As nature people living in an apartment, a balcony/patio is a must. And we learned the hard way if that balcony/patio is in Florida and isn’t screened in, it’s essentially useless most of the time! (Because mosquitoes, bees, wasps, flies, lizards, snakes…you get the idea.) The people who built this complex did a very smart thing…they arranged the buildings in such a way that every apartment has a beautiful view. There are 3 ponds, green spaces, and a lovely tree-lined walkway on the property. Both places we’ve lived in this complex have had gorgeous views, but the one we’re in currently is perfect! We’re in the back of the property and the wildlife here is the best. We regularly see alligators, Great Blue Herons, Little Blue Herons, Whistling Ducks, Ospreys, Sandhill Cranes (with babies 😍), Great White Egrets, Cattle Egrets, plus various kinds of snakes, turtles, butterflies, songbirds, and bugs.

The balcony is my favorite place to relax, mostly because of my hanging chair. Several years ago, when we still lived in Ohio, Brian bought me two hammock chairs for Mother’s Day. Ashton and I sat in them everyday, reading and usually falling asleep, because seriously…so comfortable. I found this hanging chair frame on Amazon, and voila! Instant self-care center. Of course, the balcony is the ideal place for plants, and no space of mine is complete without them.

First, let me call your attention to the trailing plant on the white stand. That’s called a string of bananas, and this is what it looked like when I bought it in July 2020. (That’s a 4 inch pot for reference.)

It grew especially well in our other apartment in an East-facing window, and no matter where I put it in this apartment, it just wasn’t thriving. I decided to put some of my struggling succulents together and wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what they wanted. They’re all taking off! The aloe has doubled in size in 2 months and there’s all kinds of little babies popping up! If you look closely at the balcony picture, you’ll see the string of bananas is climbing along the ground and starting up the screen!

One of my very favorite plants is this oxalis. My friend Desiree gave it to me after I’d been searching for one for months. It basically looks like huge clovers and when the breeze blows through, they flutter like butterflies. Magical. And look at those darling little blossoms.

Since I already told you about the fern in another blog, I’ll leave that be (although, I’m still stunned it’s alive!) The plant at the top is called a Crown of Thorns. It’s a great option if you’re not good with plants, because it’s so resilient and blooms with no help from you, thank you very much. The plant directly above the fern is my donkey’s tail which is absolutely living its best life in this particular location.

Pro tip: If you buy (or already have) a donkey’s tail, take all the little leaves that fall off when you even look at it funny and toss them back in the pot. They start growing new shoots. That’s what all of those shorter strands sticking up at the top in the current photo are from. Below is what it looked like when I first bought it in August 2020.

I love this little gal. It’s a Mother of Thousands- a type of kalanchoe. It’s so thrilling to watch the little plantlets form on the edges of the leaves. I have several different kinds, and seeing those little babies just never gets old!

Thanks for joining me on my balcony tour! Where’s your favorite place to relax? ☀️🌱😎