Which plant is best for my balcony?

1_FriedrichStrauss_VisionsPictures_14108616
Balcony plants help transform the balcony into a great feel-good space.

Which plant is best for my balcony?

As soon as the first warm days bring a hint of spring, so grows the desire for fresh plants and gardening. Whether it’s vibrant colours paired with lush greenery, a monochromatic planting scheme, or a balcony brimming with edible delights for the whole family, there are endless options and ideal plants to transform your balcony into a favourite spot. Here you’ll find tips and guidance to help you decide.
                                       

Best location

Whether you have a sunny south-facing balcony or a shady spot, the location of your balcony is a key factor when choosing plants. Sunny terraces and balconies are mostly positioned towards the southeast or southwest, offering ideal conditions for balcony plants due to the sunlight. For a hot, directly south-facing balcony, you can add shade with a custom-built pergola. Partially shaded locations face east or west and north. For shaded balconies, the selection is not quite as extensive, but with foliage plants, you still have plenty of creative options, and there are even shade-tolerant fruits and vegetables available.

2_FriedrichStrauss_13746470
Many balcony plants thrive in plenty of sun, such as African daisies and coneflowers – the latter referring to both Rudbeckia and Echinacea, which are members of the Asteraceae family and are sometimes both called ‘coneflower.’

What you should know about balcony plants

Whether you have a large terrace or a small balcony, it’s important to consider the eventual size of your plants when selecting them. This will also determine the size of the container. The more space the roots have, the better the plants will grow. 

You can choose between annuals, biennials, and perennials, which can thrive in pots and containers for several years. Additionally, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables are also welcome on the balcony.

3_GettyImages_Hirurg_1423343840
Your balcony plants need plenty of attention and the right care to keep them blooming for as long as possible.

Many annuals, like sunflowers, love-in-a-mist, and nasturtiums, can be bought as young plants or grown from seeds. Although this involves a bit more work, it saves costs and is enjoyable too. Biennials, such as pansies, sweet Williams, and forget-me-nots, form a rosette of leaves in their first year and bloom in the second. They are frost-tolerant and can survive cold temperatures in a sheltered spot. 

Perennials, like hostas, bergenias, and rudbeckia flowers are long-term guests on your balcony. You don’t have to replant them every year, and with good care, they can bring joy for many years. Other multi-year plants include shrubs like dwarf lilac, skimmia, and pieris, which can add structure to your balcony, much like in a garden. For more tips and balcony ideas, click here.

Be mindful of choosing native and insect-friendly plants to support biodiversity.
                                              

Tip
Bloom booster
By regularly removing faded blooms and dry leaves, you can ensure a longer flowering period. For thicker branches, the EasyPrune by Bosch can be a helpful tool.

The 7 most important types of balcony flowers

Alongside the trending plants, some classic varieties have proven particularly reliable as potted plants on balconies and suitable varieties are available for nearly all location conditions.

Begonias are the top choice for sunny and partially shaded spots, boasting rain resistance and long-lasting blooms as their main strengths. There are many groups, differing in growth form and size. Low-growing bedding begonias remain compact, making them ideal for larger bowls. Tuberous begonias are somewhat taller, producing either simple or large, double flowers in vibrant colours, depending on the variety, and they can be overwintered easily. Trailing begonias create true cascades of flower-bearing stems that look stunning in containers and hanging baskets. Additionally, there are Begonia hybrids suitable for sun, partial shade, and full shade.

Twinspur and nemesia look very similar, both originally from South Africa. These bushy plants make great companions, complementing larger-flowered neighbours with their densely packed flower-laden stems.

Busy lizzies are among the most classic balcony plants. Most stay low, with a height of 15–30 cm. Their white, pink, or red blooms, either single or double like small roses, fit beautifully in romantic balcony arrangements. They thrive in partial shade and shady areas, and with adequate watering, they can even tolerate sunny spots.

4_Flora Press_Visions_01276753
For your balcony, there’s a colourful selection of plants that suit all locations. Examples include hydrangeas, coreopsis, geraniums, and African daisies.

Fuchsias, with their bell-shaped flowers, always bring a light, dance-like quality. Many varieties are bi- or tri-coloured, in shades of white, pink, red, or purple. They can be planted as low-growing bushes or in containers. Trailing varieties work beautifully in hanging baskets.

Balcony geraniums have upright or trailing stems that become woody at the base. In abundant clusters, their red, white, or pink blooms adorn the stems all summer long. There are no sturdier plants for containers and pots; geraniums can even withstand dry conditions. In partial shade, however, they don’t bloom quite as profusely.

With petunias, you can choose from a large range of small and large-flowering varieties, vigorous and less vigorous in growth, in shades of pink, purple, white, yellow, and blue-violet. 'SURFINIA'™ petunias are particularly impressive, with flowering stems that can reach up to 3 metres in length.

Verbenas are hardy plants that thrive even in windy spots and bloom very persistently. Their charming flowers pair well with small-flowering petunias, upright geraniums, and bacopas (Sutera cordata). 'SUPERBENA'™ are trailing verbenas available in a wide range of colours.

