of rooftop access you can easily transform this area into a thriving green space, most rooftops are notoriously windy, so you’ll need to plan ahead to shelter your plants from the elements. Installing a netting material allows you to integrate additional vines—from beans and peas to Ivies—into your hideaway, while still sheltering your main plants from the breeze.

When considering a rooftop or balcony garden, it’s also important to map out which areas are sunniest and which are shadiest. Plan your plant layout based on the plants’ shade and sunlight needs: This will help them stay vibrant—and alive.

Window Boxes

Window boxes are one of the easiest and most versatile growing tools available to the apartment gardener. They can be used for salad vegetables such as leaf lettuces and radishes, herbs such as chives, thyme, parsley, sage and marjoram, or flowers such as nasturtiums, daisies, impatiens and marigolds. Best of all, they can grow flowers and vegetables at the same time—and look beautiful.

When designing a window box, select plants with a variety of growth habits: those that grow upright, those with bushy tendencies, and those that vine or trail. If you’re making a flower bed, choose plants that bloom in complimentary hues; however, also consider the shapes and colours of the foliage for the full effect. Place the tallest plants in the back of the box, a few on the sides, and let your favourite trailing plants dangle their feet over the front of the box.

Hanging Baskets

Hanging baskets are among the easiest ways to care for plants - a perfect choice for the apartment gardener. Fuchsias and Ivys will flower in fairly shady sites, try Geraniums if you have full sun.

Herbs and Vegetables

Window gardening is also a possibility for anybody who wants to grow herbs (and some veggies) in the winter!

Here are some herbs that do well indoors:

• basil
• dill
• thyme
• parsley
• chives
• mint
• oregano
• parsley
• rosemary
• sage

If you have a balcony you can also try a Patio tomato plant.

Happy gardening………

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