Live Life On The Ledge

Sun Herald

Sunday March 30, 2008

Jecca Blake

The right plants, lighting and furniture can transform a balcony, writes Jecca Blake.

A balcony, however small, can be transformed into an inviting and attractive extension of your home. With the increase in apartment living, landscape designers are coming up with contemporary and functional ideas for all types of balconies.

Plants are one of the main considerations and can be enjoyed from the inside, too. Experts can help you select plants that will survive under the specific conditions of your balcony, whether it's blasting sun or a howling southerly.

Eye-catching displays with colourful foliage or flowers, or simple, space-saving plants such as bamboo are good ideas.

Plants can be highlighted with exterior lighting. Alternatively you can create ambience by using the interior lights to illuminate the balcony. Lights will extend the use of this area into the evening.

There are plenty of shops that sell items with balcony gardens specifically in mind. In these you can find anything from water features and screening materials to pots and containers, decking and balcony furniture.

Many of the designers that specialise in renovating and creating balcony gardens have a showroom where you can wander around and chat to an expert. We talked to four designers about their ideas for four unique balcony designs.

Tim Barnes - Balcony Gardens

Location Cremorne.

Brief Next to no maintenance.

Challenges Access.

Budget $50,000.

Designer Tim Barnes, Balcony Gardens, Lindfield, (02) 9880 9399, www.balconygardens.com.au.

MOST important to the owner was an attractive garden that required little or no maintenance. The existing balcony reflected the 1970s era of the apartment complex, complete with Pebblecrete paving and dreary treated pine planter boxes.

Enter Tim Barnes, who immediately saw there was nothing worth salvaging. So it was out with the old and in with the new. "Starting with a blank canvas is the perfect way to begin a transformation," Barnes says. The Pebblecrete paving was replaced with contemporary natural pavers that added a lighter element to the space. New planter boxes were constructed and clad with stacked stone to match the pavers.

One of the difficulties in creating this balcony was access. "I lost about 10 kilos from climbing three very long flights of stairs while carrying building materials," Barnes says.

To combat the problem of lugging all the planting mix up the stairs, he sought a little help. "We hired a truck that pumped all the planting mix up and into the pots. It works in a similar way to a concrete pump."

The finishing touches were a selection of water-wise plants that rarely need pruning or shaping. These included dwarf eucalypts, succulents and native grasses. Finally, low-voltage lighting was installed so the balcony can be used day and night.

Pete and Daniel Mildren - King Street Conservatory

Location Newtown.

Brief A semi-tropical garden to screen off surrounding buildings.

Challenges Using plants that will grow in semi-shade.

Budget $8000.

Designers Peter and Daniel Mildren, King Street Conservatory, Newtown, (02) 9557 7446 or www.conservatory.net.au.

AN ENCLOSED balcony is the perfect spot to use in all types of weather. The owners wanted to use this one as a place to sit and dine as well as creating a focal point from the living room.

Designer Daniel Mildren explains: "Good preparation is the key to a smooth-running job. Simple things, like bringing in bagged rather than loose materials, makes the job easier."

Wooden decking tiles were used to create an exterior look. The system consists of square timber tiles that clip together with an interlocking joiner and have the advantage of built-in drainage so the tiles don't rot.

Spaces were left between the timber tiles for pebbles, which helps with drainage and also creates a zen garden look. Glossy black pots were placed on the pebbled area, providing a dramatic contrast between the light-coloured decking and pebbles.

As the balcony doesn't receive a great deal of sun, plants were selected that would do well in this situation. Raphis palm, happy plant, philodendron, cordyline and bromeliads were used for varieties of foliage colour and shape.

Mildren's advice to anyone wanting to make over their balcony is simple: "Seek professional advice. You can waste a lot of money buying the wrong plants for your location. It really is worth spending a bit of money at the start to get it right."

Joanna Rogers - Urban Balcony

Location North Sydney.

Brief Make the space more

user-friendly.

Challenges Creating a new look while incorporating existing elements.

Budget $5000.

Designer Joanna Rogers (pictured above), Urban Balcony, Pyrmont, (02) 8021 6456, www.urbanbalcony.com.au.

THE clients had tried to do something themselves but it wasn't really working. Joanna Rogers expanded on their ideas and made the space more useable and flexible.

"This is a typical example of an urban balcony," she says.

The idea was to make the balcony appealing from the inside out and create a space that would get plenty of use.

Wooden decking tiles were laid directly over the existing terracotta paving. This means the tiles can easily be taken up if the owners decide to move. The new decking replaced small tiles, making the space feel bigger.

The interior of the apartment had a modern look so terrazzo pots were brought in to continue this theme through to the exterior.

"One thing people tend to forget is it's essential to choose the right size pots for the plants you grow to ensure healthy growth," Rogers says.

The contemporary feel of the home was restated using sculptural plants such as yucca and cordyline.

Richard Unsworth - Garden Life

Location Rooftop in Cronulla.

Brief Create a feeling of intimacy without losing the view.

Challenges Access and environment.

Budget $100,000.

Designer Richard Unsworth, Garden Life, Darlinghurst,

(02) 9332 1199, www.gardenlife.com.au.

HERE was a fabulous view from an uninspiring rooftop. The client wanted a feeling of intimacy and warmth while creating privacy from the surrounding buildings.

"The idea was to soften the space using landscaping and planting," he says. "We used 'soft' products and tough plants to blend in." For the soft products, a combination of timber and sandstone were used for the flooring. A timber walkway over the sandstone pavers draws visitors up to the roof and towards the view. An existing spa was incorporated into the new design and located to take full advantage of the view.

As the rooftop has to deal with raging southerlies and extreme heat, the plant selection had to be able to cope with these conditions: New Zealand Christmas bush for screening, dragon tree for accent, native grasses, Indian hawthorn and jade for softer contrasts.

Top tips for balcony gardening

1 Pebbles make a great decorative mulch for pot plants and will also keep cats out of the soil.

2 Pie-shaped pot feet are discreet, give a lovely shadow line and will help preserve your paving or decking.

3 A "potmobile" may be just the thing to help move around larger pot plants.

4 To create a focal point, add an interesting garden feature such as a water bowl.

5 If the balcony is exposed to winds, choose wind-tolerant plants such as frangipani, ponytail palm, yucca, dracaena and strelitzia.

6 If you are likely to be away for long periods, choose hardy, drought-tolerant speciments that can survive with little maintenance.

7 A drip irrigation system with a battery-operated timer will keep plants alive while you are away.

8 Large feature plants make a great statement compared to lots of small plants that can make the space look cluttered.

9 Twelve-volt spiked stainless steel up-lights bring your garden to life at night.

Source: King Street Conservatory

© 2008 Sun Herald

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