The topics of this publication are soil preparation, correct landing plants in balcony boxes and containers, as well as rules for caring for flowers on the balcony.
How to plant flowers on the balcony
There are two options: buying ready-made seedlings or sowing seeds directly into balcony boxes. Most good results when growing flowers in boxes, they achieve a strong, well-developed planting .
Most annuals are planted in the budding stage, but pansies, daisies and aster can be planted during flowering.
Planting seedlings It is better to spend time on the balcony in cloudy weather or in the evening. Having marked the planting sites, make a hole in the ground with your hand or a small scoop, sufficient to freely accommodate the root system; Having placed the roots in it, they are covered with earth and squeezed. When planting, it is very important to preserve the earthen ball with the root system, since if the roots are broken and damaged, the seedlings get sick and are delayed in flowering. After planting, water the plants thoroughly.
Flower seedlings can be planted in a box in two or three rows in a checkerboard pattern. If you want to combine plants, then you can plant ampelous or low-growing (border) flowers in the outer, first row, and taller ones in the back rows. Climbing beans and sweet peas are best grown by sowing the seeds directly into a box.
It is important not to thicken the plantings: the optimal distance between individual bushesseedlings of dahlias, chrysanthemums, salvia, gatsania, petunia, pelargonium, asters,tuberous begonias, fuchsia and celosia - 20-30 cm; for verbena, heliotrope,balsam, godetia, Drummond phlox, viola, zinnias, daisies, mignonette,marigolds and ever-flowering begonia - 12-15 cm; for beans and sweet peas - 10 cm.
Sowing seeds
Plants on the balcony can also be grown directly inflower box soil. Seeds are sown in rows in grooves or in nests of 3-5 grainsinto moist soil. The sown seeds should be covered with finely sifted soil orsand in a layer equal to twice the thickness of the seeds. Be careful! Somesmall seeds do not need to be sprinkled - such information is usually indicated on the package.Some plants grow better in the light, others - in the dark, in addition,seeds various types plants germinate unevenly quickly. More details aboutYou can read about sowing seeds for seedlings in the article “”.
After sowing, water carefully (through a fine sieve!) so that the seeds do notwere washed with water. In the future, the soil is kept moist all the time. condition. Sowing seeds on the balcony must be carried out when severe frosts have passed - inlate April, early May. Cold-resistant seeds are sown firstplants, and then thermophilic. Boxes should be covered before emergencepaper or glass.
Seeds can also be sown directly into peat pots or pills. If youbought, then put them in water at home and let them swell, thenpress 1-2 seeds into the peat mass of each pot. In this case you canlater plant the rooted seedlings in flower pot or directly into the box along with a peat ring. You can read more about the use of such tablets in the articles “” and “”.
When the temperature drops, it is better to cover young shoots and tender, newly planted seedlings overnight with newspaper, gauze, matting, etc. (until morning). If the seedlings freeze, they can be saved by spraying them at 4-5 am cold water and protecting from solar heating. It is necessary for frozen seedlings to thaw not immediately, but gradually. With this method, it is preserved and goes away completely.
Soil for balcony plants
It's important to know that Earthen mixtures for indoor flowers are not suitable for balcony flowers containing too few nutrients. A three-meter balcony requires about 30 kg of soil mixture.
Balcony flowers are planted in loose, fertile soil mixed with river sand. For large balcony box The most suitable soil mixture is 2 parts humus, 1 part peat and 1 part sand. In any case, some nutritious soil must be added to the soil mixture, and always as a loosening agent - sand, perlite or coal chips, semi-decomposed sawdust.
For most letnikov Compost soil rich in humus with the addition of peat chips (10-20%) and liming material (ground egg shells) is suitable. Summer plants such as sweet peas, asters, and chrysanthemums are especially sensitive to a neutral or slightly alkaline soil reaction.
In general, the soil must have moisture permeability, for which they add river sand; be sufficiently moisture-absorbing, which is achieved by adding peat chips, and always fresh - the soil for balcony flowers must be changed annually.
Care flower plants in boxes consists of daily watering, loosening and feeding . It is better to water in the morning before 9 o'clock or in the evening after 18 o'clock. Water the plants with settled water, or perhaps with the addition of low concentration fertilizers (see below). Flowers should not be watered during the hot day. It is very useful to refresh flowers, in addition to watering, by spraying them with a watering can through a sieve, especially on southern balconies. Watering must be carried out in such a way that the entire layer of soil from top to bottom is saturated with water. Then the soil in pots and boxes can be mulched with peat or humus to prevent it from drying out.
