What are the best flowers to plant on the balcony? You should pay attention to such criteria. Flowers on a shaded balcony
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Who doesn’t dream of their own flower garden, but not everyone has their own dacha. There is an exit! An incomparable flower garden and even an amazing miniature garden can be created without leaving your home, right on the balcony. And thereby allow the sun, summer and a piece of wildlife to always be nearby.
Flowers are living organisms that require certain conditions - appropriate humidity, temperature, lighting. In many ways, the choice of plants determines the area of the room. Small balcony landscaping is completely different from a spacious loggia (not to mention a terrace), and the arrangement of an “oasis” on a glazed heated one is fundamentally different from the spring-summer landscaping of its open version.
Which flowers to choose for growing on the balcony depends not only on our preferences. In this matter, an important role is played by which side the balcony faces. As you know, there are four cardinal directions. From the point of view of floriculture, only three are good - east, west and south. They allow, with sufficient nutrition and watering, and required quantity heat to grow any ornamental flowering and climbing plant.
Annual flowers for the balcony
It's easiest to breed on the balcony annual plants– they are easier to plant, and there is no need for complex agricultural technology. They go through the entire development cycle in one season. In the fall, you can collect seeds from plants to sow next year.
If annuals are sown in May, they will begin to bloom in July. Typically, the vast majority of annuals peak flowering around July-August. But depending on what flowers are planted and the method of planting, you can “make” them bloom much earlier, so that already in June you will have the opportunity to admire the wonderful view flowering plants on the balcony.
In this case, plants are planted using seedlings. This method is excellent for plants with a long growing season, that is, quite a lot passes between their germination and flowering. for a long time, like, say, aster and lobelia.
At the same time, there are also annuals, for example, marigolds, whose growing season takes only a month, but they take root well and bloom, even if they are planted early enough in the spring. That is, if every year in April marigold seeds are planted in small pots, then in May the seedlings with flower buds that have already formed can be planted in the ground. Marigolds, thus, begin to bloom at a time when there is practically no greenery yet, and continue to bloom until late autumn.
Or, for example, aster, it can also be grown through seedlings. Aster is sown a little later, around mid-April. Grown in this way, they bloom after three months, in mid-June, and continue to bloom until October.
So, seedling method Plant propagation allows you to achieve flowering much earlier and makes it possible to enjoy flowering plants not only throughout the summer, but even in the autumn months.
In this group of plants they are the most unpretentious. They are undemanding to soil and care; some cope well even with a lack of light. At the same time, they are ways to short time create amazing decorative effect- ampelous.
Ampelous
Balconies with a beautiful cascade of colorful leaves and flowers immediately attract attention. These plants (they are called ampelous) with long flowing shoots, completely strewn with flowers, are grown in hanging vases, baskets, flower pots, and containers. By the way, the German word “ampel” translates as hanging vase.
Lobelia is exceptionally good for planting on balconies in a hanging container. It's amazingly beautiful perennial grown as an annual. Its shoots with small dark green leaves and flowers of blue, pink, purple and white colors with a diameter of up to 15 mm, hanging from hanging containers or baskets, form a kind of living waterfall. Lobelia can be sown as seedlings in early spring, March-April, and planted in May; it will then bloom in June.
Among the most popular hanging flowers it is worth noting petunia, pelargonium, surfinia, fuchsia, nasturtium and verbena. These flowers can be planted individually or in combination - selecting plants of different lengths and varieties. different colors.
There is only one point to pay attention to - plants may need moisture in different ways. Therefore, it is better to choose ones that are less demanding on watering.
Ampelous flowers have a number of other advantages. Their location can be easily changed. It is enough, say, to move the pot from one corner to another, and the balcony will acquire new look. It is worth noting that ampelous flower You can also hide some finishing imperfections.
The best varieties
Flowers on glass balcony choose not only according to your taste, but also taking into account the microclimate of their content, sun exposure during the day, the degree of its protection from the wind and sun rays and another.
Let us note several types of plants that are often used when landscaping balconies.
Nasturtium
Modern varieties Nasturtiums amaze with their diversity. Among them are compact plants (height 15-20 cm), and mid-sized ones, and giants, the length of which exceeds 2.5 m. They differ not only in their size, but also in their shape - bush, climbing or climbing.
