You like it exotic? Then take the jungle home with you! How’s that? By designing your balcony exotic and like in the jungle. It’s not even that hard.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in the middle of the jungle. What do you see there? Many exotic plants and animals, wood and softly shimmering light? Well, then you are already on the right track in terms of design. Because what could be more fitting for a jungle-style balcony than many exotic plants? Maybe a real parrot, but we don’t want to overdo it. With the right plants here and a little decoration there you can transform your balcony into a small jungle in no time at all. We’ll tell you how.
How the balcony turns into a jungle
❶ floor covering:
Let’s first dedicate ourselves to the floor on the balcony. At best, this should consist of natural materials. It is recommended, for example, to lay wooden balcony tiles. They radiate a natural atmosphere and warmth. Of course, you can also opt for WPC planks or planks made of real wood. Here is allowed what pleases.
If you don’t want to make a big fuss about the floor covering, it is enough to spread out a suitable outdoor carpet on the balcony. For example, a carpet of raffia, sisal or seaweed is suitable. Of course, you can also design the whole thing modern and opt for a colourful carpet that picks up on the jungle theme. Or for a carpet in the hip ethno style.
❷ balcony furniture:
You should also use wooden chairs, sofas and the like for furniture for your balcony. But rattan and bamboo furniture are also a perfect match for the jungle look. On tchibo.de I found the lounge sofa “Premium” with textile mesh, which would really fit perfectly to the jungle look. But of course there are also enough other pieces of furniture that fit the theme. I find a peacock throne from rattan especially beautiful and unusual. It gives the jungle look something majestic.
If you opt for coloured pieces of furniture or upholstery, then the best thing to do is to choose natural shades or the complete opposite. So speak for fabrics in yellow, pink or orange, because exotic flowers usually bloom in these strong colours.
❸ Plants:
– green tones as well as high and low plants:
Plants are probably the most important element on a jungle-style balcony. Only they allow viewers to immediately recognize the theme of the balcony design. And here you can really untwist and place the most different plants on the balcony. But first of all it is important that you know that it is very advantageous to work with different shades of green. This way you create more visual depth that makes your jungle look even more alive. You should also combine tall and low plants with each other. The effect is varied and closes gaps between the plants perfectly. Because the denser they are, the better.
– Put exotics in plant pots:
Let us now turn to the plants themselves. Here you should always rely on plant pots, because exotic plants look beautiful but are not always hardy. In order to protect them from the icy temperatures in winter, you should always bring the hardy plants into your home during the cold season. And that works best when you have planted the exotics in the tub. Of course, there are also exotic plants that are hardy. The following table gives you an overview of which plants suit the jungle feeling and whether they are hardy or not:
| plant | frost tolerance |
|---|---|
| Bamboo Fargesia | hardy |
| Window leaf (Monstera) | not hardy |
| Violin fig (Ficus lyrata) | not hardy |
| Functions (Hosta) | hardy |
| Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) | hardy |
| Bird foot sedge (Carex ornithopoda) | hardy |
| Orchids (Orchidaceae) | not hardy |
| Bird of paradise flowers/Strelitzie (Strelitzia reginae) | not hardy |
| Frangipani (Plumeria) | not hardy |
| Bamboo Palm (Chamaedoria Seifrizii) | not hardy |
| Chinese hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) | hardy |
| Date palm (Phoenix canariensis) | hardy up to 0°C |
| Pipe winch (Aristolochia) | hardy |
| Passion Flower (Passiflora) | not hardy |
| Hibiscus (Hibiscus) | not hardy |
| Magnificent winds (Ipomoea) | not hardy |
| Skyflower (Thunbergia grandiflora) | not hardy |
| Bromellia (Bromelia) | not hardy |
| Ornamental banana (Ensete ventricosum) | not hardy |
| Dwarf Palm (Chamaerops) | not hardy |
The plants that are hardy should nevertheless be protected from the cold temperatures. You do this by wrapping the buckets with bubble wrap and placing them on polystyrene plates.
– Use multiple levels:
Of course, the exotic plants do not only have to stand on the ground. It’s even better if you use multiple layers. In this way you get very close to the jungle feeling. You can also plant the railings and use hanging baskets or shelves to plant the balcony walls. Hanging plants, for example, do very well on the walls.
You can also make your own jungle decoration from flowers and thus provide little highlights on the balcony. I find this DIY instruction of 1000gutegruende.de particularly beautiful for example.
❹ Lighting:
On the jungle balcony a suitable lighting should not be missing of course. The only problem is that there are usually no power sources on the balcony. So you have to rely on garden lighting without electricity. Here are some ideas:
– Solar lamps:
In the jungle, due to the dense vegetation, it is usually the case that only here and there some sunlight shines through the plants. And that’s exactly what you should be looking for. It is best to place a few solar lamps between the plants. The light then shines through the leaves, which looks particularly beautiful.
– Lanterns:
Even lanterns make a good impression on the jungle balcony. You can buy them or make them yourself. This works particularly well with napkin technology, for example. All you have to do is look out for suitable napkins and you’re ready to go. An instruction, how to use napkin technique on wood and glass, I found e.g. under www.talu.de .
– Light chains:
If you have an electricity connection on the balcony, then chains of lights are also a good source of light. Optically, they should ideally match the jungle style. Light chains with leaves and/or exotic flowers would of course be optimal. You can also do these yourself again. An instruction for a very beautiful flower light chain I found e.g. on www.youtube.com .
❺ Decoration:
If you like, you can of course also bet on a little decoration. How about, for example, parrots or other exotic animals that sit between the plants? That looks great, doesn’t it? Just let your imagination run wild.
I am Don Burke, one of the authors at My Garden Guide. I am a horticulturist that cultivates, grows, and cares for plants, ranging from shrubs and fruits to flowers. I do it in my own garden and in my nursery. I show you how to take care of your garden and how to perform garden landscaping in an easy way, step by step.I am originally from Sydney and I wrote in local magazines. Later on, I have decided, more than two decades ago, to create my own blog. My area of specialization is related to orchid care, succulent care, and the study of the substrate and the soil. Therefore, you will see many articles dedicated to these disciplines. I also provide advice about how to improve the landscape design of your garden.