Along with regular watering great importance for growth and flowering have fertilizers and fertilizing waterings: due to limited area nutrition and rapid soil depletion flowers on the balcony need more frequent feeding compared to garden ones.Complex mineral fertilizers with microelements are excellent for these purposes. Fertilizing is carried out every 7-10 days, alternating with watering, using weak concentrations (2-3 g per 1 liter of water).
The first feeding is carried out 4-6 weeks after planting the seedlings, and then continues until the end of August. Minimal feeding(once every 2-3 weeks) give to nasturtiums, gatsania, purslane, sedums, godetia and dorotheanthus: on heavily fertilized soil they form many leaves to the detriment of flowering, purchased soil for them it is better to dilute by 30% with river sand.
Alternate application mineral fertilizers And fertilizing irrigation with organics. For fertilizing watering (in the first half of summer), use saltpeter, ammonium sulfate and superphosphate at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water or 2 g of ready-made flower mixture. Before and after fertilizing, the soil in the box must be watered to avoid burns to the roots. Such waterings are carried out carefully into the ground so as not to splash the plant itself. Then be sure to loosen the soil. At all upper layer The soil in the boxes must be regularly loosened with a special fork to such a depth as not to damage the roots.
Simultaneously with loosening, weeding is carried out. If flowers are grown from seeds, it is necessary to thin out the seedlings simultaneously with weeding, since thickened plants stretch out and do not bloom.
To prevent tall flowers in boxes from suffering from the wind, they must be tied to pegs as they grow, and climbing plants - to frames, wire, or cord. In addition, on southern balconies, try to protect flowers from overheating.
Dried leaves and faded flowers should be removed so as not to delay further flowering. When the flowering of ageratum, lobelia and nemesia weakens, it is important to prune top part plants, leaving only stems 3-5 cm high: they soon form young shoots and flower buds. How to properly care for petunia to get more abundant flowering, read the article “
».
Flowers decorate our lives, bring peace and delight. Growing flowers on the balcony helps city dwellers to some extent compensate for the lack of communication with the natural world. In order to realize the desire to decorate a balcony with flowers, you need to understand this issue, because the plantings will live in cramped conditions.
We choose varieties depending on various factors
We create a microclimate
If the balcony is not insulated, then annuals are planted in the spring, just like outside in flower beds. Select plants that are similar in terms of growing conditions: need for sunlight, air humidity. On an insulated heated balcony, a flower garden can live all year round.
Sympathy and antipathy
To create a community of plants, you need to take into account their mutual compatibility when planting. After all, like people, they sympathize with someone, but some individuals, if they grow nearby, oppress each other and are not friendly with each other. This topic has not been sufficiently studied; plant friends and foes are identified through observation, for example, dahlias do not tolerate neighbors, lilies of the valley are not friends with violets.
Helpful neighborhood
The useful proximity of asters and petunia, their beautiful mutual combination, in addition, petunia prevents the disease of the aster. Nasturtium also protects asters from diseases. The presence of marigolds in the flower garden creates biological protection against harmful insects for many colors.
Lighting requirements
When wondering: how to grow flowers on a loggia, it is important to think about the choice of plants according to their need for the amount of light. To do this, determine which side of the world the balcony “looks” at. If the location is southern, then light-loving plants are planted. These include daisies, dahlias, godetias and asters. Balsams, verbenas and petunias will delight you with long and bright flowering. A large number of annuals, bright, uplifting, are included in the list of light-loving plants.
Marigolds, balsam, mignonette, lobelia, and petunia will feel good in partial shade. Shaded viola blooms with larger flowers than in bright sun.
When the balcony is located to the north, the composition is made up of shade-tolerant flowers: decorative beans, morning glory, fuchsia, balsam, calendula. The choice is small. You can add indoor flowers to the plantings: coleus; the coloring of their leaves is very decorative. Also in the warm season on fresh air Chlorophytums and Tradescantia feel good. Tolerates north-facing shade spices: mint and lemon balm.
Bright fuchsia in balcony boxes Color composition
How to grow flowers on the balcony so that the flowerbed delights and speaks of the delicate taste of its owner - create the right composition. Choose two or three colors that combine harmoniously with each other. They create an ensemble of plants of this color, playing with shades.
Example design composition purple-red shades:
Fuchsia is planted in the center of the pot. Around it there are several Waller's balsam plants and several bushes of New Guinea balsam hybrids. Plectranthus shrubby is placed along the edges of the box. All members of the composition are shade-tolerant and bloom until late autumn.
Very beautiful combination plants in the composition: red Waller's balsam and silver wormwood.
Some flowers look great in a mono planting: purslane, godetia, Erica, chrysanthemum, dimorphotheca.
Choosing a place and container
When creating a flower garden on the balcony with your own hands, it is important to think about which pots and boxes will be best for the seedlings to live in. IN flower shops There is a wide variety of containers for growing flowers on the balcony. It is better to choose identical, inconspicuous pots so as not to distract your eye from the flower arrangement. It would be appropriate to use boxes or pots that match the floral coloring, but are much paler in color intensity.
The space of a large balcony or loggia can be used by compactly placing it along the walls on different levels, there are long drawers on the railings and on the floor. They come with a variety of decorations: stone-like, braided. You can use special flowerpots for lechuza flowers, which help create the most comfortable conditions for plants using an automatic watering system. The boxes have a nice design and can be attached to railings or to the wall of the house.
Read about how to choose the right one in another article on our website.
Many plant lovers prefer to plant. We described how to choose the right variety and plant it in a separate article.
Plastic containers
Plastic boxes are quite suitable for a balcony, because water does not evaporate through the walls of the container, which means that moisture is retained at the roots, warming up the root system of plants in the sun and promoting their development. If excessive overheating of the soil occurs from sun rays, then it is advisable to choose a little flowerpot for the box bigger size for air circulation. TO positive qualities plastic containers attributed to its light weight. Plastic comes in different qualities. Dutch plastic boxes can even winter outside.
Landing
Balcony flowers are planted from seeds in April.
Tip: Mostly plant the flower garden on the balcony with seedlings so that it smells fragrant in all its glory as quickly as possible.
The soil
Compost is used to grow flowers on the balcony. The soil must be moisture-permeable so that it does not compress, but allows moisture to get to the roots. To this end, in earth mixture add a small amount of sand and purified peat (one fifth of the entire mixture). You can enrich the soil with crushed eggshell. Soil compositions for house flowers are not suitable for planting on the balcony.
Landing
Eat simple rules how to plant flowers on the balcony. Planting boxes must have holes for drainage excess liquid. Drainage is laid at the bottom: pebbles, expanded clay, broken brick. Fill in the soil mixture, leaving a distance of three centimeters to the top of the pot. This is necessary so that during watering the water does not overflow over the top of the container.
Plants are planted by immersing them in the ground to the same level as they were in the container with seedlings. The surface of the ground between the seedlings can be filled with expanded clay and pebbles. Flower pots should be commensurate with the size of the plants in adulthood. There is no need to plant small flowers in large boxes for them.
Plant care
Top dressing
The specifics of growing flowers on a loggia differ from a flower bed on open ground. The container with soil where flowers grow does not have natural microflora and beneficial worms. The land is quickly depleted and therefore it is necessary to periodically fertilize. After five weeks, you should feed the plants every ten days. Use a complex fertilizer containing molybdenum, boron and manganese.
Excess nitrogen can result in poor flowering. Flowers are very fond of fertilizing with ash; it contains potassium, which improves budding and makes flowers bright.
Watering
Unlike plants in open ground, flowers on the balcony require frequent watering. You should focus on the weather. On a hot day you need to water more often than on cloudy days. Use settled water at room temperature. Over time, it will become clear what total volume of water will be needed to water the entire balcony flower garden. The soil is brought to a noticeable level of moisture so that water appears slightly in the pan.
Watering is carried out by sprinkling in the morning and evening. Such watering refreshes the plants well, gives them the opportunity to create a healthy microclimate, and washes away pests and dust from the leaves. When it’s hot and the plants look wilted, you can also do daytime watering “under the roots”, so that water does not get on the leaves.
Signs insufficient watering and feeding: the edges of the leaves dry out and the plant turns brown. And, conversely, with excessive watering, the edges of the leaves turn red or yellow.
