Local Botanist

If you have limited outdoor space, you don’t have to miss out on the joys of gardening! You can easily transform your balcony into a thriving verdant haven with an array of balcony plants, such as blooming pollinators, characterful succulents, aromatic herbs, and much more! 

With strategic planning, dedicated care, and a touch of creativity, your balcony can blossom into a vibrant oasis that encourages you to connect with nature.

To help you cultivate a flourishing balcony garden, our experts have created this helpful guide that’s jam-packed with pro tips and plant suggestions. Dig in to unearth how you can look after your botanical balcony and discover the best potted plants for sky-high garden-scapes.

The Importance of Regular Watering

Because balcony plants are positioned high up, they’re more exposed to sunlight, making them susceptible to dehydration. Implementing a regular watering schedule that accommodates the needs of each plant species will help your plant thrive during the hotter months. Here are some top tips for watering balcony plants:

• Ensuring you house your plants in well-drained soil and pots with holes will prevent root rot and waterlogging.

• Set daily reminders or use plant apps to stay on track with your plant watering schedule.

• Always check soil moisture before watering plants – most plants require the top inch of soil to be completely dry to prevent waterlogging.

• Apply organic mulch to the surface of thirsty plants to help the soil retain moisture.

Feeding Your Balcony Plants in Sunlight

Almost every plant species appreciates being fed nutrients, especially during the growing season, as it helps them develop, strengthen, and bloom.

Because balcony plants are potted, they have limited access to broader soil ecosystems that contain essential minerals and vitamins. Balcony plants are also more exposed to extreme heat, which typically means they exhaust nutrients faster. This means potted plants require a little extra TLC, such as regular fertilisation and plant food, to ensure lush foliage.

Protecting Shade-Loving Plants on Your Balcony Garden

Although it’s best to avoid keeping shade-loving plants on sunny balconies, there are simple methods you can adopt to protect your plants from full sunlight.

A popular solution is covering your outdoor space with shade cloth. This can be easily installed on your balcony railing and doesn’t have to be a permanent fixture – making it superb for renters! You can also choose between different levels of shading (such as 20% or 50%) depending on your plant’s needs.

Another straightforward solution includes strategically placing shade-loving plants away from direct sunlight. For example, behind other plants, close to your balcony walls and railings, and beneath overhead sun covers. 

When choosing where to place your balcony plants, be sure to acknowledge where the evening and morning sun reaches to ensure optimal protection round the clock.

Adjusting Care Routines Based on Seasonal Changes

Tailoring your plant maintenance regime according to the season is essential to keeping your plants happy and strong. Because seasons present varying temperatures, humidity levels, and sunlight, you must proactively adjust watering, fertilising, and sun exposure schedules depending on each plant’s needs to promote year-round health.

To help you develop a seasonal care routine, we have created some general guidelines that apply to most plant species:

• Spring and Summer: This period is the growing season, where routine watering and fertilising are key to plant growth.

• Autumn: As temperatures are cool, watering is less needed. This is also an optimal time to prune spent flowers to maintain a tidy appearance and encourage healthy blooms during spring.

• Winter: Bring any sensitive plants indoors to protect them from frost and reduce or completely halt watering schedules.

Always Check the Maturity Sizes of Plants

When you choose plants for your balcony, you should always check how big they will grow. You should avoid picking taller plants and tree species as they can outgrow your balcony space.

For example, bay trees make popular balcony adornments because they’re well-suited to pots and require minimal upkeep. However, many overlook the height of a mature bay tree, which is a staggering 19ft (6m), and find themselves burdened with a plant that’s too big for their balcony gardens – this is why you must always check the maturity size!

Creative Space-Saving Methods for Storing Balcony Plants

No matter how small your balcony may be, you can achieve an abundant display of plants in many creative ways.

By adopting space-saving plant presentation methods, you’ll prevent your balcony garden from becoming overcrowded. This not only ensures your comfort but also enhances the well-being of your plants.

By providing your balcony plants with ample space, it will be easier to care for them while also ensuring they receive proper air circulation, light exposure, and grow healthily – it can also prevent the spread of disease! 

Explore these innovative space-saving solutions to inspire your botanical balcony layout:

• Hanging Baskets: No more room for plants on your balcony’s floor? No problem! You can utilise overhead space by creating a whimsical floating garden with hanging baskets.

• Window Boxes: Windows serve as a canvas for plant placement! Attach window boxes to window sills or window panes if you opt for suction boxes.

• Rail Planters: For a more classic look, you can transform your balcony rails into miniature vertical gardens with rail planters.

• Tiered Plant Stands: Create a dynamic multi-dimensional garden with tiered plant stands.

• Vertical Shelves: Simple yet effective, vertical shelves allow you to embellish your outdoor walls with an assortment of plants.

• Pegboard Plant Wall: For an adaptable and customisable plant display, consider installing a pegboard plant wall for endless creation!

• Repurposed Ladder Shelves: Fancy a DIY task? Transform an old ladder into a unique and sturdy shelving unit for your plants.

6 Pretty Potted Plants for Sunny Balcony Gardens

All plants showcased below tick every box when it comes to balcony gardening. They’re suited to pots, they enjoy soaking up full sun, and they boast an array of stunning and unique characteristics that will undoubtedly elevate your balcony’s aesthetic. Here are our top plant picks for balconies:

#1 Pachyphytum hookeri: 

Featuring thick and pointy silvery/sage green leaves, these petite succulent plants make charming balcony editions. When exposed to sunlight, the tips of the plant turn fiery red, adding a subtle touch of vibrancy. Aside from their delightful appearance, these succulents are also easy to care for and exceptionally robust.

#2 Kalanchoe ‘Copper Spoons’:

With mesmerising coppery-orange, spoon-shaped leaves, this compact succulent will infuse your balcony with rustic warmth and character. Its unique leaves intensify in colour when exposed to the sun, ensuring that it will always glow with vibrant copper hues on your balcony.

#3 Epipremnum aureum ‘Devil’s Ivy‘:

With slender trailing vines and heart-shaped, multi-toned green leaves, Devils Ivy adds a flare of elegance to any garden setting. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the cascading growth of this plant makes it a versatile choice that can be hung overhead, wrapped around rails, or draped from shelves.

#4 Carpobrotus ‘Pigs Face’:

Pigs Face is a flowering succulent that blooms an assortment of magical colours depending on the variety, including purple, red, yellow, pink, and orange. Because these plants are ground covers, they grow very low to the ground, so you won’t have to worry about them taking up space on your balcony.

Not only can these hardy plants tolerate full sun exposure, but their flowers also become more vivid after bathing beneath the sunlight. They’re also drought-tolerant, so you don’t have to worry about constant watering.

#5 Crassula Ovata ‘Gollum Jade’:

Featuring otherworldly tubular, elongated leaves with eye-catching red-tinged tips, these unusual yet charming succulents will add a hint of enchantment to your balcony. Because this plant’s leaves grow upward, it sits relatively narrow and compact, making it a superb adornment for smaller spaces.

#6 Ipomoea pes-caprae ‘Beach Morning Glory’:

If you want to transform your balcony into a tropical oasis, Beach Morning Glory will certainly suffice! With flamboyant funnel-shaped flowers in a range of colours (including blue, white, and purple) and amiable heart-shaped leaves, this exotic trialling plant evokes a sense of coastal beauty.

FAQS:

Here are some readily answered frequently asked questions about keeping balcony plants: