We, residents of megacities, especially appreciate every minute spent away from the consequences of civilization: polluted air, constant city noise and bustle. Therefore, designing a winter garden in an apartment seems to be almost the only opportunity to get closer to nature, with its pristine beauty.
Sitting in a comfortable chair, you can enjoy an oasis of lush greenery all year round.
You can set up a mini-garden on a few square meters. m.
In conditions of constant employment, it is rare to go to the country house, lake, or even take a walk in the park. The material will be useful for those who are tired of urbanism and its high technologies, who take care of every flower in the apartment with tenderness and trepidation and dream of having their own oasis inside concrete walls.
Go out in the morning and drink a cup of hot cappuccino in the company of green friends
What is a winter garden and where can it be installed?
Flowers placed on window sills do not surprise anyone, but a winter garden will give the interior of a balcony or loggia a certain original style.
A winter garden is a compositional solution of fresh flowers and plants grown year-round indoors with certain parameters of lighting, temperature and air humidity. There are several organizations for a living corner, but it is always a room protected from rain and wind.
Buffer placement of the garden. Type of placement of indoor plants in an unheated room. In the house, a veranda is usually used for this purpose, on which seasonal flowers are grown that need rest in winter. The lighting in the buffer garden is natural, from sunlight through double-glazed windows.
A garden in an unheated room is called a buffer
Location of the winter garden in a residential area. In an apartment, you can place plants in the living room, bedroom or study. But making a full-fledged winter garden is problematic. A certain microclimate is needed: high humidity, diffuse lighting, so to create an island, use a balcony, loggia or the roof of a house.
On an insulated and heated loggia, plants are not afraid of frost
Design Ideas
Some interesting ideas:
- Tropical garden - suitable for the south side. Place wicker and wooden furniture, plants - deciduous bushes and flowers with large bright inflorescences.
- Rustic style - hang lanterns, install wooden furniture, plant flowers with small inflorescences and climbing plants.
- Women's theme - cozy chairs in pastel colors, light shades of furniture, various types of roses, orchids and ivy.
- Modern style – strict lines in furniture, non-flowering bushes or flowers with small, dim inflorescences.
- Fantasy garden - hang lanterns, choose green and brown shades for the walls, furniture made of wood. You can install a fountain or waterfall, choose the most unusual flowering and non-flowering shrubs from the plants, placing the climbing ones under the ceiling.
Winter garden, greenhouse and greenhouse: similarities and differences
Although in the general understanding these types of cultivation are similar, and the average person is unlikely to see the difference, we will tell you about it.
At their core, all three rooms are intended for cultivating plants, but both the greenhouse and the greenhouse are independent buildings, while the winter garden is part of the residential building.
Greenhouses are equipped for temporary (seasonal) growing of plants, the main goal is to obtain a harvest. Greenhouses were invented for exotic crops that need a constant climate and care. Plants are grown in such a box every year, but it is not recommended for a person to stay for a long time - to preserve the ovary and ensure long flowering, technologists use chemical fertilizers. Their fumes, if not dangerous, will certainly not improve your health.
Greenhouse for growing vegetables
With the help of amateur flower growers, we sometimes replace the concepts: winter garden and greenhouse, and yet the difference is obvious.
The desire for beauty is inherent in man from the very beginning. That is why we are attracted to flowers, blue skies and bright natural colors. In addition to aesthetic pleasure, plants have a beneficial effect on well-being - they purify the air. People create a winter garden precisely for this purpose – aesthetic. Plants are grown here all year round and usually do not use chemical fertilizers.
Advantages of a winter garden on a balcony
A blooming garden will distract you from the bustle of the city
If the desire to arrange a winter garden in an apartment with your own hands is great, with little effort we will get a concentrate of usefulness.
- The winter garden is a symbol of prestige. Most design solutions involve panoramic glazing. A French balcony will allow you to enjoy (of course, if it is not tinted) stunning exoticism not only from the inside, but also from the outside. Exotic flowers, climbing plants, lush greenery, light translucent curtains, designer garden furniture - a living corner will be an excellent place to relax.
- A winter garden is a good hobby for people who dream of a cottage or home. On your territory, you can experiment as much as you like, growing fruits, vegetables and ornamental crops. Of course, it will not be possible to harvest the crop on an industrial scale, but all kinds of herbs and vegetables: sage, parsley, rosemary, dill; It is quite possible to grow green onions, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers without special agronomic knowledge. Agree, it’s more than nice to go out onto the balcony in winter and pick fresh herbs from your own “bed.”
