Balcony on the south side. What flowers to plant on the balcony: description and photos of common varieties. What grows and blooms on the northern balconies
Decorating a balcony or loggia in an apartment with flowers is a great opportunity to make a beautiful green corner for relaxing in the city. Here you can also put a small wooden table with chairs and enjoy evening tea and sunset. Not all garden flowers can grow on a balcony.
In this article, you will learn which flowers are best to grow on the balcony in boxes.
1. Marigolds
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 faded inflorescences prolongs flowering.
In addition, if you are thinking about what flowers to plant on the sunny side, then these are marigolds. They love sunny places. The only thing is that in a drought you need to water regularly, do not overdry the soil.
The most popular marigold varieties are rejected hybrids. Varieties are bushy, in this case you will need only a couple - three plants for a balcony box. To make these yellow flowers on the balcony look beautiful, choose low 15 - 30 cm types. Terry or semi-double inflorescences, up to 5 cm in diameter, are perfect for a balcony box.
2. Calendula, marigolds
A flower undemanding to the soil. These are flowers for the balcony on the sunny side or light partial shade. Completely unpretentious, can be affected by powdery mildew and aphids. Refers to plants that bloom all summer. Flowering time from June to September. For long flowering, faded inflorescences must be removed.
The initial view is medicinal calendula, for balconies and loggias you need to choose a short variety Fiesta Gitana - 30 cm, which have a different color. It is very easy to grow at home from seed. For early flowering, calendula seedlings can be planted in the second half of February.
When creating an unusual balcony design, it is better to plant calendula along with other flowers - pansies, bulbous (daffodils, tulips), ampelous petunias, ornamental cabbage, ornamental and spicy herbs.
3. Nasturtium
Annual nasturtiums are flowers for the southern balcony. Blooms from July to September. Sow seeds immediately in a permanent place. These flowers for balconies are unpretentious, almost always grow from seeds. A unique garden plant, flowers of different varieties are completely different from each other:
There are creepers for wall drapery, that is, you can pick up varieties and grow climbing flowers for the balcony;
Ampelous flowers for the balcony and window boxes - foreign nasturtium peregrinum, the length of the vines reaches 3 m;
Bushy dwarf varieties for flower beds.
foreign nasturtium
curly nasturtium
4. Petunia
The most popular flowers for growing on a balcony in boxes are petunias. Due to the variety of colors, long flowering, variety of varieties and species, they create a unique design on the balcony.
What flowers to plant on the balcony of petunias:
Ampel varieties of petunias are planted in large garden flowerpots or hanging planters for balconies, loggias and summer verandas (these varieties should be sown for seedlings earlier than bush ones - in early - mid-February);
Bushy multi-flowered species.
Beware of purchasing single-stem flower seeds; they are completely unsuitable for balconies and loggias. In this case, 1 stem will grow from a pot with several flowers on top
The scheme of 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 in color;
When planting in a two-row box, place upright flowers in the background, and ampelous varieties in the front.
5. Pelargonium
Most often, geranium is called pelargonium, which is grown in pots as a houseplant. Pelargonium is one of the unpretentious plants in the care, it grows quickly, blooms well and profusely. By the way, with proper care, pelargonium can bloom all year round. It has a pleasant spicy aroma, which is exuded not by flowers, but by leaves. An excellent plant for a balcony in a warm period of time.
In addition, with pelargonium, you can create wonderful flower arrangements, complementing them with other flowers. Here is one of the schemes of what to plant on a balcony of flowers:
pelargonium white and red;
immortelle.
6. Nemesia
Nemesia flowers are one-, two- and three-colored. It blooms early, in hot summers flowering may be short-lived. A second wave of flowering is possible, closer to autumn. To do this, cut 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 on top, without sprinkling with earth. Then spray well with water and cover with glass. As the glass fogs up, it is necessary to slightly open it, remove it after the appearance of green sprouts.
When transplanting into flowerpots and pots, the distance between flowers is 20 cm. When planting flower seedlings, pinch the stems.
The decoration of the 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. Undersized varieties of snapdragon
Usually snapdragons are grown in the garden, but if you take the smallest variety of Rainbow, you can grow flowers in a wide variety of colors and shades. Of the pluses, it is worth noting the smell of snapdragons, it exudes such a fragrance! And you need only 5-6 bushes for this.
In autumn, when frosts come, this plant freezes, the flowers do not change color and it looks great. Flowers, as if alive, stand all winter. Therefore, if you choose which flowers can be planted on the balcony, be sure to make your list of dwarf varieties of snapdragon. They bloom in the second half of summer, from July to October.
8. Ever flowering begonia and tuberous begonia.
Both types of begonias can be grown in containers and are north facing balcony flowers that grow well in partial shade. They have rounded fleshy leaves with a color 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 make compost.
9. Fuchsia ampelous
There are 3 main groups of fuchsias. What flowers are better to plant on the balcony? So these are gentle thermophilic ampelous fuchsias with weak falling stems in hanging baskets. The name of the ampel fuchsia variety is Swingtime. Stems grow up to 50 cm with red - white flowers.
Fuchsias are great blooming flowers for a north balcony. They only need a small amount of light for flowering and growth. Be sure to water regularly and abundantly. Make sure that the earth ball does not dry out. After a drought, fuchsia will die and will not recover.
10. Pansies or Vitrok violet
There are many Vitrok violet hybrids 15 - 25 cm high. These flowers on the loggia are of two types:
Winter-flowering (November - May) varieties that are grown as a biennial are dominated by the Universal series;
Summer flowering (June - October), which are grown as annuals.
Viola can be grown on a balcony, but needs to be planted in a spot with the right lighting. The sunny side is best with shading at noon. On the southern balcony, it will quickly lose its decorative effect. Already in July, it will burn out, and will look dried up and unattractive.
Tags: ,Not every city dweller has a dacha, but if you have a loggia, you can arrange a green corner on it. With the right approach, this will not be difficult to do.
What flowers to plant on the balcony? There are many suitable varieties, but when choosing a particular variety, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the culture, such as frost resistance and the ability to grow in the shade or in the sun. In other words, first of all, you need to focus on the degree of illumination of the loggia and the climatic conditions of the area.
For reference. Balconies facing south, southwest and southeast are considered sunny. They are illuminated for more than 12 hours a day. Penumbral loggias are located on the northwestern and northeastern sides, their rays of the sun illuminate less than 10-12 hours. And, finally, the sides located in the north are considered shady, where the sun penetrates no more than 6 hours a day.
Flowers for balconies: name, description and photo
Flowers for balconies should be unpretentious and suitable for growing in urban areas. Below are the most common varieties.
Begonia - plant for partial shade
Many people want to plant such plants on the balcony so that they bloom all summer. In this case, the best choice would be undersized begonia varieties. The flowering period of this culture lasts from May to October, and the range of shades is striking in variety. Petals can be painted in white, yellow, salmon, raspberry and bright red. Flowers simple, double or semi-double.
It is better to place pots with begonias in the northwest or northeast, and in winter, remove the tubers in a cool room and store until early March in sand or peat chips at a temperature of 8-12 degrees.
Bougainvillea - light-loving plant for the balcony
This climbing plant with purple flowers will be a real decoration of a balcony or terrace. Graceful shoots wrapping around the railing, placed on specially installed gratings, will look simply luxurious.
The culture prefers to grow in lighted places with normal humidity, so for its location it is better to choose loggias located in the south, southwest or southeast.
Verbena - a medicinal plant with a long flowering period
In the people, this plant is called "pigeon grass" or "Juno's tears." Culture is valued not only for its decorative qualities, but also for its medicinal properties. Since ancient times, it has been used to prepare medicinal decoctions and tinctures.
You can grow verbena both in pots on the balcony and in flower beds. The flowering period of the culture is long, and lasts from June to November. Lighting for verbena needs moderate, and it is better to place this flower on the east or west side.
Heather - beautiful balcony in winter time
To keep the balcony beautiful in winter, it is worth planting heather. This is a frost-resistant shrub, the flowering period of which lasts from January to April. Even in severe frosts, the culture does not lose its decorative effect.
Such a plant needs moderate lighting, and it will feel best on a loggia located on the east or west side.
Bindweed - ease of care and unpretentiousness
Often on city balconies you can see one or another type of bindweed. This is due to the fact that such plants are undemanding to the composition of the soil and do not need abundant watering. In addition, bindweed has a high "tenacity" and is able to braid any support.
Despite resistance to drought, in very dry soils, the culture loses its decorative effect, its leaves and flowers become smaller. Therefore, the sunny side is not the best place to place bindweed. But in cases where there is nowhere else to put the pots, you will need to ensure that the earth in the containers does not dry out, and also regularly spray the plant with water. The main thing is not to do this at the moment when the sun "looks" at the balcony, and to perform manipulations in the early morning or in the evening.
Geranium (Pelargonium) - a flower that needs a lot of sun
When placing such a plant on a balcony located on the south side, you should not be afraid that the leaves will get sunburn. Under the influence of ultraviolet light, pelargonium only grows better and enhances flowering, which lasts quite a long time.
