Balcony, terrace and plants
Mint that survives the winter, verbena and geranium for tea, jasmine, a lemon tree in a pot, and how to make a small balcony feel like a courtyard.
The Moroccan courtyard has four things: green, water, shade and a place to sit. A balcony of two square metres can have three of them, and mint for the tea.
In short
- Mint goes in its own pot. In a shared pot it smothers everything else.
- In cold climates, mint, verbena and fig trees can stay outside with protection; lemon trees, jasmine and bougainvillea come indoors before the first frost.
- Herbs for tea want sun, regular water and to be cut often.
- A few large pots look better and dry out more slowly than many small ones.
Herbs for tea and cooking
- Mint (na3na3)
- Spearmint. Sun or half shade, soil always slightly damp, its own wide pot. Cut the stems often, above a pair of leaves, to keep it bushy. The top dies in frost and comes back in spring.
- Lemon verbena (louiza)
- A small shrub with long leaves that smell of lemon, for evening tea. Full sun. It loses its leaves in winter; protect the pot from hard frost or keep it in a cold, bright room.
- Wormwood (chiba)
- Grey and bitter, for winter tea, one sprig at a time. Sun, little water; it survives cold.
- Rose geranium (3atercha)
- Scented leaves for tea and pastries. Sun, little water. Indoors in winter where it freezes.
- Pennyroyal (fliyo), sage (salmiya), marjoram (merdeddouch)
- The other tea herbs. Sun, light soil, little water.
- Coriander and parsley
- Sow every three weeks from spring; they run to seed fast in heat. Half shade in summer.
Starting mint from a bunch
- Buy a bunch of fresh Moroccan mint with firm stems.
- Strip the lower leaves and stand the stems in a glass of water on a bright window sill.
- Roots appear in one to two weeks. Change the water every two days.
- When the roots are a few centimetres long, plant in a wide pot of ordinary potting soil.
- Water often, cut often, and feed lightly in summer.
- Every spring, tip the plant out, cut the root ball in four and replant one quarter in new soil.
Flowers, climbers and trees in pots
- Jasmine
- For its smell on summer evenings. Sun, a trellis, regular water. Common white jasmine takes light frost; the more scented kinds do not, and spend the winter indoors.
- Bougainvillea
- It needs full sun and little water to flower. No frost at all: indoors, cool and bright, in winter.
- Lemon or bitter orange tree
- A large pot, citrus soil, sun, regular water and feed. Bring it into a bright, cool room when nights go under 5 °C.
- Olive tree
- Sun, little water, a pot with good drainage. An established tree takes some frost; protect the pot in a long freeze.
- Fig tree
- Fast, generous, happy in a large pot. It loses its leaves; wrap the pot in cold regions.
- Geraniums
- The flowers of every Moroccan window. Sun, little water, and cuttings in late summer for next year.
- Pomegranate, oleander, rosemary, lavender
- Sun lovers for a hot terrace. Oleander is poisonous: not with small children or pets.
A balcony that feels like a courtyard
- Floor: outdoor tiles with a cement-tile pattern, or an outdoor rug with a kilim pattern, over the concrete.
- A low bench with outdoor cushions along one side, as in a salon.
- Terracotta pots in two or three sizes, grouped and not lined up. One large glazed pot in green or blue.
- A small tiled table for the tea tray.
- Shade: a cane screen, a cotton awning or a climbing plant on wires.
- Lanterns with LED candles, and one string of warm lights.
- The sound of water: a small solar fountain in a bowl.
- Check the weight your balcony is allowed to carry before adding large pots, wet soil and tiles, and never fix anything that can fall.
By climate
- Northern Europe and Canada: choose pots that resist frost, raise them off the ground in winter, wrap them, and bring tender plants indoors. A bright, cool stairwell or a garage window is better than a warm living room.
- Mediterranean Europe: almost everything stays outside. Water is the limit in summer.
- The Gulf: the season is reversed. Plant in autumn, give shade from the midday sun, and water in the evening. Mint and coriander are winter crops there.
- Indoors, anywhere: a bright window, pots with drainage holes, and less water in winter.
Mistakes to avoid
- Mint sharing a pot.
- A little water every day: water deeply instead, then let the top of the soil dry.
- Bringing a lemon tree into a hot, dark room for the winter.
- Pots without holes.
- Overloading a balcony.