Balconies

Annuals are a good bet for balcony gardens, as they can flower all season and then be sneakily replaced with winter pansies and bulbs for the winter and spring. Ensure that your containers have good drainage, and for goodness' sake use a decent potting compost.

Plants in containers need to be watered daily, but be careful not to commit the cardinal sin of overwatering; unfortunately this also appears to be the easiest sin to commit in relation to pot-plants as I have discovered through years of patiently tending to wilting foliage before I cottoned-on.

You can also train climbers over your balcony railings to great effect, have more exotic pot plants outside in the summer-then moving them into the flat when the nights turn cold. You can even grow your own fruit and veg in grow-bags, and a selection of herbs in pots.