- The winter garden is a place for psychological rehabilitation. If the bathhouse heals the body, then plants heal the soul. They, like all living things, have an aura and feel their mood. There are cases when not a single flower took root in a house where there were constant scandals. And vice versa - people who decided to cut down a dry pear tree were surprised to find young branches on it a year later - the tree came to life and began to bear fruit with renewed vigor.
Plants, like water, can draw out negative mental information, relieve stress and calm. And even if you are a supporter of the material, and do not believe the laws of Feng Shui, and have not studied the features of a healthy biofield - remember yourself in the forest. How dramatically the mood changes, how easy it becomes, how thoughts calm down - all these are laws of living force that work regardless of whether we believe in them or not.
Plants are a wonderful decoration for a home greenhouse. They are pleasant to care for, they delight with beauty and produce oxygen. Being in such a room is useful - living friends help fight viruses, cure constant migraines and depressive conditions.
Cons of a winter garden
Creating a winter garden in an apartment with your own hands and subsequent maintenance are associated with some time and financial costs. Following the regime of watering, pruning, and fertilizing is problematic for people who are constantly employed and for those who are not ready to invest money. And also - the winter garden is not suitable for smokers - plants are afraid of drafts, especially in the cold season. If you don’t have these problems, and you are determined to make a winter garden on the loggia in your apartment, let’s get down to the technical issues.
How to make a winter garden on the balcony: stages of implementation
Winter garden on the balcony in a classic style
The process of implementing a living corner cannot be called simple, but this is only for those who are not ready to learn the basic principles of growing plants. If you are assertive enough, everything will definitely work out.
A “greenhouse” on a balcony is a long-term investment. With proper care, lush greenery will become an atmospheric addition to the interior and will delight you with a riot of color all year round.
To prevent flowers from fading and their roots from rotting, when arranging a winter garden on the balcony, you need to take care of insulation, lighting, and air exchange.
Balcony glazing
For reliable protection from drafts, multi-chamber double-glazed windows are installed on the loggia or balcony. Optimally - two glasses; if the load-bearing slab is reinforced, you can choose a triple profile. Since the winter garden on the balcony is part of the living space, you should not skimp on quality systems. Choose trusted manufacturers with good ratings.
Wall insulation
Moisture collects on an uninsulated balcony. The walls get wet after rain, and with the arrival of frost the room becomes cold. Naturally, not a single plant will live in such conditions. If the loggia is not airtight, it can be used as a temporary option for a summer garden, but the winter one must be reliably insulated: seal the seams, insulate the walls with polystyrene or penoplex.
Oasis on the balcony of a private house
Buffer placement of the garden on the balcony
Winter garden ventilation
At the planning stage, they also think about the ventilation system. The simplest options are windows and transoms. An automatic opening system will be more expensive - when the doors open after a certain time or installing an air conditioner - it is mainly used for large winter gardens.
Loggia heating, temperature conditions
The most suitable option is to install water or electric convection heating. Typically, pipes are placed where heat flow exits. Warm floors alone are not enough when arranging a winter garden on a balcony.
The optimal temperature for most plants is between 18-24 °C. Tender leaves do not like direct sunlight. For example, spathiphyllum left “in the sun” will react by withering after an hour. A lack of heat is just as destructive as an excess. Therefore, the winter garden needs additional heating. Install independent heating radiators that can be easily removed if necessary.
Winter garden on the loggia combined with the living room
Mini-garden on the balcony with frameless glazing
Humidity level
Flowers, especially tropical ones, love warm, moist air, so attentive housewives regularly spray them with a spray bottle. But when there is a lack of time, when no one is at home, ultrasonic humidifiers save the situation. Set the regulator to minimum and forget about the problem.
Another option is low trays of water and fine gravel. When water evaporates, it will create suitable humidity. But there is one nuance here - if the plants have been previously watered, the roots may begin to rot, since the flowers absorb a certain part of the water through the holes in the flowerpots. Wick irrigation works on this principle.
You can solve the problem of humidity and at the same time decorate the loggia with the help of a mini-waterfall. Such fountains do not take up much space, but when contemplated they give a powerful charge of positivity.
The murmuring water of a mini fountain relieves evening fatigue
Winter garden lighting
All plants need light
For professional use, both ordinary lamps and phytolamps are used. LED phytolamps have at least 8 advantages over conventional ones.
- Save energy. LEDs on average save from 30 to 500% of power consumption.
- More efficient. Different spectrums affect plants differently. At the peak of active growth, flowers need more light, but ordinary lamps diffuse energy, while phytolights work in a narrow range.