Nasturtium loves warmth and sun, although it can be satisfied with light partial shade. Its climbing varieties are most often used for vertical gardening, creeping - look better in boxes. As for dwarf varieties, they are grown in pots, and when planted in boxes they are combined with companion plants.
Petunia
It is photophilous and heat-loving plant unlike any other annual. Its graceful funnel-shaped flowers cannot be confused with any other flower. Petunia can have almost any color, and hybrid petunia flowers are also striped.
It is grown as an ampelous or creeping plant, directed downwards, upwards or collected in one dense flowering bunch. Petunia seeds are quite small, so when planting they are simply sprinkled on moist soil and flower pot Cover with glass until shoots appear.
Brachycoma iberisolifolia
Although the flowers of this plant are small, due to their large number and beautiful color, white, pink, blue, indigo and violet, they look great against the background of leaves that have a pinnately dissected shape. Brachycoma shoots up to 30 cm long form a kind of cascade of flowers, gracefully hanging from the edges of a basket or container like a small balcony, and a wide loggia.
Brachycoma is very sensitive to the frequency of watering. It can hardly tolerate both dry soil and excessive moisture. Its condition is easily determined by the leaves and stems - their sharp yellowing indicates a violation of the normal moisture balance in the soil. Pots help to decorate flowers in an original way.
Daisy
The peduncles of the daisy are long and straight. They bring up baskets of reed and tubular flowers of white, soft pink, or carmine red. The daisy begins to grow in the spring and blooms profusely in early summer. Many of its varieties differ in the shape of the baskets, their size and color. Daisies are an unpretentious plant that grows well in both sun and partial shade.
Ampel tomatoes
This variety was developed relatively recently. Ampel tomatoes are ideal for hanging baskets. Dwarf tomatoes do not require special care: watering and fertilizing if necessary. To avoid accidentally “flooding” the plant, the container must have holes and a drainage layer.
When choosing flowers for the balcony, you need to take into account that partial shade and diffuse light.
Balcony is a part of the apartment, often used as warehouse space for things that you don't want to throw away. This room, located on the street, can be turned into a blooming corner, planted balcony flowers, and have evening tea parties here. Not all plants are suitable for flowering on loggias. To avoid wasting time and money, find out which plants are best to plant on sunny balconies, and which ones are in the northern ones.
Shade-loving plants for northern balconies
Plants for shaded verandas are conventionally divided into two groups:
- Shade-tolerant - calmly tolerating shading. They would grow well in direct sunlight, but will also tolerate shade. Such plants can be planted on northern balconies - violets, astilbes, aquilegia.
- Shade-loving - they develop much better in the shade than in the sun. Their natural properties don't let them grow sunny areas. The leaves turn yellow and the plant begins to hurt. These include ferns, hostas, and periwinkle.
On the northern and shaded eastern side, many plants feel great and delight with their beauty and flowering. Representatives of the flora, naturally growing in the shade of other brethren, take root well and exist in shaded loggias.
Growing plants on the balcony good opportunity create a green corner in the house
Violets, cyclamens, fuchsias, and spathiphyllum thrive in such conditions. Amaryllis decorate the flowerbed - clivia, hippeastrum. Photos and names of balcony plants can be found in abundance on the Internet.
All kinds of ferns, growing in forests always in the shade, look amazingly harmonious on balconies. Beautiful companions of fern are chlorophytum and adiantum.
Aeschynanthus and anthurium - delight with lush, variegated greenery, but without flowering.
Lobelia, ivies and palms
Most often, lovers plant lobelia on their balconies. She loves the sun, but also takes root well on northern balconies and even blooms profusely. There are also varieties of lobelia pendulum, which is used for ampel plantings. It blooms pink, purple flowers. It produces many branched stems and enjoys long, abundant flowering.
Lobelia is sown for seedlings at the end of February. On permanent place young seedlings are planted in May, keeping a distance of 20 cm between them. Flowering begins in June and continues until deep frost, especially if the plants are located on a glazed, wind-free loggia. This plant is demanding on root nutrition, so it is fed with a solution of mineral fertilizers twice during the growing season.
Lubelia: a plant that has gained popularity due to its beautiful flowers
For setting up a real garden on a loggia, dwarf palms, for example, the Hamedorea bamboo palm, are perfect. Hibiscus ( Chinese rose) also grows and blooms well in the shade.
Climbing plants such as cissus and hoya look spectacular when serving as a backdrop to flowering plants.
Attention! Variegated ivy in the shade loses the bright color of its leaves. It is best to grow it on the sunny side.
Araucaria, hydrangea and other shade-loving plants
- If you wish, you can arrange a small piece of coniferous forest in your northern one. Araucaria is very similar in appearance to a Christmas tree. You can even dress it up New Year. Araucaria is a solitary plant. It feels good only when kept away from walls and other plants.
- Hydrangea will add royal splendor to the shaded garden. Blooming in large inflorescences of white and shades of pink, it needs staking. The soil under hydrangeas is watered twice a year with a fungicide solution due to the plants’ weak “immunity” to fungal diseases. Balcony hydrangea flowers look very presentable.
Hydrangea blooms with large inflorescences of white and pink
- Variegated Hosta attracts attention, as its name suggests, with its speckled leaves. From June to August, the beauty blooms in the center of the bush with pink, white, cream flowers framed by variegated leaves.
- Periwinkle densely covers the soil with small green leaves and flowers of pink, white, purple, blue colors. Shade-loving ferns and hostas grow beautifully on a periwinkle carpet.
Plants for sunny balconies
The choice of plants for a balcony on the sunny side is much wider than for the northern side. Which flowers to use in this case depends on your preferences, the microclimate on the balcony, average temperature and illumination. If the balcony is glazed, then the choice of plants increases significantly.
Verbena, petunia and geranium, brief information about these popular types:
Advice. Brachycoma and allisum grow well on sunny balconies.
With a little effort and mood, you can create a real green corner on your own balcony in an urban environment, no matter which side it faces the sun.
Video: Balcony flowers
Photo: Flowers on the balcony
Not all of us, flower lovers, are lucky enough to live in a private home and not all of us have dachas where any gardening fantasies can easily come true. However, even in an ordinary city apartment you can create your own mini-flower garden. Balconies or external window sills (those located on the street side) are great for this. Garden flowers on the balcony will feel no worse than on the flowerbed, if you approach the issue of choosing them wisely, and then the rules of care. So what flowers should you plant on the balcony? To a large extent, the choice will depend on the degree of illumination of your balcony.
It just seems that the longer the sun visits your balcony, the better. Firstly, the scorching rays of the sun can cause burns to the tender leaves of many plants. Secondly, on the southern balconies in the summer there is a withering heat that does not subside even at night. In such conditions, flowers need very frequent watering and spraying. Even a day without watering can lead to the death of green spaces.
Flowers for a southern balcony must withstand direct sunlight and not suffer from drought. Let's look at the best options.
Geranium (pelargonium)
Pelargonium tolerates an abundance of sunlight, especially zonal and ivy-leaved (ampeloid) varieties. Geranium can be exposed to the open sun and not worry that its leaves will burn. On the contrary, with an abundance of light it will intensify its flowering. Some gardeners call geranium a semi-succulent plant for its ability to go without watering for a long time. Let us emphasize that all these qualities are most pronounced in zones and ampels, royal pelargonium more capricious and needs to be shaded during the midday hours.
Geranium is an unpretentious plant that blooms profusely on sunny balconies. Purslane
Excellent flowers for a southern balcony: they tolerate heat without loss, direct sunlight, and do not need frequent watering. The fleshy leaves of purslane accumulate water, so even in drought they do not wither or lose their appearance.
Another argument in favor of purslane: its flowers are always bright, rich colors and will create a truly sunny mood in balcony boxes.
Purslane opens its flowers only towards the sun Calendula
Another “sunny” flower that can show itself in all its glory only in very light areas. Modern varieties with simple and double flowers in red, yellow, orange and white colors will help create interesting compositions in balcony boxes.
Calendula is a flower that is not only beautiful, but also useful. Petunia
– beautiful flowers for a sunny balcony that loves plenty of light, without direct midday rays. The only thing that overshadows the presence of petunias on southern balconies is the need for moist soil. This flower will have to be watered often, in summer - at least twice a day.
