New Garden Or Balcony Overseas Or When Moving House - finding plants, gardeners, and disposing of plants

Condo Living

A balcony is a basic requirement for us overseas in a flat or a condo. Not only for fresh air and a view. Also for entertaining and growing plants.

Angela Lansbury on the belcony in Cashew Heights, Singapore. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Singapore - A Lot of Allotments

Some condos have allotments. The nearest will be the dearest to rent. 

If there is lots of land and the condo has no allotments, but everybody has small balconies, you can ask management if they would allow allotments in various areas of the property. The management might make an annual charge for this. 

Where I lived in Singapore, they installed a water tap so you can water the soil and plants and wash down the path. The water was also used to wash the nearby cars parked in the parking area.

Plant Heights

In a garden (back yard to Americans) trees can provide shade and privacy. 

Flowers and plants can be decorative. 

Rampant Roots

But note how high each plant will grow and allow that distance from your house walls, paths and any extension you may build in the future. Also keep it away from the neighbour's house. If uou don't, it will uproot your walls, block the darins and darken your windows and osscure your view and provide cover for burglars.

Our fig grew roots towards our concservatory, under paving. When we saw a riased paving stone and lifted it, we discovered what was lifting and cracking the wall of our conservatory.

Fruit Trees For Fun and Fruit

In a garden an apple tree is a good investment. You can buy aple trees which grow three types of apple for variety or to save space in a small garden.

A plant in a pot can be taken with you when you move. If you have promised the new owner or landlord that you will leave the plants, yyou jight like to take a cutting. Note that many countries ban the import of soild, soil on roots, roots, or any type of plants, as well as trapped insects and reptiles. 

Plant Ruining Phyloxera!

Why are they so fusssy? You could have a plant containing phyloxera, a teeny beetle which attacks vines and grows unsightly pimples on the leaves. (This wiped out the vines in much or western Europe by attacking the roots. We had it land on our vines in the UK in 2024.

Roses And Rosemary - Prolific Plants In The UK

In the UK we planted standard roses. Half standards are cheaper and smaller. I looked for roses with perfurme and bought from a garden centre to check they had a scent.

My gardener suggested I buy rose feed after a few years.

I planted rosemary which grew well. 

Rampant rosemary, which we add t meat main dishes. Photo by Angela Lansbury

I was envious of a friend on Toastmasters International Zoom meetings who told me about all the tropical fruit in his garden in Belize.

Belize, Central America And The Caribbean

My Belizian friend told me he needed no gardenng expertise. He just threw seeds and pips out of the window after eating fruit, and plants grew.

Tropical Countries

In Singapore we found aloe vera was a novelty. It grew prolifically. Go back to your home country for three months in the summer, in our case UK. We came back and found other plants died but the aloe vera had doubled in size.

Small orange trees make jam (if you have oodles of time).

Tenants & Balcony Plants

You have to watch that the plants are not growing up the balcony walls. You might think that the landlord or landlady would be glad to have a balcony garden. No. They might demand that you remove your mini tropical jungle, every plant and pot and aything growing over the baalcony walls and wash sparkling clean the balcony walls and railings and floor tiles. The new tenants might want the whole area free for tables and chairs. Or they might have tenants, workers.

Resident And Tenant Groups on WhatsApp

You can get rid of surplus plants and timber cut from trees by offering to other people on a ondo or street whatsapp group.

Gardener Needed

We found a local reliable gardener by asking on our street wahtsapp group in the UK.

Surplus Fruit

In the Channel Islands surplus fruit might be put outside near your garden gate with a sign saying free fruit, please take. You could also leave a box for payments, if required. 

Some areas of the UK will fine you for littering if you put free stuff on the 'pavement'. (UK word - the USA equivalent is sidewalk).

The latest ideas are to make it obligatory for new buildings to have gardens on rooftops to provide leisure areas and cut down on the cost of importants, finanacial cost and environmental concerns.

Those green walls you see are on trellis at least a foot away from walls. Plants against windows might allow insects to get near dwellings. 

Natural Insect Repellents

To keep insects away from the ondoors you could try various natural repellents, such as lemons, lavender, cayenne pepper, cinnamon. On Facebook I am inundated with links to YouTube videos of how to repel insects around doors and windows.

Singapore Safety - Insects and Misting

What harm do insects do? Mosquitos bring malaria and dengue fever in Singapore. 

In our condo in Singapore, misting took place every Friday. 

Singapore also had been breeding new types of mosquito to limit numbers and the disaseses carried.. After an outbreak, health and safety Inspectors check every unit in a condo to check that you do not have standing water, from watering plants in saucers, or even plastic bags and boots on balconies trapping rain water.

Stay safe, healthy, happy, and furitful!

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