Vertical Balcony Garden: Safe Ways to Grow Upward
Ways to use height on a small balcony, starting with freestanding stands, ladder shelves and potted trellises, then the checks for anything attached, plus light, watering and plant choices.
When the floor of a balcony is only a few steps long, the space above it is where the room is. A vertical balcony garden stacks plants at different heights so that one small patch of floor carries several pots instead of one.
Growing upward also raises the stakes. Things placed high can tip, and things attached to a building can come loose. The sensible order is to start with structures that stand by themselves on the floor, and to treat anything fixed to a wall, ceiling or railing as a separate decision with its own checks.
Start with freestanding structures
Freestanding pieces need no fixing to the building, so they suit renters and anyone whose building restricts attachments.
- Tiered plant stands. Steps or shelves that rise toward the back, so every pot gets light. Wider and lower is steadier than tall and narrow.
- Ladder shelves. A leaning or A-frame shelf with deep lower shelves and shallow upper ones, which naturally puts the big pots at the bottom.
- Stackable planters. Pots that nest in a tower with planting pockets around the sides. They suit small plants such as strawberries, lettuce and herbs.
- A trellis in its own container. A trellis pushed deep into a large, broad pot gives climbers something to grow on while the whole unit stands on the floor.
- An obelisk in a pot. A cone or pyramid frame set inside the pot, useful for one climber in a corner.
Assemble any stand as its maker describes and stay within the limits given for each shelf.
Keep tall units stable
A tall, loaded structure behaves differently from a pot on the floor. A few habits lower the chance of it going over:
- Put the largest, weightiest pots on the lowest level and the smallest on top. A top-heavy stand is the one that tips.
- Stand tall units against the building wall, not beside the railing. The wall is usually the most sheltered place, and a unit that did tip from there would fall onto your own floor.
- Keep anything tall well back from the railing, so nothing can topple toward it or over it.
- Set the feet on a level, firm surface. Shim a wobble rather than living with it.
Do not let children or pets climb shelves and stands, and avoid placing a stand where it becomes a step up toward the railing.
Before a storm or high wind, lift pots down from upper shelves and lay light stands flat or bring them inside. A trellis covered in leaves catches wind like a sail, so a potted trellis belongs in the calmest corner you have.
Anything attached needs permission and the right fixings
The second group of vertical options depends on the building: wall pockets, mounted shelves, rail planters and hanging baskets.
Use them only where the building allows it. Many leases and building rules restrict anything fixed to an outside wall, ceiling or railing, and drilling into any of them without permission can cost you a deposit or worse. Ask first, in writing.
If you have permission, the fixing has to suit what it goes into. Brick, concrete, timber and cladding over insulation each need different hardware, and the supplier of a wall-mounted system should state which surfaces it is designed for. Fit it exactly as described, and if the instructions do not cover your wall, do not improvise.
Good to know
For anything that hangs or mounts: use secure mounting made for the purpose; check the building rules or your lease, or ask the landlord or building management, before attaching anything; consider the weight of wet mix, water and the container, which is far more than the empty planter; and follow the manufacturer instructions for the planter and its hardware. Keep hanging and mounted planters above your own floor, never over a street or a balcony below.
Two of these options have their own guides, with the checks set out in order: what to check before installing railing planters and where hanging baskets can go on a balcony.
Light changes from top to bottom
Stacking plants changes the light each one receives. Upper levels catch the sun and cast shade on the levels below, and a shelf near the wall is usually dimmer than the same shelf near the railing.
- Put sun lovers on top and at the front.
- Use lower and rear positions for plants that accept part shade.
- Watch the stand for a day once it is planted. If a lower shelf gets less than about three hours of direct sun, treat it as shade and choose plants to match.
Watering a stacked garden
Water runs downward, and a vertical arrangement makes that obvious. Runoff from an upper pot lands on whatever sits beneath it, so lower plants can stay wetter than you intend while the top ones dry out.
- Give each pot its own saucer where the shelf allows, and empty saucers after watering.
- Check each level separately with a finger about 2 in (5 cm) into the mix. Do not assume the whole stand is in the same state.
- Expect the top level and any small wall pockets to dry fastest. They hold little mix and sit in the most sun and wind.
- Water slowly so drips stay on your balcony and do not reach the neighbors below.
Plants that suit vertical growing
Small, shallow-rooted and trailing plants make the best use of shelves and pockets, and a few climbers cover a trellis quickly.
| Plant | Where it fits | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Herbs | Shelves and tiered stands | Keep sun lovers such as thyme on top |
| Strawberries | Stackable planters, upper shelves | Fruit hangs clear of the mix |
| Lettuce | Lower, cooler shelves | Accepts part shade |
| Trailing flowers | Shelf edges and top levels | Spill down and hide the structure |
| Climbing beans | Trellis in a large pot | Need full sun and steady moisture |
| Sweet peas | Trellis or obelisk in a pot | An ornamental flower, not an edible pea |
Herbs are the easiest place to begin, because most stay compact and you pick from them often. The guide to starting a balcony herb garden explains which ones can share a shelf.
Leave room for yourself
Height saves floor, but only if the structure has a small footprint and sits out of the way. Keep the door swing, the path and the floor drain clear, and make sure you can reach the top shelf to water without stretching or standing on a chair.
For ways to fit them around a chair and table, see these small balcony layouts that leave room to sit.
Frequently asked questions
How can I garden vertically on a balcony without drilling?
Use structures that stand on the floor and need no fixing to the building: tiered plant stands, ladder shelves, stackable planters, or a trellis or obelisk set inside its own large pot. Keep the biggest pots on the lowest level and place tall units against the wall, out of the wind.
What grows well in a vertical garden?
Small and shallow-rooted plants do best on shelves and in pockets: most herbs, strawberries, lettuce and trailing flowers. For a trellis in a pot, climbing beans or sweet peas cover it quickly in a sunny spot. Match each level to the light it actually gets, since upper shelves shade the lower ones.
Can a renter put up wall planters on a balcony?
Only with permission. Many leases and building rules restrict anything fixed to an outside wall, ceiling or railing, so ask the landlord or building management in writing first. If the answer is yes, use fixings suited to the wall material and fit the system exactly as its manufacturer instructs.