- Have minor losses. LED lamps are directional light with an angle of 60-120 degrees; they do not lose electricity on reflectors and regulators.
- Fireproof. Classic lamps emit a lot of heat, heating up to dangerous levels. Considering that up to 5 such lamps can be installed on a balcony, this creates a certain danger both in terms of fire and accidental impacts. LEDs heat up so slightly that when you touch them with your hand, you feel almost nothing.
- Easy to install. There is no need for complex connection diagrams, separate cables or insulation. For the phytolamp to start working, you just need to hang it in the right place and plug it into an outlet.
- Can be used in pitch darkness. In basements without natural light, agronomists grow a lot of healthy vegetables. Of course, the conditions on the balcony are not so harsh, but during the rainy season, when the plants don’t get enough “sun,” the phytolamp will cope with the problem.
- Long service life. On average, LEDs last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours. Others are orders of magnitude smaller, and in the process of wear, the power of the luminous flux deteriorates. Although phytolamps are more expensive, they are a one-time investment that quickly pays off.
- Eco-friendly. When broken, such lamps do not emit harmful substances. Unlike conventional ones that contain mercury, phytolights are completely environmentally friendly and can be installed in a home where there are small children.
“Wrap up” the walls
Balcony insulation is one of the main conditions when arranging. To install winter gardens, you will need to insulate the floor and external walls.
When “wrapping” the loggia from the inside, it is important to choose a good thermal insulator and think about moisture insulation. Organic, lightweight materials, such as mineral wool boards, may be suitable for these purposes.
Also consider traditional polystyrene foam, penofol, and styrodur as “candidates”. The undeniable advantage of penofol is its low thermal conductivity and low vapor permeability. Styrodur (foamed polystyrene) is durable, does not rot, and does not become covered with fungus. Both are suitable for insulating walls, floors and ceilings.
You can sheathe the internal walls with siding or wooden lining (it will need to be treated with a fire retardant and antiseptic to avoid rotting). Tile, linoleum or other material that does not suffer from water ingress is recommended as a floor covering. After all, plants in winter gardens will have to be watered and sprayed frequently.
Loggia location: how to choose plants for the winter garden
Plants are different: some love a dry climate, others need moisture and coolness. The location of the balcony plays a big role in the choice.
If you're a fan of evergreen islands, choose plants that don't lose their leaves. They are usually low maintenance and always in fashion.
Green pot dwellers are great friends of the Provence style
The romantic mood on warm, cozy evenings will take you to the French countryside
Balcony on the north side. There is practically no constant heat here, and the sun's rays provide diffused lighting. If for some reason you have not yet had time to buy phytolamps, you can choose from green friends that do not require constant light: gardenia, begonia, adiantum, ficus.
The “northern” balcony does not get much natural light, so you need to take special care of this
Hanging flowers receive more daylight
Balcony on the south side. Almost until winter it is always warm here, the plants receive maximum natural light. You can organize a real tropical corner: with cacti, palm trees, tangerine trees. But remember: no matter how much plants love heat, the greenhouse effect has a detrimental effect on their roots and leaves. If you have not provided a split system, and regular ventilation cannot reduce the temperature, close the windows with thick curtains during the peak of solar activity (from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Don't forget to spray or turn on the humidifier.
A piece of wild nature on your balcony - what could be more beautiful?
Balcony on the east side. Open the windows for ventilation - in the first half of the day, “oriental” plants will receive the right amount of light. And in the afternoon, when the sun's rays become more intense, shade the loggia. Ginger, coffee tree, and hanging flowers feel comfortable in a temperate climate.
Balcony on the west side. Fuchsia, groundsel and monstera love the constant warmth of the “west”, but they also need shading. You can create a romantic Provence in the winter garden with the help of climbing plants: morning glory, wild grapes, hops.
Repair work
The repair requirements in this case will be quite minimalistic.
A room for flowers does not require any overly expensive finishing, and at the same time it will look very advantageous. The only thing you should pay attention to is insulating the balcony if you want flowers on it all year round. Foam sheets, polystyrene foam or soft sheets of fiberglass insulation are used as insulation on the balcony. The insulation is glued to pre-prepared walls or placed in the grooves of the sheathing, sewn on top with moisture-resistant plasterboard.
The floor can be insulated in the same way, or you can install a heated floor system. This solution will help achieve the desired indoor microclimate.
How to place plants on a balcony or loggia.
Palm trees, dwarf trees, and tall plants are planted in interior floor vases. If the balcony is old and the load-bearing slab is of a lightweight type, you should abandon large plants and heavy ceramic pots.
You won’t be able to place many outdoor pots on a small balcony.
