City life can be hectic, and the people, noise and pace can be stressful, too. Because of this, it's more important than ever that you have a safe space to retreat to, somewhere to relax and take a breather from the busyness of the city or town you live in.
Finding this space can take time and effort. And, although you may be fortunate enough to have access to community gardens where you live, they may not always be accessible.
We've put this guide together to ensure you're getting some R&R and have a safe haven to escape to when needed.
Here, we explore tips for turning balconies and other outdoor spaces in urban settings into the perfect place to spend a few minutes alone.
What is an urban garden?
Urban gardens can be found in various settings, such as rooftops, balconies, vacant lots, or community spaces.
These spaces promote sustainable food production, help reduce environmental impact, and provide green spaces that improve air quality and foster community interaction.
An urban garden can be small, like container gardens on a balcony, medium-size, e.g. rooftop gardens, or large, organised community gardens where multiple people grow and share produce.
The importance of urban gardening
There are several reasons why creating urban or town gardens is essential, both ethically and naturally. These include…
Benefitting the environment
Urban gardens reduce carbon footprints by minimising the need for food transportation. They also improve air quality, support biodiversity, and can help mitigate the urban heat island effect by adding green spaces, no matter how big they are.
Building communities
Larger urban gardens create social spaces and promote community engagement. These green spaces become hubs where people can connect, share knowledge, and work together, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
Promoting healthy living
Gardening promotes physical activity and can reduce stress, offering mental health benefits. It also encourages healthier eating by providing easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Educating people
Urban gardens serve as educational tools, teaching people about sustainable agriculture, ecology, and nutrition.
Regenerating areas
Most urban gardens transform neglected or unused spaces into green, vibrant areas that make cities better places to live and visit.
4 ideas to make the most of your balcony
This section explores tips to help you maximise the area and make that small space feel bigger and greener.
1. Give the illusion of space
Although you may not have much space, there are a few tricks you can employ to make your balcony feel bigger.
One way to make the space feel more open is to paint fences and dividers in light colours. Another way you can do this is by hanging a mirror at one end of your balcony. This will also give a new dynamic to your pictures and be a fun talking point for guests.
Alternatively, you could divide the area into sections, separating them with rugs or tables.
2. Raising standards
One problem urban gardeners commonly face is a lack of soil or at least a lack of quality soil. To work around this, consider growing plants in large containers or plant pots filled with nutrient-rich compost. These will give your plants the best chance of thriving, not just surviving, in the city.
3. Think vertically
Don't restrict yourself to standard pots. Almost any container can be converted to hold beautiful blooms – aluminium buckets hung from silver chains, brightly coloured plastic pipes cut lengthways or retro tea caddies can all be repurposed. Just remember to add drainage holes. You don’t nessesarily need to have climbing plants, adding plant on sturdy shelves can have the same impact.
4. Illuminate your balcony
Whether it's simple spike beacons embedded in the soil, wall lights drawing the eye to your most beautiful plants, or easily installed LEDs giving you softness and versatility, great outdoor lighting can introduce a warm ambience and make a space appear much larger than it actually is.
6 ideas to make the most of your urban garden
If you want to make your urban garden feel bigger, these tried and tested garden design tips are exactly what you need:
1. Choose shade-loving plants
Unless you're lucky enough to have a sun trap, your compact city space will probably be a shady area for much of the day.
Hardy plants like fuchsias, hydrangeas, and some geraniums respond well to shade and inject a bolt of colour into your space.
2. Make it modular
Fold-up furniture is an easy way to maximise what little space you have at your disposal. Affordable wooden furniture painted in pastel colours quickly transforms your garden or balcony into a welcoming open-air dining area.
Plus, once you've transformed your urban area into a green space, you'll need somewhere to sit and enjoy it, right?
3. Hang it all
If you have the right type of space, why not secure a few beams across the boundary walls of your green urban oasis?
Once in place, these can be used to hang a range of items, from traditional baskets to contemporary sculptural and mirrored artworks.
4. Maximise indoor space
You can maximise indoor spaces as well as your outdoor space. Herb gardens on windowsills can be a pleasant addition, especially if you're a keen chef.
If you're not into homegrown herbs, rubber plants, snake plants, and cheese plants thrive indoors.
5. Pave the way
Using the same flooring material throughout your house creates an illusion of space. And the same is true for the outdoors. Quality garden paving will make every corner work harder for you.
You can take this one step further and create a seamless flow from the inside to the outside of your house by choosing the same material for both spaces. Our Symphony Vitrified paving is perfect for this on-trend style that extends your indoor living space to the outside.
Want to see how it looks? Use our Outdoor Reality App to see which paving slabs and outdoor tiles suit your space best. The app uses augmented reality to help you visualise and measure your garden to find the perfect match without spending time waiting for samples.
6. Find an allotment or community garden
If you're not blessed with a small garden or balcony, don't worry! There will likely be plenty of urban agriculture opportunities in your local area.
To find an allotment near where you live, visit the Gov.UK website or contact your local council.
Bring your outdoor space to life with Marshalls
For more garden ideas and tips, explore our inspiration gallery. Here, you'll find finished projects of all shapes and sizes to see what our paving stones and outdoor tiles look like in situ.
We've also created a number of helpful guides to help you build the space of your dreams, including:
