[Smart Farmers] How to create a "home botanical garden" on the balcony?

Every family has a small balcony, a balcony of a few square meters, with plastic space. In a small space, you can create a world of flowers and a harbor of home!

Life is a state, it is beautiful; flower cultivation is a mood, it is pleasant! Green and flowers are friends of mankind. If you pay attention to them, they will bloom brilliantly. The most important thing about flower cultivation is to maintain a good mood. Flower cultivation can cultivate one's character, improve cultural literacy, promote physical and mental health, and thus better devote oneself to work and life.

So, how to grow flowers on the balcony in a small space? To have a garden full of flowers, according to years of experience in cultivation, the first is sunlight, soil, and water; the second is fertilizer (solid, liquid) nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; the third is science, patience, maintenance, and pruning. Balcony greening is a landscape at home, beautifying the environment and pleasing the body and mind. Plants and flowers play an irreplaceable role. Flowers are spiritual. If the balcony flowers are full of vitality, colorful, and blooming continuously, it is pleasing to the eye. The conclusion is naturally that hard work, scientific cultivation, and experience accumulation, the pay and the return must be proportional!

You can also consider the epiphyllum as a balcony flower. Watching it bloom and fade is a kind of expectation. The epiphyllum is very special. It always blooms at dawn when the morning dew begins to condense. Therefore, it is difficult to see its fragrance and elegance. I have been raising epiphyllums at home for many years. One day last year, three of the six buds opened one after another. The moonlight shines into the balcony through the glass window. The light yellow-purple receptacle wraps the white flowers and yellow stamens. The yellow and white complement each other, which is beautiful. As the breeze blows into the balcony, the blooming epiphyllum trembles slightly, and the wisps of fragrance blow on the sofa in the living room and linger for a long time. The beautiful epiphyllum is blooming elegantly and beautifully at its unique speed, one after another, exuding bursts of refreshing fragrance! Fortunately, I finally got to see the spectacular appearance of the epiphyllum!

Balcony plants and flowers are not only for appreciation, relaxation, and mindfulness. They also provide first-hand material for natural history painting. Sketching and observation of the morphological characteristics of plants and flowers is an indispensable and primary link in natural history painting. Therefore, planting balcony flowers also creates good conditions for natural history painting.

Making full use of convenient conditions and creating natural history hand-painted works is also one of the careers I pursue. It couldn’t be better to combine natural history painting with home balcony flower planting.

Balcony cultivation - Wax-sealed Amaryllis The quality of the Wax-sealed Amaryllis bulbs is perfect, and the flowering period continues to bloom for nearly a month. First, four flowers on the top, and then three flowers below the bulb. It is a very good variety. The flowers are large, red, and dazzling. Use colored pencils to hand-painted to preserve its gorgeousness (Hu Dongmei, the author of the colored pencil drawing of Amaryllis).

Balcony cultivation - Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium I didn't know much about Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium before, thinking that they are popular flowers and common. In fact, Phalaenopsis has a long flowering period, and it only needs to be watered once every 8 days. It is relatively easy to grow, and the flowering period can last for three months. There are many varieties and colorful, which is still very suitable for home cultivation (Phalaenopsis colored pencil, Dendrobium ink line natural history painting author Hu Dongmei).

Balcony cultivation - Succulent plant "Rhinoceros horn" Succulent plant "Rhinoceros horn" is easy to cultivate, especially drought-resistant, and does not require much fertilizer and light. It is very beautiful during the flowering period, with large, flesh-pink flowers covered with long hairs, and outstanding characteristics. You will never get tired of looking at it. If cultivated properly, it can bloom every year (Hu Dongmei, the author of the painting of Rhinoceros horn)

Balcony cultivation - Gesneriaceae A new variety of Gesneriaceae, 'Bei Lin Zhi Chun', independently developed and cultivated by Beijing Forestry University, has been launched! In 2021, Bei Lin Zhi Chun started scientific trial planting in Hongyue. It has a beautiful plant shape, verdant leaves, and white fluff that looks mysterious. The pink and purple flowers are quiet and beautiful. It is a rare and excellent indoor flower and foliage plant (Gesneriaceae Museum painting author: Hu Dongmei)

Author: Hu Dongmei (Senior Laboratory Technician, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University)

Scientific review: Zhan Zhao (Director of the China Science and Technology Journalism Association)