Warszawa w kwiatach – nie-ludzcy mieszkańcy balkonów

The author analyses the significance of plants cultivated on balconies for thinking about urban green spaces. Balcony gardens are presented as spaces where plants are arranged and cultivated by individuals on a daily basis in a mainly unprofessional way. Balcony gardens are discussed as vernacular gardens that are both private and as such they reflect the intentions and tastes of their owners and public insofar as they belong to the public space together with the balconies supporting them. The author contends that the balcony garden is worth considering as a useful point of reference whenever vernacular practices aimed at enhancing green urban spaces are at stake. The reason is that tensions that make balcony gardens so particular are characteristic of urban greenery. As a result, one has to accept that it is not possible to impose any norms on vernacular green urban practices and that different people’s approaches to plants (reluctance included) have to be recognized and acknowledged. The balcony garden may also be treated as a sort of paradigmatic example of how plants may be treated as non-human dwellers. The argumentation is structured around the presentation of the “Warsaw in flowers and greenery” contest which was established in mid 1930s and then re-established in mid 1980s and whose aim is to promote cultivation of flowers and plants on window sills, balconies, in courtyards and front yards.