Vertical gardening decorates a large area
Ampelous flowers and herbs are usually grown in flowerpots or plants are placed as wall decoration on shelving shelves. Cherry tomatoes, self-pollinating cucumbers and other crops bred for “gardening on the windowsill” are placed on the floor - this makes them easier to care for.
Cascading perennials are a good option for a flowering garden
Designers recommend choosing plants with similar growing requirements within the same winter garden. If you are planning a mix of tropical and desert, you may have to provide a separate irrigation and ventilation system.
Cucumbers, like climbing ornamental plants, have the right to aesthetic forms and look harmonious in vertical installations. Therefore, they can either be hung in the ceiling area or, having provided support, placed against the wall.
Cucumbers are an excellent alternative to ornamental plants
From a distance, morning glory can be confused with cucumbers)
| Plant type | Representatives | Climate requirements | Lighting requirements |
| Tropical | Marantaceae, tropical vines, dracaenas, dieffenbachias, begonias, calatheas | 18-25°C, humidity - from 80%, | Moderate, diffused light |
| Subtropical | Cypresses, yews, wisterias, azaleas | 6-12°C, humidity - from 70%, | Medium lighting level |
| Desert | Yucca, aloe, succulents, agaves, cacti | Not lower than 12° C, dry air | Medium lighting level |
| Frost-resistant | Araucaria, thuja, cypress, cryptomeria, heather, juniper, laurel | 6-10°C, | Can easily tolerate lack of sunlight |
When choosing plants for a winter garden in an apartment, consider their size and difficulty of growing. Beginning gardeners love those that are easy to care for; they grow well in most Russian latitudes. Tradescantia, aloe, violet, geranium, Kalanchoe, fern, ornamental palms, and cacti are good. Some shortcomings in care are not critical for them.
Plants that came to us from Latin America and Asia love moderate lighting
Desert - not afraid of direct sunlight
Selection of furniture and decor for the winter garden on the balcony
Good, high-quality and beautiful furniture, although it does not affect the development of ornamental plants, fully participates in the interior of the balcony.
Full range of garden furniture → in the DG Home catalog. Here you will find wicker, wooden and upholstered furniture to suit different interior styles.
Rattan wicker chairs have confidently moved into modern apartments
Furniture for the loggia should be compact and light - it will have to be moved periodically. From stationary elements, you can choose wooden seats with storage drawers. If your balcony can withstand heavy loads (up to 200-300 kg), rocking chairs, sun loungers, and chests of drawers are suitable.
Solid furniture is suitable for reinforced balcony slabs
Comfortable chairs will add coziness
Wicker furniture will become a bright, functional decor of the winter garden
Do you like the vertical layout? Put up a shelving unit.
And in Provence, and in rustic, and in modern classics
Plants themselves can become living decor - just hide unsightly decoration behind them
Suitable Products
No inventory boxes? This is also not a problem - in the Provence style, various watering cans and bottles will become decorative elements.
Old dishes in the garden are turned into useful items
Watering cans, pots, gnomes, flowers - sometimes you don’t even have to spend money on creating an atmospheric interior
In order not to overdo it with colors, choose a calm color scheme for decoration. Blooming buds will take attention to themselves, and other objects will remain in the background, which will create visual noise if color moderation is not observed. It is better to choose natural textures of wood and stone as accents.
Roses are the eternal hits of any garden, the balcony is no exception
You need to be careful with decor in Provence
The interior of the winter garden looks stylish and complete if the elements are used: flowerpots, pots, flowerpots, textiles - in the same style.
And in a real living corner, not only flowers grow - you can create a paradise microcosm in your own apartment or house with its living inhabitants: have canaries, parrots, hamsters, fish in an aquarium. For a complete composition, this is definitely a craft option; how many people have similar ones?
Boxes for balcony flowers and plants
Boxes as the basis of a garden composition should be the same in size. Green shoots will look brighter if the color of the balcony does not “interrupt” the color scheme formed by the plants. An important advantage of homemade containers for planting flowers is the development of sizes that increase the mobility of the structures, that is, carrying the boxes is not difficult for one person.
It is necessary to drill holes in the bottom for drainage, place small pieces of bricks or sea pebbles on the bottom to prevent soil or a special planting mixture from spilling out. Next you need to lay a layer of sand or peat to retain the optimal amount of moisture.
Use specialized soil for balcony flowers.
Growers strive to achieve almost constant flowering in portable greenhouses. To do this, it is necessary to carry out certain scientific and educational work: study the literature, compare color images of plants, choose the most suitable ones in terms of timing and duration of flowering.
