The days are getting longer, the birds are singing and the first pollens are on their way. There's no doubt about it, spring is here, even if the sun remains shy. It's high time to get your balcony ready for the beautiful season.
Neglected during the cold, wet months of winter, balconies often look dreary by the end of March. A little spring cleaning is in order: it's time to clean, remove dust, repot and refresh the decor.
Good to know: it's considered safe to start gardening and planting outdoors when temperatures no longer drop below freezing at night.
Here are 5 tips to bring your balcony back to life and awaken its vegetation from its winter slumber.
1. Prepare flower boxes
Before planting anything, it's essential to clean your window boxes thoroughly. This prevents old disease germs from reaching newly planted plants.
The quality of the soil is the basis of your plants' growth, so it's best to replace old soil in window boxes and tubs with new potting soil. The result will be magnificent flowers and abundant greenery.
Also check the drainage of your flower boxes to avoid water stagnation. If necessary, re-drill the holes in the flower boxes. As it often rains in spring, it's important to ensure that water runs off, as spring-flowering plants don't like their feet in water at all.
2. Pruning, pruning and potting
Spring is the right time to prune plants: most shrubs and perennials need pruning before they come to life and the first fresh shoots appear. Why prune? To stimulate growth and obtain more abundant flowering, or to simplify the structure of a shrub by cutting back branches that are growing in all directions.
Of course, you'll need to remove any moss and weeds that have colonized the planters and pots. Make sure you pull them out at the root, rather than just cutting them off at the surface.
If necessary, repot cramped plants in larger pots. This is also the time to bring out plants stored in the cellar or garage for the winter.
3. Planting spring messengers
Spring is the season of color. Choose early-blooming, colorful plants and shrubs. Forsythia, for example, is one of the classic forerunners of the New Year on the balcony. Broom and certain ornamental cherry trees are also early-blooming plants.
Typical spring messengers, such as crocuses, narcissi, hyacinths, tulips and clustered mini hyacinths, are also planted in March. Forced bulbs purchased from nurseries will flower before their autumn-planted counterparts.
In principle, early-flowering plants combine very well with each other. However, be sure to respect the planting distances (min. 5 cm) so that each plant has enough room to grow and doesn't get in each other's way.
4. Welcoming animals
The breeding season for many bird species begins in March-April. With nest boxes, you can offer them a suitable place to build their nests. These should be placed in well-protected areas that are not too busy. And to keep predators away from the nest, place them at a minimum height of two and a half meters. Don't forget that nesting boxes need to be cleaned every winter!
You can also attract insects (ladybugs, lacewings, bees, etc.) by installing insect hotels, preferably in a sunny spot sheltered from wind and rain.
5. Decorate your green oasis
Soon, outdoor relaxation and conviviality will be back. Beyond the essential chairs, tables and seats, what will make these moments magical are all the little decorative details you add and the atmosphere you manage to create.
As a general rule, window boxes attract attention above all because of the plants that grow in them. But decorative elements can also be eye-catching. Let your imagination run wild!
Don't forget string lights, lanterns, candles and candle-holders to light up your long evenings outside.
All set? Then spring can arrive!
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