To keep the geranium from dying, it needs abundant daily watering, as it quickly draws moisture from the soil.
Godetia - a cold-resistant annual for a sunny or penumbra balcony
This beautiful plant with large silky inflorescences of white, pink or red colors can be grown both in flower beds and in pots. If the dried buds are cut off in time, the bush will bloom again and this process will last until the frost.
Godetia is resistant to cold, but demanding on watering, which will need to be done regularly. The best place to place this culture will be the south, southwest and southeast side. However, with proper care, the flower will feel great in the northeast and northwest.
Ipomoea - a bindweed that loves shade
This lush liana with beautiful bright flowers is a great option for landscaping a balcony. The main thing is to make sure that the shoots have something to cling to. To do this, you need to install a grid or pull the ropes.
In general, such a culture is unpretentious, but it is better to protect it from direct sunlight. Therefore, the northwest or north side will be the best place to place it.
Calistegia - perennial bindweed for a sunny or semi-shaded balcony
This is a beautiful climbing plant with bright green leaves and luxurious pale pink flowers. Their shape is most often bell-shaped, but there are varieties with a terry type of petals.
Calistegia is not capricious and easy to care for, it takes root well in any type of soil, it feels best on the south or east side.
Clematis - light-loving flower for the south or east side
This plant with small herbaceous emerald leaves and flowers ranging from white-lilac to deep purple is perfect for growing on a sunny balcony. The main thing is to choose a frost-resistant variety of culture, and then there will be no problems.
Owners of dimly lit loggias facing the north side, it is better to opt for another plant. Clematis in conditions of lack of sun will grow poorly and quickly die.
Daisy - unpretentious culture with a long flowering period
Daisies, depending on the variety, have rounded or elongated, "needle" leaves of a dark green color, and the shade of the flowers can be very diverse.
They are unpretentious and undemanding to the composition of the soil and watering. However, it should be borne in mind that a large amount of sunlight does not affect the plant too well, so shaded balconies are best for it.
Nasturtiums - annuals for the southern balcony
This is an unpretentious culture that even a novice gardener can grow from seeds.
The abundance of varieties that are completely different from each other allows you to create original compositions from nasturtium, which can be:
- bushy;
- ampelous;
- curly.
The flowering period of the culture begins in July and lasts until the end of September. Since this plant is photophilous, it should be placed on the loggia, located on the south side.
Primroses - a kaleidoscope of colors in early spring
Most often, early flowering plants are found in city flower beds and front gardens of home gardens, planted in open ground. But they can also be grown on the balcony, in separate containers or in a common pot, into which other flowers will then be “settled”.
Such crops bloom early, and this period does not last long, but if you combine them with plants with later bud formation, the loggia will look attractive throughout the warm season.
Petunia - ampelous annual with abundant flowering
If there is not enough space on the loggia to arrange containers with flowers, you should pay attention to the petunia. This is an ampelous plant suitable for growing in "hanging" pots.
Such a culture reaches 25 cm in height and is characterized by a compact bush shape and abundant, bright flowering, lasting until the November cold.
On the south or southeast balcony, you can grow any variety of petunia, and if the loggia is on the north side, only frost-resistant hybrids will survive here.
Ivy - a thick "veil" for any loggia
Ivy, densely wrapping around the balcony, will reliably protect the room from the penetration of bright sunlight better than any blinds. It is not at all difficult to care for such a culture, it does not need frequent watering and is able to grow on loggias located anywhere: both in the sun and in the shade.
However, in order for the foliage to remain thick and not lose color saturation, you will need to regularly spray the ivy with water, and, if possible, pour it over with a hose.
Polyanthus roses - light-loving long-flowering culture
The "Queen of Flowers" can be called a win-win option for a flower bed or balcony; this lush plant with dark green leaves and light pink medium-sized flowers will become a real decoration of the loggia. The flowering period of the culture is long and lasts throughout the summer.
Rose polyanthus will need watering as needed and regular top dressing, as well as an abundance of sunlight. Therefore, it is better to place pots on balconies located on the south side.
Zinnia is an annual that is heat and drought tolerant
This beautiful plant with dense green leaves and large, bright flowers is able to survive and remain decorative even in the hottest and driest summers. The main thing is to ensure regular watering of the crop during a prolonged drought, and act carefully so that moisture does not get on the leaves.
It is best to place pots with such flowers on balconies located on the south, southeast or southwest side.
In full review.
Rules for growing flowers on the balcony
To turn your loggia into a real flowering corner, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules for growing plants on the balcony.
You should pay attention to the following criteria:
In this video, the specialist tells which flowers are best grown on the balcony.
September 16, 2016
You can talk about design canons for a long time, but every day the existing canons become less and less stable. Aesthetics and harmony, balance, colors, materials, brought together in order to get such a long-awaited result are the essence of your knowledge, practice and self-development. My motto is to learn, see, touch something new every day, and I am sure that this is the only way to keep the right course in “high design”.
Often, balconies facing the north side hear unflattering words addressed to them and turn into a warehouse of things from the “it’s a pity to throw away” category. Today I will try to prove that even such a balcony can be successfully transformed into a garden for green pets.
Illumination and temperature
When choosing a place for plants, it is important to consider two factors - light and temperature.
Illumination is measured with a luxmeter, if you don’t have such a device in your arsenal, do a simple analysis of the source data and answer the questions:
- What is the area of the part?
- What double-glazed windows are installed?
- How close are neighboring houses and trees to the balcony?
If the northern balcony has large enough glazing and is located in the southern region, you get a good platform for growing flowers. But balconies with modest windows on the first floors put forward serious requirements for the selection of plants, but even here you can successfully grow sansevier, chlorophytum and some annuals.
In summer and spring, the daylight hours are long, so even the northern balconies can boast of a sufficient level due to diffused and reflected sunlight. You can safely move small-leaved ficuses, dracaena, cordilina, pelargoniums, petunias and date palms here.
If you plan to turn the north balcony into a winter garden and plant potted flowers in it, I advise you to equip additional artificial lighting, without which it will be very difficult for tropical houseplants.
With sense, with feeling, with arrangement we choose flowers for a balcony
So it's time to go in search of an answer to the question of what flowers to plant on the balcony on the north side.
Among my favorites, I would recommend paying attention to violets, fuchsias, cyclamen and spathiphyllum. If you are leaning towards amaryllis, take a look at hippeastrum, clivia, zephyranthes. The last group has one secret - the flower buds in the bulb are laid in the summer, only at this time the plant needs a lot of light, they can spend the rest of their life cycle in the shade and at the same time delight you with flowering.
Deciduous plants
Among the deciduous group, ferns belong to the shade-loving category. Remember where we often meet them in the natural environment? That's right, in the shady forests.
So that the fern is not bored, pick up a company of maidenhair, nephrolepis, zamiokulkas and chlorophytum for him. Aspidistra is completely unpretentious, it can grow not only on the northern balcony, but also away from the light.
If you can boast of a large balcony area or a wide window sill, take a look at dieffenbachia, alocasia, syngonium - plants of the Aroid family.
Anthurium and Aeschinanthus will delight you with lush greenery, but they will not bloom.
Palm trees and ivy
If you are in the mood for arranging a winter garden and you cannot do without large plants, opt for the bamboo hamedorea palm. Perfectly adapts to the lack of light and hibiscus (Chinese rose).
Among a group of climbers on a checked balcony, hoya and cissus will feel good.
No matter how beautiful the variegated ivy is, you will have to refuse to place it in a shady place. Plants with multi-colored leaves lose their brightness without sunlight.
Warm or cold
When choosing plants, the temperature regime that is kept on the balcony is also important.
Warm northern balconies
Shade-tolerant, unpretentious plants are selected for cultivation, which feel great in the temperature range from +18 to +20 ° С. Unfortunately, there are few such representatives of the green world, however, when arranging additional lighting, you can safely grow the lion's share of the assortment for warm western and eastern balconies.
I offer you 4 plants that I would put on my balcony:
- Dihorisandra or golden mustache is native to America. In addition to its attractive appearance and unpretentiousness, it is famous for its healing properties and use in traditional medicine.
- Ruellia requires warmth and moderate light. Will delight you with abundant greenery if you monitor the level of humidity, otherwise the leaves become inconspicuous and dull.
- You have at your disposal many types of ficus, the most popular are lyre-shaped, oak-leaved and sacred. The plant requires annual pruning and transplanting, sprinkled with crushed wood ash powder.
- I am sure that you are familiar with chlorophytum. He is valued for positive energy and the ability to purify the air. If you choose Cape, Crested or Winged Chlorophytum, remember that it will need an annual transplant.
Cold rolled balconies
Yes, yes, even on such a balcony you can successfully grow flowers with your own hands. Which? Let's take a look at the table.
| Name | Instructions and recommendations |
| Evergreen araucaria | When planting it, you have a chance to get a piece of coniferous forest on your own balcony, and on New Year's Eve, turn it into a traditional Christmas tree.