Protection
It took a lot of effort to create a blooming balcony with your own hands. To maintain a flower garden in a healthy condition, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures.
- Support optimal humidity soil, do not flood the plants.
- Renew the soil every year.
- Keep the soil loose.
- Don't plant flowers too close to each other.
- Inspect the flowers and at the first signs of disease or pest attack, spray with folk or chemical means.
Flowers on the balcony video
And now you can watch a short video showing a balcony with flowers.
A balcony beautifully decorated with flowers in our cities is still, unfortunately, the exception and not the rule. You can refer to the climatic features of most regions of the country. Or argue that culture floral decoration balconies are unusual for us and what is more common for us to grow on balconies green onions and other garden greens. What in Soviet era every citizen had to participate in the construction of a “garden city”, and not engage in petty-bourgeois cultivation of flowers on his personal balcony, and even for unknown purposes. And we turned this page in the history of the country just a quarter of a century ago. But how nice it is to lift your head and admire from the street the floral oases 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 them.
Where to begin?
As in any business, floriculture has its own professional secrets. What flowers to choose for the flower garden? What composition should I compose for winter garden? What colors should you choose to decorate a south-facing balcony?
Start with landscaping the “balcony area”. It could be redecorating, which will be limited only to painting the railings and replacing the flooring. It will not be possible to paint the walls, so we advise you to choose flowers in shades that will not blend in with the color of the walls.
Then we advise you to decide how much area on the balcony you will allocate for flowers. Do you give everything to a flower garden or leave part of the area for economic needs or a relaxation area? Boxes secured with outside balcony fencing, we don’t take into account - they don’t take up space. Do you want to grow flowers just for yourself or will you try to decorate your balcony so that all passers-by can admire your successes?
Very important! The permissible load must not be exceeded balcony slab. You need to be especially careful when decorating flower beds on old balconies. Therefore, do not chase the number of pots and boxes with flowers, especially since by arranging them in large numbers, you will not be able to create a beautiful flower arrangement.
When you answer these questions for yourself, it will be the turn of geometry. Not a subject from the program high school, and the geometry of the location flower boxes, containers, pots and flowerpots. 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 include large single flowers (lilies, camellias, peonies) look great. The lawn will decorate your flower garden, flooring from pebbles, decorative fountain or a pond, alpine slide, evergreen shrubs or special varieties fruit trees. In a word, create! On large balcony It is advisable to use all its elements: walls, fencing, floor.
- On small balconies, horizontal landscaping is usually used. Lightweight for this plastic containers suspended from outside balcony railing, heavier pots and boxes are placed along the walls and railings. Marigolds and Chinese carnations are excellent for this type of flower bed. The height of low-growing marigold varieties 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 and 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 gardening is combined with ceiling gardening, in which flowerpots are suspended from the ceiling of the balcony. Don't forget to provide easy access to flowers for watering and caring for them.
- On small balconies, the emphasis is on vertical flower beds. Containers are placed against the wall, ropes are stretched to the ceiling, a “ladder” is mounted from slats, or mesh trellises are installed. Climbing along them, climbing plants will quickly turn your balcony into a paradise. Take kobeya, sweet peas, and beans for planting in a vertical flower garden. From climbing plants girlish grapes look great.
To plant flowers, use all possibilities: boxes, pots, flowerpots. Containers are selected so 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 fastening 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 about two hours. This old way displacing air bubbles from the clay, which is done to give the box greater strength.
Buy only boxes with small holes in the bottom. This way, excess moisture will not accumulate in them.
The best option is to use boxes with pallets. “Excess” water will leave the box, accumulate on the tray and create a greenhouse effect in the sun. And it won't leak down. It’s unpleasant, after all, instead of words of admiration, to hear from passers-by, on whom water is dripping from your boxes, something offensive: “They hung it here!”
Great for flower gardens. They must be attached to the ceiling or from the inside of the balcony. Pots secured from the outside may be damaged by gusts of wind.
Feel free to buy durable boxes and pots in 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 yourself. To do this, coarse sand, turf layer of earth and humus (peat) are used in equal proportions. A layer made of an elastic dishwashing napkin or a piece of rug is placed in the 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 on top of that we pour turf soil, from which the weeds have been removed.
The soil level should be a couple of centimeters below the edge of the box. If you poured too much soil, the water will wash it away when watering.