In order to reduce the need for frequent watering of petunias on the southern balcony, select deep boxes for this flower and mix hydrogel into the soil In addition to the above plants, the following plants take root well on sunny balconies: , , sweet pea, kobeya, godetia, aster, canna, gatsania, mignonette, sweet tobacco, zinnia, phlox, dahlias, sedum, succulents and cacti.
What flowers to grow on a western and eastern balcony?
The sun appears on the eastern and western balconies in the first or second half of the day. These lighting conditions are excellent for most indoor and garden plants. Therefore, if you have such a balcony, we can say that you are lucky. Here you can afford almost everything, with the exception of outright “sun lovers”, for example, cacti, which will grow, but will almost certainly have problems with flowering.
Most garden and indoor plants can be grown on western and eastern balconies
List of plants for bright balconies where the sun shines in the morning or evening: , sweet peas, dolichos, verbena, nasturtium, calendula, marigolds, viola, daisies, lobelia, gillyflower, heather, matthiola, pelargonium, dahlias, asters and etc.
On western and eastern balconies you can even grow shade-loving plants. Of course, they should not be planted in balcony boxes, but in the depths of the balcony, where it is light enough, but not sunny.
Flowers for the northern balcony
Shady balconies often become a headache for gardeners. Plants planted here stretch out, bloom weakly or even forget to bloom. Growing flowers on a north-facing balcony requires careful selection shade-tolerant plants, which will not suffer from lack of light.
Flowers on the northern balcony can be like this:
Fuchsia
For abundant flowering and the formation of a luxurious fuchsia bush, the amount of light that penetrates the northern balcony will be sufficient. This plant does not like direct sunlight and heat. Optimal temperatures for fuchsia – 20-25°C. A prerequisite for its cultivation is abundant regular watering without drying out the earthen clod. Fuchsia is very easy to dry, after which it dies.
Ampelous fuchsias on the northern balcony require coolness and constant watering Mimulus (lipstick)
Mimulus blooms its variegated, elongated flowers even in the shade, on glazed northern balconies. Direct sun is contraindicated for mimulus. This flower on the balcony requires moist, even damp soil, so when growing, special attention should be paid to abundant watering.
Mimulus develops quickly, the first flowers appear 6-8 weeks after sowing Calceolaria
Calceolaria does not tolerate high temperatures, direct sunlight and even short-term drying. That's why the best place for her - light partial shade on a northern, well-ventilated balcony. Constantly wet soil for calceolaria it is not a whim, but a necessity. However, you need to be careful when watering it. Try to keep water away from the leaves and stem, as this will cause the plant to quickly rot.
Decorating your balcony with calceolaria flowers adds a touch of originality to the design of your entire apartment. This plant is not yet very common, so a balcony or window sill in calceolarias looks very unusual.
Calceolaria loves coolness very much. To reduce the harmful effects of hot, dry air on this flower, it is recommended to place pots with calceolaria on a tray with wet pebbles Torenia
Torenia flowers resemble gloxinia bells, only smaller in size and blooming in more. Torenia loves bright, but diffused light, so the balcony boxes of the northern balcony would be the place for her. Requires regular watering with constantly moist soil.
Abundant flowering Torenia must be maintained with regular fertilization Begonia everblooming and tuberous
Any type of begonia grows well in semi-shaded and shady areas with fertile acidic soil. The plant needs intensive watering and fertilization.
A semi-shaded balcony will be an excellent place for growing balsam, viola, ivy, mignonette, nasturtium, cyclomen . Modern variety series (minitunia, fortunia, surfinia, etc.) also withstand the lack of light on northern balconies, although they bloom a little less profusely than in the southern areas.
In our city apartments, the balcony is the very place that brings us closer to nature, and it is from the balcony that we try to make a blooming corner. How to create a piece of beauty at home and how to organize a luxurious flower balcony in your apartment? What balcony flowers should I plant? Read the article to the end and get answers to these questions.
What flowers to grow on the balcony
First of all, you must take into account the location of the balcony. After all, flowers are also demanding of light, moisture and other external factors.
Once you know which side your balcony faces, you can start purchasing certain flowers. Below we will tell you what flowers to grow on the balcony, depending on the location of the balcony. And pictures with photos of blooming balconies and balcony flowers will allow you to find an idea for the design of your flower garden.
South side
Are you lucky enough to have a south-facing balcony? Then feel free to plant plants that love the sun. These can be pelargonium and geranium, to which you can add carnations and sage.
