YOUR CHALLENGE:

Did you know that there is more than 40,000,000 square feet of balconies across Miami-Dade County? Besides being a big number, these spaces have the potential to be the superheroes of our city. So many of them sit empty. What if they could become beautiful green spaces for people to enjoy, while providing habitat for birds, butterflies and important insects and cooling down our city. This sounds foolproof, but growing plants on a balcony comes with its own challenges. Harsh sunlight, strong winds, and limited space can be obstacles for a balcony to be turned into a green oasis. Can you imagine what our city would look like if everyone could use their balcony to make our city greener? 

Your challenge is to design a balcony garden that uses out-of-the-box thinking to deal with the problems that affect how we grow balcony plants. Consider how things like the amount of sunlight, the direction of the wind, and the size of the container affect how different plants grow. Your designed garden needs to make sure the plants stay healthy while getting creative with how and where you grow them.

Draw a 2D design of the balcony garden that incorporates plants in new and interesting ways while addressing challenges that balcony gardens face. In 25-50 words, tell us how your balcony garden tackles these challenges to keep your plants healthy, and don’t forget to give your drawing a title!

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:

• • Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS)
  • The Official Website of Greater Miami & Miami Beach (miamiandbeaches.com)
  • Fairchild’s City in a Garden Standards