This year I only brought in 4 plants/pots! I also dug a few tuberous begonias. So my display is basically non-existent since it's in 2 places. My husband gets really annoyed with me having plants everywhere so i decided to try to limit my tropical leanings and go along with what will live outside. It's been... hard... but actually nice to not have to freak over frosts! Your set up looks fun though :)

Oh wow. That makes it even more of a puzzle for you to solve. Is there anything one can do to make a microclimate on a balcony? Probably not without getting kind of ridiculous... I really don't know.

Maybe your hubby would feel better about your place if you show him my pic! Ha! I don't mind being "the bad example" of someone who has no self-control over these things. I counted 98 pots in here yesterday, NOT counting the tons of water bottle cuttings in the sills. It's probably a really good thing I don't order plants in the mail and there are very few places to buy them around here without driving really far away. I have an illness where anything I want to buy will fit in the house in my mind...

Sounds like you're having a peaceful plant break though. Nothing wrong with that at all, and more time to chat. Smiles!

And speaking of balconies, we're going to NOLA for Easter again. Can't wait to see all of those cool balconies, although Easter is really early this year, a lot might still be kind of naked, less plants, dormant plants... We'll see what there is to see...

It's not too bad. I have a nearly full balcony for what i want which is an awesome sitting area. Have you ever looked at the blog 66 square feet? That's what I more or less aim for as well-- a sitting area and a small garden.

The biggest problem is this apartment has only 2 windows and then the french doors. So it's like virtually nothing to put plants in. I already have a collection of indoor plants-- orchids, AVs, philodendrons, hoyas, epiphytic cacti, etc. So everything is full. I have hung plants from the walls and ceilings, made platforms in front of the windows to act as areas to put more plants... so... bringing in plants means I have no where to put them. So that works. It does give me time to care for my indoor ones which are mostly in bloom at the moment. :)

Oh seeing more balconies and container plantings will be nice, even if they aren't in full swing. I hope you have fun!

I brought in my more delicate plants such as the citruses and jades. I left my herbs (oregano, rosemary, savory, and cilantro) as well as some aloes. They all are fine-the cilantro is more than fine! I'm in a sheltered location that's on average 10 degrees warmer than on the ground. Plus I haven't turned my heat on on 2 years. My window and balcony door is open most all the time. I did find a nice floor lamp on Amazon that can handle 125 watt bulbs. I have two with the very expensive full spectrum bulbs ($30 ea at Home Depot). I forget the lumens but its the top that Home Depot had and was what was suggested by others here. It looks like a normal floor lamp which I love. I'm actually praying for a good cold snap that will force me to bring in the plants on my balcony...and kill the damn stink bugs!

Very nice! Winter is losing its hold here. Supposed to have another cold snap starting tonight, but I have 3 snowdrops which now have put up buds and are close to bloom. I consider this signs of victory lol. My herbs look iffy outside. It's because they are in boxes on the railing, so they are not really experiencing a 7b winter-- more like a zone 5 i bet. They still are alive though. I try to plant a few zones down in those boxes just because of the freeze factor and lack of protection. I could move them on the balcony against the apartment, but then that means a) work and b)less light.