Make your balcony a calm outdoor space

For many city dwellers, a balcony or small garden may be their only personal outdoor space and a place of solace and reflection during the summer months.

But how can you make your balcony a calm and welcoming environment to relieve the stress of the day?

Mindfulness and wellbeing take centre stage in the Balcony and Container Gardens category at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

With this in mind, award-winning garden designer Hamzah-Adam Desai is drawing inspiration from color therapy in his MS Amlin Peace of Mind Garden.

“My garden celebrates leaves and unsung plant heroes that people wouldn’t necessarily consider,” he explains. “It’s about reorienting the way you see plants, so we’re not talking about flowers that are over the top, we’re looking at the shapes of the leaves. It’s said that just 40 seconds of mindful observation is very easy and allows your brain to rest and recover.”

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So how can we replicate their ideas on our own balconies or small gardens?

Use calming colors

Shades of green, commonly associated with nature and well-being, will feature prominently throughout your display garden, producing a calm and restorative atmosphere designed to reduce stress, improve cognitive function and enhance creativity.

âThere are many shades of green and many textures within that green. Most people assume that green plants are boring, but I don't think they are. If you choose your plants wisely, you can still have some

by heart.

If you want to introduce color, opt for shades of purple, mauve, blue, silver and some white perennial flowers, suggests Desai.

Don't forget the white

“White is quite a calming colour, but it’s important to have a little variation, so I have another plant in my (show) garden which is Ajuga reptans, ‘Burgundy Glow’, a variegated plant which has burgundy tones in the green leaf.

See the sizes and shapes of the leaves

“There is growing evidence that visualizing patterns on leaves is very good for reducing stress and increasing creativity, and also for improving cognitive function and connectivity,” he explains.

Tiarella “Tiger Stripe” is a good choice because it has a glaucous leaf with a purple stripe, so it’s green, which is restful, but also a hint of purple that can be relaxing and quite stimulating, says Desai.

“Euphorbia âMartini” has amazing leaf quality in spring and I’ve included some grasses, but not necessarily for colour. The garden is for grounding and observing the plants, but there’s also a stipa in there and when the wind blows it can be quite relaxing,” he notes.

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“Consider the leaves of the plants (you choose) and make sure they are evergreen, so focus less on the flowers and try to mix them linearly with bright leaves. I have a Luzula nivea in a pot, which looks like a grass but is actually a herbaceous perennial, and I combine it with a fern

of shiny leaves.

“By combining the leaves, you have two interesting contrasts going on. If you want to make the mix more interesting, put in a combination of Brunnera macrophylla or a lamium. If you want a pop of color, find a heuchera like Heuchera

“Green Spice”.

“Try to avoid having all the leaves the same.”

Avoid floral blouses

If you want a relaxing space, avoid big, gorgeous flowers, suggests Desai. “All the flowers I’m using are very delicate and the idea is to make you stop and look. I have epimedium, which is white and pink and evergreen, and the luzula will produce white flowers.”

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Consider replanting

Depending on the size of your balcony or small outdoor space and the shape of your pots, repeated planting creates a fluidity in the area, says Desai.

âIf the planter is square, plant as if you were planting in a border, so repetition, whether of color or plant, will give you unity in your planting. Don't use one of everything, and if the container is large enough, choose three or four plants, but repeat them as you would in a border.

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âIf you're looking for a relaxing and restful green scheme, think about the shapes you're creating. If you already have a fern there, perhaps try repeating that fern in

somewhere.

• If you repeat the same plant, it is not overly stimulating. It is simple. I have about nine plants (in the show garden) that repeat. When you are trying to concentrate, it is easy on the eyes.

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