Cypress and cypress will help create an attractive composition.
|
| Hydrangea | A fairly hardy plant, but will require a little more attention from you during flowering. Peduncles have an impressive mass, so they require tying.
|
| Myrtle | A symbol of family well-being, which, if properly trimmed, can turn into a fancy ball, cone or pyramid.
|
| Aucuba | An exotic plant that is grown in pairs. With artificial pollination of flower stalks, you can get berries that resemble red dogwood.
|
Shadows are coming
If your balcony has been captured by absolute shade, refuse to grow flowering perennials, your choice is modest decorative leafy plants. They are not so spectacular, but they have the most important quality - shade tolerance.
Plants for shady balconies are conditionally divided into 2 groups:
- Shade-loving plants in the sun develop much worse than in shade conditions, the leaves burn easily, change their natural shade. In this group, there is a place for most varieties of hostas, ferns, periwinkle, dodecatheon.
- Shade-tolerant - a category of green pets who are ready to put up with the lack of light. They would not mind getting a slightly higher degree of insolation, but they have to be content with the conditions that they have. Prominent representatives are astilba, aquilegia and viola.
deep shadow
I'll start, perhaps, with the most difficult conditions for flowers - with a deep shadow. For your balcony flower bed, you can choose a female nodule, a shield and an ostrich, these fern forms will create a voluminous background for spring ephemera, primroses, and hosts.
The Spartan group includes the pygmy hoof, it can serve as a background for flowers and perfectly masks the “bald spots” in the balcony flower garden with a dense green rug.
You can plant hostas in an individual tub, for example, the Queen of the Seas, Blue Mouse Ears and Deep Blue Sea varieties with leathery dense leaves in blue or green shades.
Unlike their green-blue relatives, most variegated hostas are very sensitive to lack of light, in deep shade they lose their color and become monochromatic.
Shadow
For this shady zone, the list of plants is expanding significantly, in addition to the “lovers of darkness” described above, you can look at variegated hosts with white, yellow, golden edging of leaves.
In June-August, the plant turns from decorative leafy into flowering. In the center of the bush on long stems, flowers of white, cream and purple are revealed.
Periwinkle grows quickly enough in the shade, covering the tub with dense leaves and small flowers of white, blue, purple, red and pink shades. Shade-tolerant grasses, hostas and ferns can grow on a periwinkle carpet.
Dicentra magnificent is indifferent to the sun, but requires moist soil, under these conditions it will delight you with heart-shaped flowers of bright pink color.
If you have large-sized plants planted in tubs, plant ephemeroid plants under them, for example, anemones, crocuses, corydalis, muscari or blueberries. In such conditions, the garden orchid "lady's slipper" will feel great. They prefer moist, nutritious soils and considerable shade.
Garden orchids are demanding on the choice of neighbors, planting astilbe and tiarella is optimal.
Penumbra
Plants for the north balcony, which will grow in partial shade, must withstand up to 6 hours in the sun. In such conditions, violas, aquilegia, aconites, rhododendron and bergenia develop well.
Among annuals, pay attention to lobelia, torenia, petunias and balsams.
Summing up
Turning a balcony into a flower bed or a mini-garden is a fascinating business. First, you transfer potted flowers there from the windowsill, then you equip a couple of tubs for large-sized ones, find a place for a one-year-old flower bed and that's it, you can't be stopped, and is it worth it?
Well, now it's your turn to share ideas for arranging a balcony, and it remains for me to offer you an interesting video in this article.
September 16, 2016If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!
A balcony beautifully decorated with flowers in our cities is, unfortunately, the exception, not the rule. You can refer to the climatic features of most regions of the country. Or talk about the fact that the culture of flower decoration of balconies is unusual for us and that it is more common for us to grow green onions and other garden greens on balconies. That in the Soviet era, every citizen had to participate in the construction of a "garden city", and not engage in petty-bourgeois cultivation of flowers on a personal balcony, and even for incomprehensible purposes. And we turned this page in the history of the country only a quarter of a century ago. But how nice it is, with your head up, to admire flower oases from the street on the balconies of standard buildings! And rejoice that up there, someone not only decorated the balcony for themselves, but also gives this beauty to everyone around.
Where to begin?
As in any business, floriculture has its own professional secrets. What flowers to choose for a flower garden? What composition to make for the winter garden? What colors to choose for decorating a south-facing balcony?
Start with the improvement of the "balcony area". This may be a cosmetic repair, which will be limited to painting the railings and replacing the flooring. It will not be possible to paint the walls, so we advise you to select flowers of such shades that will not merge with the color of the walls.
Then we advise you to decide what area on the balcony you will allocate for flowers. Do you give everything for a flower garden or leave part of the area for household needs or a recreation area? We do not take into account the boxes fixed on the outside of the balcony railing - they do not take up space. Do you want to grow flowers only for yourself, or will you try to arrange a balcony so that all passers-by can admire your success?