If you need larger plants, feel free to plant American agave, laurel, dracaena, aloe and cacti.
All this will allow you to feel like a resident of tropical countries. All this luxury can be completed with climbing flowers such as kobeya, nasturtium, and honeysuckle. 
Kobeya climbing It is distinguished by large bell-shaped flowers of an exotic shape on long stalks, first colored green and later bluish-violet. There is a variety with white flowers.
Thanks to tenacious and strong tendrils on its pinnate leaves, this fast-growing summer plant rises up several meters even along plastered walls, although it is more reliable to strengthen it on a thin wire mesh or relying on balcony box.
Blooms from June to October.
Flower balcony on the north side
If you have a north side or the balcony is in the shade, then you need to pay attention to flowers that are resistant to shadow lighting. 
These can be species such as forget-me-nots, marigolds, and Japanese astilbe. Also, on this type of balcony you can safely place any flowering indoor plants.
If you want to completely green your balcony, then you can plant any type of climbing vines, they do very well in dark places.
Windy side
Is your balcony located on the windy side? But do you want to make a real garden out of it?
This is not a problem; give preference to hardy and resilient plants that are not too large in size and have small flowers. Chrysanthemums, gazania, calendula, ageratum and many others are suitable for such balconies.
Constantly blooming balcony
Do you want your balcony garden to delight you with flowers and aromas? all year round: starting from early spring, ending until late autumn, then you should plant flowers in the fall. Are you wondering what flowers bloom all summer on your balcony?
Tulips, daffodils and other spring flowers are suitable for these purposes, which will be replaced by biennial plants such as violets, daisies and others. Blooming in summer- these are petunia, begonia, perennials and other perennial flowers.
Now you know how to create a blooming balcony with your own hands. At the same time, if you can choose the right flowers, you will enjoy the aromas and riot of colors throughout the summer.
Decorating a balcony or loggia in an apartment with flowers is a great opportunity to create a beautiful green corner for relaxation in the city. You can also put a small one here wooden table with chairs and enjoy evening tea and sunset. Not all garden flowers can grow on the balcony.
In this article you will learn what are the best flowers to grow on the balcony in boxes.
1. Marigolds
The heat-loving yellow heads of marigolds are an integral feature of summer containers, garden flowerpots and balcony boxes. They are easy to grow from seeds or purchase seedlings, they are unpretentious, bloom from early summer until frost. Removing spent flowers prolongs flowering.
In addition, if you are thinking about what flowers to plant on the sunny side, then these are marigolds. They like sunny places. The only thing is that during drought you need to water regularly and not overdry the soil.
The most popular varieties marigolds are rejected hybrids. Varieties can be bushy, in which case you will only need a couple or three plants for the balcony box. So that these yellow flowers looked beautiful on the balcony, choose low types 15 - 30 cm. Double or semi-double inflorescences with a diameter of up to 5 cm are perfect for a balcony box.
2. Calendula, marigolds
A flower that does not require soil. These are flowers for the balcony sunny side or light partial shade. Completely unpretentious, can be amazed powdery mildew and aphids. Refers to plants that bloom all summer. Flowering time is from June to September. For long-term flowering, you need to remove faded inflorescences.
The original type is calendula officinalis, for balconies and loggias you need to choose low-growing variety Fiesta Gitana - 30 cm, which have different colors. It is very easy to grow at home from seeds. For early flowering Calendula seedlings can be planted in the second half of February.
While creating unusual design It is better to plant calendula on a balcony together with other flowers - pansies, bulbous flowers (daffodils, tulips), hanging petunias, ornamental cabbage, ornamental and spicy herbs.
3. Nasturtium
Annual nasturtiums are flowers for a southern balcony. Blooms from July to September. Sow the seeds immediately in a permanent place. These flowers for balconies are unpretentious and almost always grow from seeds. Unique garden plant, flowers different varieties completely different from each other:
There are vines for draping walls, that is, you can choose varieties and grow climbing flowers for the balcony;
Ampelous flowers for balconies and window boxes - nasturtium peregrinum, the length of the vines reaches 3 m;
Bush-like dwarf varieties for flower beds
foreign nasturtium
climbing nasturtium
4. Petunia
The most popular flowers to grow on the balcony in boxes are petunias. Thanks to the variety of colors, long flowering, the variety of varieties and species they create unique design on the balcony.
