How to Make a Balcony Look Green Without Making It Unusable

Now I’m gardening on my balcony, but before 2020, I had just a few flower plants, and at that time, I tried to make my balcony green.

Today, most of my balcony is producing food, and I’m not using it only for sitting, though it has some space.

So, in the post, I’ll tell my opinion, like if I had to make my balcony look green without making it unusable, what would I do, how would I do it?

 

Decide What You Want: A Garden or a Living Space?

For example, I’m using my balcony as a garden, where I go to water, harvest, and check plants, etc.

I don’t go there to relax with my parents or sit quietly for long, though I’ve left some space, so I can sit, and it’s also important for plants, but it’s not mainly for sitting or relaxing.

However, if your goal is usability, you should mentally decide, like where you or other family members would sit. That’s the first thing.

Btw, I’m here talking about something usable, which is good for sitting and relaxing.

 

Keep Your Balcony Floor Free

If I had to redesign my balcony today with usability as the priority, I would keep my floor empty of pots.

And not just that, but also avoid grow bags, buckets, etc.

So, the floor is the only space you will use for walking, sitting, stretching, or even lying down sometimes.

What I would do instead:

• Leave the floor plain and clean
• Add a simple outdoor carpet
• Ideally, a grass mat

If I’m doing it on my balcony, I will go with a grass mat because it would psychologically make me feel like a garden, but without soil, water, maintenance, etc.

Though I’m okay with real grass, I won’t prefer it; it’ll be high maintenance, and on the floor, I don’t think I’m going to like it, cause I will have to do too many things like drainage, feeding, watering, etc.

Therefore, if your goal is to feel green, not work like a gardener, I highly recommend you go with a grass mat.

Once the floor is free:

• You can place a chair anywhere
• Sit cross-legged
• Lie down on a mat
• Move furniture without rearranging plants

That single choice will keep your balcony usable long-term.

 

All Plants Belong on the Perimeter

After the floor, the next rule is simple: you have to have plants live on the edges, not in the middle.

Edges mean:

• Railings
• Walls
• Corners

You will use the middle space for yourself; this will solve 70% of balcony usability problems.

 

Make Your Railings Green Without Eating Space

Railings are the easiest place to add greenery without affecting movement. 

However, you don’t want to make a mistake, and that is, you won’t mix too many pot sizes, plant heights, and colors randomly.

If I were doing it for aesthetics and usability:

• I would choose similar pots
• Keep roughly similar plant height
• Let foliage vary, not structure

I’m not saying a hundred percent perfect, but it shouldn’t be too random.

Besides this, I recommend keeping your plants inside the railing, not outside.

Why?

• You can easily provide water
• No dripping water onto roads or neighbors
• Better control of excess water flows
• It’s also a better balcony etiquette

Outside railing plants look good in photos, but they’re harder to live with daily. But if you like that, you can have them, just follow the basic etiquette, provide water carefully, when nobody is passing through there.

 

Take Advantage of Vertical Gardening

If you want your balcony to look green and remain usable, I recommend that you also do some vertical gardening.

Most balconies have:

• One railing side
• Two side walls
• One back wall

That’s a lot of unused vertical area. You can use this area, as you can do:

• Bottle gardening
• Wall-mounted pot holders
• Vertical racks

Personally, I’d use the side walls more than the front, because if the greenery is on both sides, the balcony will feel like a green room instead of a plant storage area.

Now that’s your choice, if you want to cover the entire wall or not, but partial vertical green will also be enough.

 

Have Dense Plants Instead of Many Plants

If your balcony has:

• 5 dense, healthy plants, it will
• look greener than
• 10 thin, scattered plants

So, if you want to make green and that’s your goal, I recommend you choose plants that fill space, not just exist in pots.

Dense foliage:

• Blocks visual gaps
• Softens walls
• Makes the balcony feel alive

 

Flowers vs Vegetables (Be Honest With Yourself)

I like vegetables, and that’s why I grow them, because I need them. However, if your only goal is a good-looking balcony, I recommend you flowers.