                                     

Balcony plants for sunny locations​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • ​​​​​​​Flossflower (Ageratum houstonianum)
  • Snapdragon (Antirrhinum)
  • Gold coin daisy (Pallenis maritima)
  • Everlasting flower (Xerochrysum bracteatum)
  • Marguerite daisy (Argyranthemum frutescens)
  • Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides, Plectranthus scutellarioides)
  • Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)
  • Twinspur (Diascia)
  • Nemesia (Nemesia)
  • Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)
  • Blue daisy (Felicia amelloides)
  • Treasure flower (Gazania rigens)
  • Lantana (Lantana camara)
  • Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
  • Lobelia (Lobelia)
  • African daisy (Osteospermum)
  • Geranium (Pelargonium)

                         

Balcony plants for sunny and partially shaded locations

  • Begonia (Begonia)
  • Beggartick (Bidens)
  • Lady’s purse (Calceolaria)
  • Spurge (Euphorbia)
  • Fuchsia (Fuchsia)
  • Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens)
  • Busy lizzie (Impatiens walleriana)
  • Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana x sanderae)
  • Petunia (Petunia)
  • Bacopa (Sutera cordata)

             

Balcony flowers for partially shaded to shaded locations

  • Tuberous begonias (Begonia tuberhybrida)
  • Fuchsia (Fuchsia)
  • Busy lizzie (Impatiens walleriana)
  • Begonia (Begonia)
  • Hostas (Hosta)
  • Wire vine (Muehlenbeckia)
  • Ivy (Hedera helix)
  • Astilbes (Astilbe)

                    

The power of colour

Create different moods by selecting and combining flower and foliage colours.  They can have an impact not only individually but also in combination, such as the coolness of blue, the warmth of red, or the romance of pink. Complementary colours create a strong contrast and a unique vibrancy.

You can create a sense of calm with tone-on-tone plantings, for example by combining various shades of pink. Combinations with white always work well, as white enhances the colours of other blooms.

5_FriedrichStrauss_12197011
Tone-on-tone plantings, like the combination of various shades of pink shown here, create perfect harmony on the balcony.

Structural plants add fullness

Structural plants stand out with their uniquely shaped foliage: sometimes unusually, like the cushion bush plants (Leucophyta brownii) and wire vine, and sometimes expansive, bushy like grasses. Equally striking are leaf shapes, colours, and patterns like the sweet potato vine. They add contour and excitement, fill gaps, and their trailing stems complement flowering plants. You can select them to harmonise in colour with the leaves and flowers of companion plants or to stand in contrast.

6_ FriedrichStrauss_12181094
Structural plants add contour and variety to balcony plants.

Reaching new heights with climbing plants

Climbing plants make a big impact in small spaces, transforming your balcony into a vertical garden. They add greenery to facades and provide privacy, although they do need support to climb. The delicate stems of annual climbers like sweet pea, black-eyed Susan vine, or nasturtium easily cling to thin strings or wooden or metal stakes. Trellises made from willow branches, bamboo, and other materials also work well.

7_FriedrichStrauss_12186399
Climbing plants, like the black-eyed Susan vine, make the balcony look even greener but also need suitable support to grow upwards.

Popular Climbing Plants

Plant type
Bloom, fruit
Growth
Clematis (Clematis montana) The flowers are white, pink, and purple, and range from light to deep blue, with woolly, ball-shaped fruit clusters. Approximately 2–5 m tall, perennial, fast-growing.
Honeysuckle (Lonicera) Fragrant flowers in white, yellow, orange, red, and pink Approximately 6–8 m tall, perennial.
Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) Remarkable flowers, clustered in bunches Up to 10 m tall, perennial.
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) Fragrant flowers in white, pink, blue, violet, and purple. Approximately 3 m tall, annual.
Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) Flowers in white, yellow, orange, terracotta, with or without a black center. Approximately 1–2 m tall, annual.
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum) Flowers in yellow, orange, and red, with all parts being edible. Approximately 2–3 m tall, annual.

  

Edible garden on the balcony

Fruit, vegetables, and herbs plants can also thrive on balconies. They simply require larger containers, a sunny or partially shaded spot, good watering, and fertiliser. Herbs like basil, borage, dill, and nasturtium are ideal for growing in pots or containers. Pots with perennial herbs like chives, marjoram, and thyme are just as much a part of the balcony herb garden as lemon balm and mint.

8_FriedrichStrauss_12179126
You can only grow things in a garden? Not at all! Decorative mixed planting also has a place on the balcony: lettuce, edible flowers like pansies, and chervil create a lovely display.

From April onwards, you can start growing vegetables like pole beans, tomatoes, peppers, chili peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, and courgettes on the windowsill or in a greenhouse, and then move the young plants to the balcony in mid-May, once the risk of frost has passed. Alternatively, you can buy young plants. Nearly every type of vegetable has compact varieties that stay small and thrive well in pots.

For the perfect edible balcony, fruit should not be missed. Strawberries and cultivated blueberries grow well in pots, and even trees are available as space-saving columnar fruit.

                                              

The best care

High-quality soil, which you can produce yourself with a worm box, along with water and a good nutrient supply, is what your balcony plants need to bring you delight for many months or even years. In container gardening, where soil and nutrients are limited, it’s worth creating optimal conditions. Using high-quality, peat-free soil which benefits not only your plants but also the environment. You can find many tips on nature-friendly gardening here.

Organic slow-release fertilisers are particularly well-suited for nutrient supply. They provide your plants with nutrients for about 4–6 months, making them more resistant to pests. You can mix the fertiliser into the soil when planting or incorporate it later. For lush flowering balcony plants, it’s also a good idea to give them an extra boost of liquid fertiliser in July to promote strong growth.

In midsummer, proper watering of balcony plants is a crucial factor for their longevity.
In midsummer, proper watering of balcony plants is a crucial factor for their longevity.

Another important growth factor is water. Regular watering, especially during the hot summer months, is essential. Containers with water reservoirs or irrigation systems for your balcony plants can be very helpful and save you a lot of effort. You can find more tips on watering here.

If you'd like to learn more about when specific gardening tasks should be done, you can find the right times for all essential activities in our garden calendar.