Katherine’s Balcony Garden on Lake Ontario

17.09.2024 - 06:35 / finegardening.com / GPOD Contributor

Hi GPODers!

I’m not sure about all of you, but my favorite part of Garden Photo of the Day is the garden diversity we get to enjoy every week. Yesterday we learned about a couple who transformed 3 acres into a 21-acre arboretum and botanical garden (if you missed their incredible post on growing pawpaw trees, definitely check it out here). Today we’re heading a little further north to Ontario, and seeing how Katherine D Emerson doesn’t let her small balcony space stop her from growing a collection of gorgeous plants.

I live in the urban village of Port Credit, in the city of Mississauga (first city west of Toronto), on Lake Ontario.

My balcony faces south, which has its pros and cons. One of the cons is that, lately, our summers here in southern Ontario have been hotter and more humid than ever with hours upon hours of sun and glare. This can be overwhelming to some plants and to people like me who don’t care for the heat. Last year I lost all my green and yellow beans as well as most of my marigolds. This year the only vegetable I’m growing is Swiss chard. One of the pros of facing south is that, once the sun has left my side of the building (early to mid afternoon), it’s lovely to sit outside in the warm shade in the late afternoon and early evening.

I chose containers and tables in cheerful vibrant colours and chair cushions to coordinate and harmonize the space. You will notice whirligigs (aka pinwheels, whirlygigs, windmills) along the balcony rail. This is by-far the BEST-ever pigeon deterrent. They are cheap, compassionate/humane, and pretty