But why?

• They will add color
• Create seasonal change
• Make the balcony feel intentional

Besides this, fragrance matters too. I personally love night-blooming jasmine. I don’t have it right now, but I know what it does to a balcony in the evening.

This single plant is enough to change the mood.

 

Corners Need Height

Empty corners will make your balcony feel unfinished, so if I were designing purely for balance:

• I would add taller plants in the corners
• Medium plants on railings
• Smaller or trailing plants on walls

Regarding corners, I prefer symmetry:

• Two similar plants in opposite corners
• Or two pairs if your space allows

Four different tall plants in four corners will feel messy unless done very intentionally.

 

You can also Taste Indoor Plants Outdoors

I have already done this experiment by keeping my indoor plants outdoors for about a week.

So, some indoor plants will survive on balconies, but it mainly depends on heat, sunlight, and wind.

If they don’t:

• Bring them back indoors
• No loss

 

Choose Plants Based on Sunlight

No balcony design will work without understanding your balcony’s sunlight pattern.

You need to know:

• How many hours of sun do you get
• Morning vs afternoon sun
• Heat intensity
• Air movement

My own balcony ranges from 20°C to 35°C, with decent sunlight, sometimes it’s also less and more, but that’s average.

And it gives me flexibility, maybe yours may not. But, you have to keep in mind that your plant choice, placement, furniture location, etc, everything will depend on sunlight.

 

What I would Personally Do If I redesigned tomorrow

If I summarize my own thinking, this is what I would do:

• I will keep my floor stays empty with a grass mat
• Keep plants near railings, walls, and corners
• I would go with Vertical gardening.
• Choose dense plants over many plants
• Similar pots for visual calm
• For corners, I would grow taller plants
• I would understand sunlight before final placement
• Most importantly, I would make a plan first, greenery second

This will keep the balcony:

• Green
• Calm
• Usable
• Livable

 

Conclusion

To make your balcony look green without making it unusable, you still have to place fewer plants more intelligently.

From my own journey, I’ve learned that when you only focus on gardening, usability slowly disappears. 

I myself run after more and more produce, and lose comfort, though I don’t care about it, as produce is more important to me.

So, now you can treat your balcony as a human space, where you will want to sit, lie down, breathe, and talk. 

As your balcony floor will remain empty, you will have plants on walls, railings, and corners. 

 

FAQs

Can a small balcony really look green without feeling cramped?

Yes! In fact, small balconies benefit the most from vertical gardening and edge placement.

If you keep your floor clear and move plants upward or outward, then even if you have a very small balcony, it will feel open and breathable.

Is it better to grow vegetables or flowers for a usable balcony?

It depends on your priority; vegetables are practical and productive, but you will have to provide them more space and attention. 

If you want to relax there and want to make it look green and beautiful, then flowering or foliage plants will be a good choice.

Do I really need vertical gardening, or is it optional?

If usability matters, vertical gardening is almost important, because without it, your plants will end up on the floor.

Are grass mats better than real grass for balconies?

Grass mats will give you a visual and tactile feel of greenery without drainage issues, maintenance, or mess. 

On the other hand, real grass can work, but you will have to pay more attention.

Is it okay to hang plants outside the balcony railing?

You can, but it might be a bit hard to provide water; excess water may drip down, and wind exposure will also increase. 

But if you can deal with these things, then no problem, you can grow them.

How many plants are ‘too many’ for a balcony?

There is no exact fixed number that I could tell you, because it depends on the size of your balcony, and also the plant’s size and density.

Should I plan furniture before or after buying plants?

You should decide first where and how you want to sit or relax. After that, you can choose plants, pots, etc.

Does sunlight really matter that much for balcony design?

Sunlight will absolutely affect your plant choice, placement, watering frequency, heat buildup, and even where you’ll feel comfortable sitting.

Therefore, you should never ignore it.