Canopy Landscape Architects’ Julie Greenslade and Paul Roper-Gee have some great ideas for greening apartment outdoor spaces.

ith a fast growing population and strong demand for housing, Christchurch is catching up on the attractions of a central-city apartment lifestyle. It offers convenience, the buzz of city life, minimal commuter travel and the ability to use the fantastic central-city green spaces and laneways as your backyard. Living with less of your own outdoor space doesn’t mean you can’t put your green thumbs to work though.

A well-designed balcony or courtyard should seamlessly connect with the interior spaces. Colours and material selections should be an extension of the interior design. It is important to balance practical needs with space for plants. Chairs, tables and sun umbrellas can take up a lot of space so try to pick multi-functional furniture pieces as they will allow for flexibility in use of the space. For example, a seating element could be combined with a raised planter. Keeping furniture slimline and lightweight will help to make the space feel bigger.

There are a multitude of planters and container options to choose from. Be careful to select ones that tie in with the architecture and the look you want to achieve. Material options include metal, lightweight concrete, terracotta, recycled plastic and timber. A range of container heights enables you to layer and show off the planting. Fitting caster trolley wheels to your containers makes them moveable, which gives lots of flexibility to place them as space dividers.

When selecting your plants, make sure they will cope with the conditions on your balcony or in your courtyard. Observe the winter sun aspect before you do your planting. You may need plants that can tolerate a shadier, cooler climate for half of the year. An easy way to add greenery at a height without encroaching on furniture is to train plants to climb upwards. This can mean growing climbers up walls, wires and trellises, inserting a climbing frame into a pot, or selecting plants with an upright and narrow form.

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