Very important! The permissible load on the balcony slab must not be exceeded. You need to be especially careful when decorating flower beds on old balconies. Therefore, do not chase after the number of pots and boxes with flowers, especially since by placing them in large numbers, you will not be able to make a beautiful flower arrangement.
When you answer these questions for yourself, the turn of geometry will come. Not a subject from the secondary school curriculum, but the geometry of the arrangement of flower boxes, containers, pots and planters. When decorating a balcony with flowers, we advise you to follow the well-known rules:
- On large balconies, you can safely combine all types of landscaping: horizontal, vertical and ceiling. Compositions that involve large single flowers (lilies, camellias, peonies) look great. Decorate your flower garden lawn, pebble flooring, decorative fountain or pond, alpine slide, evergreen shrubs or special varieties of fruit trees. In a word, create! On a large balcony, it is advisable to use all its elements: walls, fencing, floor.
- On small balconies, horizontal gardening is usually used. To do this, light plastic containers are suspended from the outside of the balcony railing, heavier pots and boxes are placed along the walls and railings. Marigolds and Chinese carnations are excellent for this type of flower beds. The height of undersized varieties of marigolds is about 20 cm, they stop blooming only with the arrival of frost. Chinese carnation feels good in flower beds on balconies. Chinese carnation usually grows up to 30 cm in height, blooms all summer. This requires pruning at the end of July. Frequent feeding is not required. Does not tolerate excess water in containers. Often horizontal landscaping is combined with ceiling landscaping, in which planters are hung from the ceiling of the balcony. Do not forget to provide convenient access to flowers for watering and caring for them.
- On small balconies, the emphasis is on vertical flower beds. Containers are installed against the wall, ropes are pulled up to the ceiling, a “ladder” is mounted from the rails or mesh trellises are installed. Climbing them, climbing plants will quickly turn your balcony into a piece of paradise. Take kobe, sweet peas, beans for planting in a vertical flower garden. From climbing plants, girlish grapes look great.
For planting flowers, use all the possibilities: boxes, pots, planters. The containers are chosen in such a way that the flowers have enough space and soil.
Lightweight but durable, plastic boxes are best used for placement on the outside of the balcony railing. It is recommended not to plant flowers in one long box - when watering, the weight of the structure will increase and the mount may not be able to cope. In such cases, several relatively small boxes up to one meter long are used.
It is believed that plants “live” more comfortably in clay boxes, flowers can “breathe” in them, and moisture is retained longer. But such boxes have significant weight, and it is better to use them for floor placement.
Advice. Before using new clay boxes, place them in water for two hours. This is an old way of forcing air bubbles out of the clay to give the box more strength.
Buy only boxes with small holes in the bottom. So excess moisture will not accumulate in them.
The best option is to use pallet boxes. "Excess" water will leave the box, accumulate on the pallet and create a greenhouse effect in the sun. And it won't flow down. It’s unpleasant, after all, instead of words of admiration, to hear from passers-by, on whom water drips from your boxes, something offensive: “They hung it up here!”.
Great for flower pots. They must be fixed to the ceiling or from the inside of the balcony. Planters fixed on the outside can be damaged by gusts of wind.
Feel free to buy durable boxes and pots of the most inexpressive colors. They must have the main quality - strength. You can decorate them with your own hands in any style you like.
It is very important to choose the right soil for flowers. The soil can be purchased at the store or made independently. For this, coarse sand, soddy layer of earth and humus (peat) are used in equal proportions. A layer made of an elastic napkin for washing dishes or a piece of rug is placed in a flower box, which can accumulate water, and then gradually release it into the ground. Then we pour a layer of sand - this is a layer of peat and sod land is poured on top, from which weeds have been removed.
The level of the soil should be below the edge of the box by a couple of centimeters. If you poured too much earth, water will wash it out when watering.
Important! Every year, before planting flowers, it is necessary to remove the top layer and lay a fresh one instead. Fertilizers are applied only after replacing the topsoil. Try to use long-acting fertilizers. Specify the order of laying the fertilizer with the sellers of seeds.
Choosing flowers
The most crucial part of preparing for the creation of a flower garden. Immediately pay attention to the height of the plants - it is indicated on the packages. Otherwise, tall and powerful plants will "strangle" the weaker ones. Nothing can be done, the struggle for survival.
Do not try to put a lot of seeds in one box in the soil. Grow they will grow, but frail and weak. In a meter box, it is optimal to plant up to 10 flowers in two rows. True, you need to consider what kind of flowers you plant. You can combine and plant one row of falling ones, and for the second one choose taller plants.
