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How to make the best of your balcony, now summer is really here

The sun is finally making an appearance in the Netherlands, just in time for June. So stop staring at those dead plants on your balcony, dust off your deck chairs and bring in a blast of colour with some summer flowers.

If you live in a Dutch city you are likely to live in an apartment, but with any luck you will have a balcony or other outside space where you can sit and take in the sunshine with a glass of chilled white wine.

Given what seems like constant rain over the past few weeks, you’ve probably done nothing with your balcony since winter.  But with the weather forecasters promising us plenty of sunshine in the coming weeks, you’ve no excuse not to make the most of the summer by sprucing up your outside space.

First of all, have a clean up. Get rid of the dead plants which did not survive the frost or lack of water – if they have no leaves by now, they are dead – and give your table and chairs a good scrub to get rid of the cobwebs.

Now all you need is a riot of summer colour and you are set. No time, no clue what to do or no green fingers? Never fear, help is at hand. Upperbloom is a new service to bring instant sunshine to your outdoor space in the form of ready planted balcony boxes that will bloom until September.

‘Right now we are offering five different arrangements for some sweet summer vibes,’ says co founder Sam van der Zanden. ‘Order today and one of our balconiers will deliver them within the week. The only thing you have to do is give them enough water – and our planters all have a reservoir so that could not be easier to organise either.’

How it works

Upperbloom offers three designs to choose from: a hanging planter, a high-standing planter or a low-standing planter so you can mix and match. A subscription starts at €9.90 per month and you get two or three plant arrangements or swaps per year – all taken care of by the Upperbloom balconiers.

If you order three planters, Upperbloom will throw in a round pot as a present. ‘With three planters and a pot, your balcony will be perfect in one go,’ says Sam.

Change of scene

Home working is likely to remain the order of the day, even after the coronavirus pandemic is over. This means making the most of your personal space is even more important to ensure you can really relax once you’ve closed down your laptop.

‘Start the day doing some exercises outside, have lunch outdoors not at your desk, and when you’ve finished work go outside and sit down for a few minutes for a change of scene,’ says Sam. ‘And ask your mates round for a sun-downer. If you’ve ordered a herb planter – you’ll have some super fresh additions to spice up your gin and tonic as well.’

Start your summer with a set of three or more planters+plants, and receive a pot of lavender for free. Make sure to use giftcode: DutchNewsSummer when ordering

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