Important! Every year, before planting flowers, you need to remove the top layer and replace it with a fresh one. Fertilizers are applied only after replacing the top layer of soil. Try to use long-lasting fertilizers. Check with seed sellers for the order of applying fertilizer.
Choosing flowers
The most important part of preparing to create 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. There's nothing to be done, it's a struggle for survival.
Do not try to put many seeds in one box in the soil. When they grow up they will grow up, 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 are planting. You can combine and plant one row of flowing ones, and choose taller plants for the second.
Considering the height of the flowers, we must not forget about the color combination. Excessive diversity of the flower garden will not decorate your balcony. Check out these possible combinations:
Pick up color combinations, which you like, without losing sight of the difference in the flowering time of plants. With time and experience you will learn to do flower arrangements, which will change throughout the season, for example, 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 in direct sunlight. Most flowers don’t really like sunbathing, and besides, you need to give them time to get stronger first. And for this purpose, let them stand in the shade for a while. And you should water the flowers early in the morning or after sunset, when the heat subsides.
Flowers for a balcony facing the sunny side
For a flower garden on a sunny balcony, sun-loving daisies are perfect,
calendula.
They love the sun: purslane, morning glory, mignonette, heliotrope (the name speaks for itself!), sweet peas, and decorative beans.
Plant viola in early May ( Pansies)
and daisies, and your flower garden on the balcony will delight you with early flowering.
Agapanthus africa
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 begonia, ageratum, low-growing marigold, and sedum.
On small balconies, mainly with vertical gardening, we plant petunias,
pelargonium,
ampere varieties of lobelia,
Tumbergia winged.
Plant evergreen boxwood, and in the spring add ragwort (cineraria) or violets to it. Believe me, your composition will be original and very beautiful.
If you enjoy this experience, on next year try making a more complex composition:
Success will undoubtedly inspire you, and you will want to immediately develop it. This is when the stage of the “wise gardener” begins, who knows a sense of proportion and can restrain his impulses. First of all, for the benefit of the flowers and the entire flower garden. You have a small, but still a corner of wildlife on your balcony. And in nature everything is arranged very intelligently, even though we often don’t understand it and consider it cruel existing rules according to which the fittest survives. Therefore, be guided by a sense of proportion and do not rush to plant flowers on the entire balcony at once. And don’t be afraid of failures, they are inevitable in such a complex business 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 dead in his tracks, seeing your balcony, and say: “What a beauty!”
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 love 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 seeds immediately 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 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 most unpretentious plants to care for; it grows quickly, blooms well and profusely. By the way, when proper care pelargonium may bloom all year round. It has a pleasant spicy aroma, which is emitted not by flowers, but by leaves. A wonderful plant for a balcony warm period time.
In addition, with pelargonium you can create wonderful flower arrangements, complementing them with other flowers. 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
Usually snapdragons are grown in the garden, but if you take the shortest variety, Rainbow, you can grow the flowers of the most different 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. Pansy or Vitroka 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 south balcony it will quickly lose its decorative effect. Already in July it will fade and look dried out and unattractive.
Tags: ,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. A small balcony is landscaped in a completely different way than a spacious loggia (not to mention a terrace), and the arrangement of an “oasis” on a glass 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 of 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, the seedling method of propagating plants 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 quickly create an amazing decorative effect - hanging.
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 - choosing plants of different lengths and a variety of 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 an ampel flower can also hide some finishing imperfections.
The best varieties
Flowers on glass balcony they choose not only according to their taste, but also taking into account the microclimate of their content, exposure to the sun during the day, the degree of its protection from wind and sunlight, and so on.
Let us note several types of plants that are often used when landscaping balconies.
Nasturtium
Modern varieties of nasturtium 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, then they are grown in pots, and when planted in boxes they are combined with companion plants.
Petunia
This light-loving and heat-loving plant is 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 the flower pot is covered with glass until seedlings emerge.
Brachycoma iberisolifolia
Although the flowers of this plant are small, thanks to them a large number And beautiful color, white, pink, blue, blue 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 both on 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. Behind dwarf tomatoes no special care required: watering and fertilizing if necessary. To avoid accidentally “flooding” the plant, the container must have holes and a drainage layer.
When choosing flowers for a balcony, you need to take into account that partial shade and diffused light are more suitable for most flowering plants.