Given the height of the flowers, we must not forget about the color combination. Excessive variegation of the flower garden will not decorate your balcony. Check out these possible combinations:
Choose the color combinations that you like, not losing sight of the difference in the flowering time of plants. With time and experience, you will learn how to make flower arrangements that will change throughout the season, such as tulips with crocuses and daffodils,
which are replaced by begonias.
After planting flowers in boxes and pots, do not rush to send them to the balcony under direct sunlight. Most flowers do not like to take sunbaths very much, in addition, they must be given time to get stronger first. And for this purpose, let them stand in the shade for a while. And the flowers should be watered early in the morning or after sunset, when the heat subsides.
Flowers for a sunny balcony
Sun-loving daisies are perfect for a flower garden on a sunny balcony,
calendula.
They love the sun purslane, morning glory, mignonette, heliotrope (the name speaks for itself!), sweet peas, decorative beans.
Plant Viola (Pansies) in early May
and daisies, and your flower garden on the balcony will delight you with early flowering.
African agapanthus
and Indian canna, planted in large beautiful pots, will decorate your flower garden on a sunny balcony.
Flowers for a shaded balcony
For a flower garden on a shaded balcony, choose fuchsia,
cloves,
forget-me-nots,
Tradescantia
For flower beds on balconies located on the upper floors, and where the wind is stronger, opt for begonias, ageratum, undersized marigolds, and stonecrops.
On small balconies, mainly with vertical gardening, we plant petunias,
pelargonium,
ampere varieties of lobelia,
tumbergia winged.
Plant an evergreen boxwood, and plant a ragwort (cineraria) or violets in the spring. Believe me, the composition you will get is original and very beautiful.
If you like this experience, next year try to make a more complex composition:
Success will undoubtedly inspire you, and you will want to develop it immediately. That's when the stage of the "wise gardener" comes, who knows the sense of proportion and can restrain his impulses. First of all, for the benefit of flowers and the entire flower garden. You have a small, but still a corner of wildlife on your balcony. And in nature, everything is very reasonably arranged, even if we often do not understand this and consider the existing rules cruel, according to which the strongest survive. Therefore, be guided by a sense of proportion and do not rush to plant the entire balcony with flowers at once. And do not be afraid of failures, they are inevitable in such a difficult matter as growing flowers. Failures will be forgotten, and the reward in the form of constant communication with flowers, your joy from this communication and the joy of your loved ones will always be with you. And it may well be that an absent-minded passer-by will accidentally raise his head, stop in his tracks when he sees your balcony, and say: “What a beauty!”.
A balcony is a territory that is part of the apartment and at the same time part of the street. Many city dwellers turn this space into a romantic retreat or study. Flowers are always involved in creating the design and atmosphere. What flowers to plant on the balcony depends on its orientation, on what floor it is located, the personal preferences of the creator and the creative idea.
Types of plants for a flower garden on the balcony
Annuals
The main contenders to be balcony residents are annuals. Their life span is one season, although those of them that come from southern countries may be perennials at home. In the conditions of a glazed insulated balcony or loggia, with careful care, they can also live for more than one season. To achieve continuous and abundant flowering, faded flower heads must be cut off. If this is not done in time, the plant adjusts to seed maturation and reduces flowering.
Annuals have a huge variety for every taste. Most annual balcony flowers are brightly colored and adored by gardeners. For example, petunia is a charming flower, of various colors, there are bush and ampelous varieties. Pairs well with marigolds and verbena. Marigolds will decorate the beds with golden tones, a tart smell and long flowering. Verbena is unpretentious, occurs in a variety of colors and, like petunias and marigolds, is distinguished by long flowering.
Nearly all annuals grown by planting seedlings so that the holiday of flowers comes as early as possible. Another example is fragrant tobacco. The plant is tall, has a delicate smell and elegant appearance, can be the center of the composition. Looks good next to chamomile or salvia. Star-shaped flowers bloom in the evening.
Fragrant tobacco seeds are very small and in order for seedlings to appear, the planting box is covered with glass, making a greenhouse. The plant is resistant to diseases and will protect the flower garden from pests. Homeland fragrant tobacco - America. The plant is a natural perennial. In the cold season, it can continue to exist in a pot at room conditions or on a protected balcony. Fragrant tobacco with proper care will live up to ten years.
biennials
On the balcony, biennials are grown as annuals. Cramped conditions and the need for quick results do not make biennials popular in their natural sense. A biennial is a plant that develops a green rosette the first year and flowers and produces seeds the second year.
