I’m so excited that YOU’RE so excited! I’ve been talking gardening on instagram, specifically, small space gardening, and many of you resonated with this! Seems many of us are in the same boat: how can we spruce up our terrace garden so that it feels like a wonderland? Well, today I’m sharing the plans for my tiny but mighty terrace garden including all the seeds I bought and what you need to get started growing from seeds.
First, and this is *very* important, you need to go to Farmer’s Almanac and determine your plant hardiness zone. This will determine what you can grow. NYC is in zone 7B. I’m guessing 99% of you will be able to grow everything on this list, but it’s still good information to have as you plan your own terrace garden!
My Terrace Garden Plans
the vibe
The vibe I’m going for: super colorful with blooms lasting all summer. I’ve learned from experience that short to medium height plants—as in 6″-10″ high or 18″ max depending on the planter, work best in a small terrace garden. You need compact blooms with a good foliage to flower ratio. For it to not feel wild, you need many compact blooms and shorter stalks. I learned this from experience.
How I plan
I’m a visual person, so how I plan my garden is very visual. First, I screenshot everything I love–both inspirational images and individual plants–then I go through my phone images and favorite the ones I’m most drawn to. I then look at my ‘favorites’ folder on my phone and choose combinations from there.
After that, I make notes of my initial ideas, plant pairings, etc. I number my planters and then write down what will go in each planter. You don’t need a concrete plan at first. You just need a general idea to order your seeds. You have 6-8 weeks before you have to move your seedlings to their permanent home, so don’t overwhelm yourself planning perfectly!
PRO TIP: I’ve learned from the past to always use prolific bloomers you know will work and then only try 2-4 new flowers from seeds per year. This will ensure that even if your new seeds don’t work out so well, you’ll still have a beautiful garden thanks to your tried and true OGs.
My OGs are alyssum, marigold, zinnia, and herbs.
Supplies needed
Note: These supplies are what I bought to start my seeds. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support helping me run this blog and create free content:-) These are the only affiliate links on this page.
-
Seed starter kit (72 cell self watering option with seed starting mix; you might need multiples depending on how many seeds you have!)
-
coconut coir (only order if you already have the seed starter tray(s) and just need the seed starting mix)
-
grow lamp (I have the medium dual head but probably should have purchased the 3 head one)
Seeds I ordered
zones 3-9, up to 18″H, great non toxic dupe for a hydrangea; does VERY well–prolific bloomer!
zones 3-10, up to 6″H, spreading–great for window boxes and rail planters!; does VERY well–prolific bloomer!
zones 3-10, up to 5″H, spreading–great for window boxes and rail planters!; does VERY well–prolific bloomer!
zones 1-10, up to 12″H
French Marigold ‘Queen Sophia’
zones 1-10, up to 12″H, this one I bought my accident LOL but I’m going with it:-)
French Marigold ‘Legion of Honor’
zones 1-10, up to 12″H
zones 3-10, up to 10″H; does VERY well–prolific bloomer!
zones 3-10, up to 10″H; does VERY well–prolific bloomer!
zones 2-10, 12″-24″H, my first time growing this
Gazania ‘Sunshine Mix’
zones 8-11, up to 8″H (this is my wildcard as I am in zone 7B…YOLO!); my first time growng this
zones 3-10, up to 16″H
Verbena ‘Compacta’
zones 1-10, up to 8″H; my first time growing this
Plant pairing ideas
Notes: I will pepper in fresh herbs from Trader Joe’s in the planters. Basil, thyme, cilantro, rosemary. I also plan to purchase a few small strawberry plants to add to rail planters as well as a couple Drift rose varieties for ground planters. I’ll share those when I buy them:-)
Ground planters (medium to large):
- phlox, bachelor button, calendula
- apricot Drift rose (TBD), snowcloth alyssum
- phlox, bachelor button, French marigold
- nasturtium (leftover seeds from last summer), marigold, snowcloth alyssum
- Drift rose, verbena, Rosie O’Day alyssum
- snowcloth alyssym, Rosie O’Day alyssum
Rail planters (3′ long, attached to railing):
- strawberries (TBD), French margiold
- zinnia button mix, French marigold Legion of Honor
- zinnia button mix, verbena
- zinnia pepito, gazania, calendula
- all 3 marigolds, snowcloth alyssum
- strawberrie, verbena
Ok, so now you know what seeds to get for a really glorious terrace garden. This will be a series helping you with your terrace garden so stay tuned for many more posts helping you along the way.
With any luck…this will be my situation come July!