What flowers to plant on the petunia balcony:
Ampel varieties of petunias are planted in large garden flowerpots or hanging planters for balconies, loggias and summer verandas(these varieties need to be sown for seedlings earlier than bush varieties - in early - mid-February);
Tilling multi-flowered species.
Beware of purchasing flower seeds with one stem; they are completely unsuitable for balconies and loggias. In this case, 1 stem will grow from the pot with several flowers at the top
Scheme for planting petunias in a balcony box 15 by 15 cm. Single-row and double-row planting of petunias in a box on the balcony is possible.
How to create flowers on the balcony design:
For single-row planting, plant 3 pink and 2 purple petunias, alternating them by color;
When planting in two rows in a box, place upright flowers in the background and hanging varieties in the foreground.
5. Pelargonium
Most often, pelargonium is called geranium, which is grown in pots, like indoor plant. Pelargonium is one of the unpretentious plants easy to care for, grows quickly, blooms well and profusely. By the way, when proper care Pelargonium can bloom all year round. It has a pleasant spicy aroma, which is emitted not by flowers, but by leaves. Beautiful plant for a balcony in warm periods.
In addition, with pelargonium you can create wonderful flower arrangements, complementing them with other colors. Here is one of the schemes for planting flowers on the balcony:
pelargonium white and red;
immortelle.
6. Nemesia
Nemesia flowers come in one, two and three colors. Blooms early; in hot summers flowering may not last long. A second wave of flowering is possible, closer to autumn. To do this, you need to trim the stems after the first wave of flowering. If you want to achieve autumn flowering, then plant nemesia seeds for seedlings in early June, then your balcony will look great in November.
Nemesia seeds are small, so you need to sow them on top, without covering them with soil. Then spray well with water and cover with glass. As the glass fogs up, you need to open it slightly, and remove it after green shoots appear.
When transplanting into flowerpots and pots, maintain a distance of 20 cm between flowers. When planting flower seedlings, pinch the stems.
Decorating a balcony with nemesia flowers turns out to be very delicate, due to the fact that the flowers are small, low, about 20 cm and bushy.
7. Low-growing varieties of snapdragons
Snapdragons are usually grown in the garden, but if you take the shortest variety, Rainbow, you can grow flowers in a variety of colors and shades. On the plus side, it is worth noting the smell of snapdragon, it exudes such a fragrance! And for this you only need 5 - 6 bushes.
In autumn, when frost sets in, this plant freezes, the flowers do not change color and it looks great. The flowers last as if they were alive all winter. Therefore, if you are choosing which flowers to plant on the balcony, be sure to add dwarf varieties of snapdragons to your list. They bloom in the second half of summer, from July to October.
8. Begonia everblooming and tuberous begonia.
Both types of begonias can be grown in containers and are flowers for north-facing balconies; they grow well in partial shade. They have rounded, fleshy leaves with colors ranging from pale green to chocolate brown. Blooms from June to September. It is considered a perennial, but most often this plant is grown as an annual. Grows well in humus-rich soil and in partial shade. Therefore, when planting, you need to add compost.
9. Fuchsia ampelous
There are 3 main groups of fuchsias. What flowers are best to plant on the balcony? So these are delicate heat-loving ampelous fuchsias with weak flowing stems in hanging baskets. The name of the ampelous fuchsia variety is Swingtime. The stems grow up to 50 cm with red and white flowers.
Fuchsias are great blooming flowers for the northern balcony. They only need a small amount of light to bloom and grow. Be sure to water regularly and abundantly. Make sure that the earthen ball does not dry out. After a drought, fuchsia will die and will not recover.
10. Pansies or Vitrok's violet
There are many hybrids of Vitroka violets with a height of 15 - 25 cm. These flowers on the loggia are of two types:
Winter-flowering (November - May) varieties that are grown as biennials are dominated by the Universal series;
Summer flowering (June - October), grown as annuals.
Viola can be grown on the balcony, but it must be planted in a place with proper lighting. The sunny side with shading during the midday hours is optimal. On the southern balcony it will quickly lose its decorative effect. Already in July it will fade and look dried out and unattractive.
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