Tip: If you really want to see your favorite biennial in the flower ensemble on the balcony, plant it on seedlings in autumn or winter, and when it rises, keep it as a houseplant before planting on the balcony. The biennial will delight with flowers with the onset of heat.
Examples of popular biennials: daisies, bluebells, viola, schizanthus.
Another name for viola is pansies. perennials
There are several reasons why such flowers for balconies, or rather their varieties, like perennials, are rarely used for landscaping. These include the difficulty of preserving the root system in the cold season. In boxes, it easily freezes, it is necessary to insulate them or store them in a cellar or basement.
Still, gardeners take care of some pets. More often these are lignified lianas for vertical gardening: clematis, parthenocissus, climbing roses.
Bulbous
Perennials include bulbous plants, which are not so difficult to grow, but are very beautiful. The bulbs are stored until spring in a cool place, planted in a box in the fall. It is this type of plant that manages to open the season of bright colors and magical aromas of flowers for the loggia. These include: crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils.
Plant a bulbous plant two months before the New Year or other event in a pot, keep in a cool place until fully rooted, and then create spring conditions for it and get in the middle of winter, for example, an elegant daffodil or an unsurpassed hyacinth with porcelain flowers and a delicate smell. They can decorate a winter flower garden on a closed balcony.
As a replacement or addition to a balcony flower garden, you can arrange. Find out what and how to grow on it here.
Flowers for the sunny side
Which flowers are best planted on the balcony is largely determined by its orientation. Many of them are photophilous, so on the south balcony you can compose compositions for every taste. Purslane, dimorphoteka, morning glory, lobelia, nasturtium, kobeya, doroteanthus, asters - this is not a complete list of flowers that love sufficient lighting.
Bright multi-colored purslane is an excellent decoration for the southern balcony
An example of a composition for a hanging box: a combination of orange-hot flowers of nasturtium bushes, alternating with the same tones of marigolds, looks great, in the center along the front edge there is a small bush of ampelous blue lobelia, on the sides of it are ampelous petunias of the same tones.
Flowers for a sunny balcony are good to plant, for example, in a potted planting box. Drainage is poured at the bottom of the landing box - small gravel or pebbles. Pots are placed on it. The space around the container is covered with the same material for drainage. The pebbles are kept moist and it is gratifying for plants on a hot day in such a planting, moisture cools the root system.
north side
Plants in shading do not bloom very luxuriantly, and some varieties, for example, purslane, will not please with flowers at all. Begonia and fuchsia will feel comfortable. Flower beds can be arranged using marigolds, forget-me-not, fragrant tobacco, mignonette, periwinkle, astilbe, mimulus, torenia. Compositions for shaded places look good from flowers of light shades.
Flowers for the north side balcony will enliven the background of the vertical walls of ampelopsis or ivy.
For the northern balcony, plants with variegated leaves are chosen, which will complement the flower garden with a decorative element and compensate for the not very abundant flowering.home flowers: cissus, oleander, tradescantia, zebrina, aspidistra can become part of the flower garden of the northern balcony without prejudice to themselves.
Flowers for the east and west side
The east side receives the sun in the morning, and the west side in the evening. On such balconies and loggias, tuberous begonia, ageratum, balsam, marigolds, petunias, geraniums are planted. The gentle sun is suitable for the comfortable stay of many plants; this is a good balcony location for an amateur grower. You can choose what you like more from such plants: morning glory, verbena, lobelia, dahlias, sweet peas, asters, dolichos, heather, nasturtium, mattiola, viola.
An example of a composition of flowers in a balcony box: the back row is made up of upright chrysanthemums and pelargoniums of pink tones, in the foreground - ampelous heather alternates with a low ageratum of blue hues.
The combination of purple clematis and golden climbing roses in vertical gardening will not leave anyone indifferent.
What flowers to plant on the loggias of the upper floors? If the space is open, then winds and drafts will break tall plants and worsen the well-being of not very hardy flowers. But the diamond frost - unpretentious euphorbia from America - is not afraid of adversity and creates a haze of small decorative flowers. It is hung in a flower pot, like an ampelous plant.
The flower garden is made up of undersized flowers: daisies, alyssum, pansies. You can plant marigolds, pelargonium and nasturtium, choosing undersized varieties.
Beautiful and healthy flower garden
Sometimes novice gardeners, who have shown remarkable optimism when creating enchanting beauty from flowers on the balcony, are upset that something did not work out, flowering fades over time or pests attack.
It is important to organize competent care and high-quality nutrition for balcony plants, this will ensure their harmonious development, abundant flowering and strong immunity. Namely, he is the first protector from diseases and pests. Planting balcony flowers should not be thickened. The first pest prevention: no dry crust on the soil and timely watering.
