To start with

I am not good at tending plants in wintertime, so the balcony door remains firmly shut when summer is over (with the exception of letting in some fresh air). Come springtime I have to start all over again with mostly a completely new set of balcony plants. Not so this year. Due to the mild winter and in spite of my lack of care, most geraniums and even some lobelias managed to survive. Today I cut back and removed the dead parts and removed the top layer of earth. Tomorrow I'll fetch some earth and put a fresh layer on, along with some manure. I'm not sure if it will be as prosperous as other years, with newly bought plants, but it's sure worth a try.