The balcony is an area of the house that can be used to fill it with plants; well, maybe not to fill it completely, but it is very interesting to put some pots. But when we go to a nursery, it is normal for our eyes to focus on those that seem prettier to us, something that is completely normal, but it is not always the best.
We have to take into account that plants are a business, and as such, sellers bring rare species that, yes, they are magnificent, but if we left them outside during the winter they could suffer very serious damage, or worse, not survive . That's why, We want you to know which are the best balcony plants for the whole year.
5 plants for sunny balconies
If the sun shines on your balcony throughout the day, then you will have to choose plants that need to be exposed to the sun. So that there are no problems, if you are going to buy them in a nursery, you have to buy those that are outside the greenhouses and also in the sun, since this way you make sure that you take home a few specimens that are already adapted to sun exposure and, therefore, will not burn.
In the event that you buy them online, do not hesitate to ask the seller if they had them in the sun or protected indoorsWell, if they had them sheltered and you take them out in the sun without them getting used to it before, they will burn. To avoid this, you have to take them outside first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, and leave them for an hour; then you put them in the house or put them in semi-shade if you have that possibility. Do it like this for a week.
From the next, have them an hour and a half, or at most two, in the sun every day, for another seven days. The following week, they can be between 2 and 3 hours; the next, between XNUMX and three and a half hours. In short, as time goes by, you have to leave them for another half hour in the sun each week.
And now, Let's talk about what are the best plants for sunny balconies:
Agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus)
El agapanthus It is a perennial rhizomatous plant with green ribbon-like leaves, and whose center sprouts an inflorescence with small flowers of blue color, or more rarely white, throughout the summer. It reaches an approximate height of 50 centimeters and can reach the same width as it has a tendency to take out suckers. The best thing is that it can withstand up to -4ºC without being damaged.
Ash (Leucophyllum frutescens)
Image - Wikimedia / 0pen $ 0urce
The plant known as ashen It is an evergreen shrub that reaches a height of approximately 2 to 3 meters.. It has green leaves, which are covered by a kind of very short hair. The flowers are purple, and sprout in groups. In addition to supporting direct sun, it also withstands frosts of up to -12ºC.
Cotoneaster horizontalis
Image - Wikimedia / peganum
El Cotoneaster horizontalis It is a small evergreen shrub, which does not usually exceed one meter in height. In a pot, of course, it stays even lower, since the available space is much less. The leaves are small, and the flowers, which bloom in spring, are white or pink. Withstands frost down to -18ºC.
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)
Image - Flickr / Cyril Nelson
El star jasmine, also called false jasmine, is an evergreen climber that, although it can be up to 10 meters tall, you can cut it back to keep it low. It is a plant whose flowers, which bloom in spring, are very similar to those of true jasmine. (Jasminum), in fact they also smell wonderful, but their resistance to cold is much greater: they can withstand temperatures down to -12ºC (the most resistant jasmine only lasts down to -7ºC, and it is not uncommon for it to lose all or part of its foliage) .
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Any lavender essence It can be kept in a pot and on the balcony, but this species is one of the most easily found for sale. It reaches a height of approximately 1 meter, but when planted in a container it stays smaller. Even so, you can prune it at the end of winter if you see that it grows a lot. Its flowers bloom in spring, and it also blooms almost without giving it any care, except for some watering so that the soil is not too dry. It resists up to -10ºC.
5 plants for shaded balconies
We might think that nothing can be put on a shady balcony, but we would be very wrong. There are many plants that need to be protected from direct sun. For this reason, we want you to also take advantage of that space to create, if you wish, a beautiful potted garden, for example with these plants that we recommend:
Aspidistra (Aspidistra elatior)
Image - Wikimedia / Nino Barbieri
La aspidistra It is a herbaceous and rhizomatous plant that has leaves with green or variegated (green and yellow) petioles up to 1 meter long. Its flowers are lilac and very small, and often go unnoticed as they stay close to the base of the plant. It withstands very well the cold and frosts of up to -12ºC.
Azalea (Rhododendron simsii)
Image - Wikimedia / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
La azalea It is an evergreen shrub can reach a maximum height of 2 meters when grown in the ground, and rarely exceeds 50 centimeters when kept in a pot. The leaves are small, dark green above and hairy below. It blooms in spring, and it does so by producing white, red or pink flowers. It resists up to -4ºC.
Common fern (Pteridium aquiline)
Image - Wikimedia / Björn S…
El common fern it is an evergreen plant whose leaves -which are technically fronds when they are from ferns- They can measure up to 2 meters long.. It does not produce flowers, since it is a gymnosperm, but in the same way, it is a species with a very high ornamental value. Of course, it needs, in addition to shade, that the humidity of the air is high. If in doubt, look it up online, or get a home weather station. In the event that you see that it is less than 50%, you will have to spray it with water daily. For the rest, it supports up to -18ºC.
Ivy (Hedera helix)
La ivy It is an evergreen plant that you can use either as a climber or as a pendant. Its leaves are green or variegated, and measure about 2-3 centimeters, depending on the variety and/or cultivar. The flowers it produces are grouped in inflorescences, and are small, yellowish-green in color. Withstands up to -12ºC.
Sempervivum (Sempervivum sp.)
If you like succulent plants, or non-cactus succulents, especially if you are worried about frost, we recommend Sempervivum. These are plants that they grow forming a rosette of almost triangular leaves, whose maximum height is 5 centimeters. There are about 30 different species: some are lilac, others are covered by hairs that look like cobwebs (as is the case of the Sempervivum arachnoideum), and others are bluish-green. Put them substrate for succulents, and water them little. And by the way, they withstand up to -18ºC.
And now the million dollar question, which of these balcony plants for the whole year do you like the most?