Carlos Finalet’s Balcony Garden Enhances St. James’ Springtime Brilliance
Natural beauty is everywhere at St. James Place—even when you look up!
Carlos Finalet’s sweet sanctuary is a sight to behold, but creating it took time. Surprisingly, the story of his scene-stealing balcony display is rooted in practicality, not a specific aesthetic.
“It took me a couple of months to find a certain type of hardware that attaches to the balusters because I didn’t want to hang anything difficult to reach,” says the Cuban-born Baton Rougean. “Safety was my main concern. Without the hardware, I wouldn’t have done this.”
The kit Carlos describes allows plants to hang at a safer height and a short distance from the balcony.
“Once I got the first one up, I realized I could connect all of the hardware I bought within minutes,” says Carlos. After that, he let his creativity (and green thumb) go wild.
Live and In Color
When describing his favorite types of plants, Carlos makes his love of color clear. While he certainly has go-to greenery, he says his approach to building the brilliant garden is about feel, color and whether you like it.
“I prefer bougainvilleas,” says Carlos. “I wanted to have a variety of colors, but they only come in red, orange, white or pink. Right now, I’m looking for a light pink. I also add colors I want by using other plants. Now I have some dark blue, bright yellows, and even some that are reddish yellow.”
If there’s ever a color he feels is missing, Carlos says he enjoys walking around the nursery until something catches his eye.
“I also love all the geranium colors, and I have a bright orange one right now,” he says. “I also have a white-spotted and bright purple petunia that’s out of this world!”
To round out his robust collection, Carlos also grows plumeria (his wife's favorite) and has a collection of succulents, such as Christmas cactuses.
“Plumeria is a Hawaiian plant whose flowers are used for making leis,” says Carlos. “They’re blooming already, and I put them in little bags and bring them to my wife (who is in nursing). You usually find them in white, but mine are yellow. They smell really, really good, too.”
Carlos says he gets a lot of compliments and that he’s currently helping two other residents start their balcony gardens.
Tips for Gardening Novices
Of all the mistakes beginners can make, Carlos points to a couple of common ones.
The first is overwatering and underwatering. The second is not understanding how much sunlight a plant needs.
For watering, Carlos suggests using “the finger rule.”
“What I do, is stick my fingers in the pot of soil, and if it’s cool and moist, I don’t water,” he explains. “If it’s drier than that, I water it. I try not to water to the point that it’s overflowing in the pot. Just put enough to bring the water up to the edge of the pot because it’s going to drain anyway.”
He warns that hanging plants require slightly more watering because they drain and dry quickly.
As for how much sunlight a plant needs, Carlos put it simply: “Some plants like sun all day long, some don’t like it at all, and some like partial sun.” It’s just a matter of knowing what types of plants make sense for individual preferences and location.
BONUS TIP
Don’t over-fertilize! Carlos uses Bloom Booster® by a popular garden products brand, about half a teaspoon to keep everything blooming. Once a week he also adds about half a tablespoon of bougainvillea fertilizer to his bougainvillea, and regular fertilizer to everything else.
Personal Touches Everywhere
The beauty of Carlos’ garden lies not only in the colorful flora, but also in the ability to personalize an often overlooked outdoor area. Home is about making a space your own, and our amenity-packed 52-acre campus offers different floorplans with outdoor patios or balconies that let you do just that.
Schedule a private tour, and we’d love to show you around. Call us at 225-215-4510.