Great Balcony Gardening

Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit offer a wonderful climate forgardening and nothing compliments a gorgeous view of Banderas Bay or the Sierra Madre Mountains, like a balcony full of beautiful plants.  An abundance of plants grow well here so it is easy to create and maintain a balcony garden.

The first thing to consider when planning your balcony garden is that not all plants are equally suited to the different balcony positions.   Some plants thrive is full sun while others prefer partial shade.  Before choosing your plants, determine the position of your balcony.  If you face south, then the best choice are plants that do well in constant sunshine like geraniums, petunias, daises and verbenas.  A west or east facing balcony is best for plants that like some shade like ferns, ivy, begonias and fuchsias.

Traditional Mexican clay pots look lovely as planters on a balcony garden, but window boxes are another pretty option.  A window box of one meter long is generally a good size for 4 to 5 plants.   Hanging plants should be planted on the outside so that they can hang down beautifully over the balcony area and tall-growing balcony plants should be planted on the inside of the box.

Regular care and attention will ensure that your balcony garden looks its very best.  Remember to check for and remove deadheads from your balcony plants at regular intervals.   High quality potting soil and fertilizer will keep your plants healthy and some balcony plants such as begonias and geraniums respond well to coffee grounds mixed into the potting soil.   And importantly, remember not to over-water yourplants as it encourages rot.