Decorating the Balcony for Christmas
Just because you don’t have a yard to decorate with animatronic light-up deer and blow-up snowmen doesn’t mean you can’t decorate your apartment garden for Christmas. Apartment-dwellers with balcony gardens can use the following ideas for making their balconies festive during Christmas time.
Planting with red and green. Consider adding a couple of red and green plants outside during Chtistmas time. If it is warm enough in your area, you can mix in red-leaved plants. Luckily you can keep hardy evergreen plants even in the coldest of areas. You can always keep poinsettias indoors, as well.
Wreaths and garlands. Use real or faux wreaths and garlands to decorate the balcony garden. Drape the garland in many U shapes along the outside edge of your balcony’s railing, and secure it to the railing with zip ties or sturdy string. Some materials like yarn may decay and break down in rain or snow. Do everything you can to ensure your wreaths and garlands won’t fall to the ground below your balcony garden.
Lights. If you have a power outlet outdoors, you can set up Christmas lights all around your balcony garden. You can nail these up around a window, along the edge of the balcony’s railing or along the edge of the roof’s awning.
Live Christmas trees. If you’re on a budget, remember that small live Christmas trees (often rosemary grown in the shape of a Christmas tree) are on sale after the season. Check your local garden shop after the season has passed. Keep pruning the tree to keep its shape, and decorate it the next year. If you have a power outlet, wrap a strand of Christmas lights around it. You can purchase small ornaments and a small star and make a mini Christmas tree outdoors. Leave bird treat presents underneath the tree for wild birds that would appreciate some birdseed during winter.
Other Christmas accents. Collect pine cones throughout the year and set them up in baskets outdoors. Make a pinecone birdfeeder or set out a hand-painted birdhouse or birdfeeder with a Christmas theme in order to welcome wild birds during the harsh winter. You can put any other weather-proof decorations outside in your balcony garden. Get creative! You can even create works of art with ice.
