Not every person has the opportunity to acquire a country house or summer cottage, which can be decorated with flower beds and lawns with beautiful flowers. But this problem is easy to solve if you arrange a small garden on the balcony or loggia. Read the article about what flowers are better to plant on the balcony.
Decoration of large balconies
The design of the mini-garden involves all the elements: the floor, the fence, the walls. As landscaping, all its types are used: vertical, horizontal, ceiling and combined. You can make a composition with large single flowers: camellias, lilies, peonies.
You need to remember that every element is important. For example, gender. So that it does not stand out as a spot against the general background, it needs to be covered with small pebbles, and only then build flower beds, fountains, small ponds, ornamental shrubs and even fruit trees on it.
Decoration of medium balconies
There will be no such scope here, the flight of fancy is limited by the area. Usually horizontal type of landscaping is used. Lungsplastic containers are hung behind a balcony railing. For heavy pots and boxes, locate along the railings and walls of the building. The design can be developed using various plants, such as Chinese carnation and marigolds. These plants vary in height. Low-growing marigolds grow up to 20 cm, and carnations - up to 30. The former bloom until frost, and the latter all summer.
Combined landscaping would be a good solution: horizontal type and ceiling. Planters suspended from the ceiling do not take up space, but add beauty to the overall look. Flowers on the balcony in boxes and auxiliary structures must be positioned so that there is access to plants, as they need to be looked after.
Decoration of small balconies
With small areas, the emphasis should be on the vertical type of gardening. To do this, containers with flowers need to be installed along the wall and pull the ropes up to the ceiling. Then mount a ladder of narrow rails or a trellis. Since climbing representatives of the flora will be used, they will quickly braid the structures. Very soon your little balcony will turn into a piece of paradise. For such landscaping, sweet peas, kobeya, beans, girlish grapes are used. Flowers on the balconies can grow different. On the packages in which their seeds are sold, a complete description of the plants is given. You need to carefully read everything and choose what is right for your balcony.
What to focus on when choosing colors?
First of all, you should pay attention to the color of the wallthe building where your balcony is located and the plants next door. It is important that the flowers you choose do not "stand out" from the overall design of the house. When decorating a balcony with flowers, they are guided by the following criteria:
- Choose fast-growing and unpretentious plants that can adapt to the conditions of the city.
- Flower leaves should have a pronounced decorative effect, which will emphasize the attractiveness of landscaping.
- It is desirable that climbing representatives of the flora be present in the composition. This is necessary to hide unsightly places.
- It is better to choose flowers without a strong smell, even if you do not really like them. It is important to remember that people live in the neighborhood. For many of them, various smells cause allergies, and this must be taken into account so that there are no conflicts in the future.
Tiered landscaping
When arranging a mini-garden on a balcony, flowers can be arranged in different ways. If preference is given to the multi-tiered method, it is important to distribute the plants depending on growth: closer to the street - low, then medium, near the wall - high. Based on this, the flowers on the balconies can be grouped by height:
- High varieties - these include dahlias, which are propagated by tubers, coreopsis, tall marigolds, snapdragons.
- Medium varieties - this group combines low-growing snapdragon plants, individual varieties of asters, gillyflowers, dahlias that are grown from seeds, Shabo cloves.
- Low varieties - daisies, alyssum, viola, lubelia, undersized marigoldsvarieties.
Flowers of different heights are used to create beautiful tiers. Group plantings are “diluted” with climbing plants: Turkish beans, recumbent fuchsia. Flowers on the balcony (the photo is presented for viewing) of high growth are made ampelous, they are surrounded by undersized specimens. While the plants are just starting to grow, boxes and other containers can be decorated with artificial flowers.
Flowers on the balcony from the sunny side
To create a green corner, a south-facing loggia or balcony is ideal. First of all, preference is given to those colors for which direct exposure to the rays of the sun and drought will not cause harm. It is important that they do not suffer from extreme heat. Below in the article are some plants that meet these requirements.
Succulents
This is the name of plants that have unique properties: they retain moisture for a long time, are not afraid of the sun's rays and rare watering. Representatives of the flora with such characteristics are classified as "indestructible" plants. Succulents such as haworthia, aloe, echeveria, zamiokulkas and others are especially popular.
Geranium
These are the flowers on the balconies that delight the eye all summer long. They are photophilous, do not get burns from direct sunlight on leaves and petals. Therefore, the southern balcony is best suited for zonal and ampelous geranium varieties.
Zinnia
Different flowers are planted on the balcony. A frequent visitor to peculiar gardensin the apartment is exactly zinnia. The reason for this popularity is simple - this annual is resistant to heat and blooms for a long time, until frost. Only in the event of a prolonged drought should the plant be watered.
What colors decorate the northern balconies?
The main requirement is shade tolerance, since not all plants grow normally, develop and bloom in low light conditions. In summer, flowers on the balcony on the north side grow in the shade for most of the daylight hours, so you need to choose plants that do not harm. The following flowers are suitable for this:
- Balsam - feels great in shady places. In the garden, they allocate a plot under the trees, the crowns of which give a large shade. Therefore, the northern balcony is the most suitable place for such flowers.
- Calceolaria - looks very impressive. This flower is often included in the list of plants that are grown on the north balcony. It is called the "ideal inhabitant" of penumbra. The flower resembles a slipper, painted in bright colors. The owner waters the flower on the balcony, focusing on the condition of the soil. If it is dry, moisturize it.
Flowers on the west or east balcony
Many indoor plants are suitable for decorating a mini-garden in an apartment:
- Verbena - this flower is popularly called cast-iron and pigeon grass, "Tears of Juno". The plant is known as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Verbena is popular among gardeners, it is often grown in flower beds in the open.ground. But even on the balcony, the flower feels great: it grows well, blooms for a long time.
- Tagetes are unpretentious plants with abundant and long flowering, thanks to which they have become favorite flowers for growing not only in the garden, but also on the balcony. They are able to withstand heat and wind. Feel comfortable in all weather conditions.
- Daisies - begin to bloom in the last month of spring and end with the onset of cold weather. Shady places are quite suitable for an unpretentious plant for normal growth. Therefore, flowers on balconies with insufficient lighting feel great.
- Heather - if you plant this flower, then even in winter the balcony will look decorative. The shrub has a high frost resistance. It blooms in January, and this period lasts until April. Even if heather dies, its decorative effect remains.
Climbing plants for decorating balconies
Beautiful flower arrangements are hard to imagine if built without climbing flowers. Graceful shoots wrap around the railing or the grate installed for this. This magnificence looks luxurious. What flowers on the balcony prefer to plant more often, read below.
- Calistegia is a bindweed with many years of growth. It is used as a balcony vine. The plant is unpretentious, easy to care for. Flowering cannot be called lush, but the buds themselves are very beautiful, they resemble delicate pink bells. But there are varieties with terry-shaped petals.
- Bougainvillea - bright purpleflowers look especially impressive on long shoots. This plant is often used to decorate balconies and loggias with good lighting.
- Ipomoea - is a densely flowering vine that looks luxuriant due to the large number of bright flowers. In the case of curly flowers, it is important to set their shoots in the right direction and pull the ropes that they will braid. Ipomoea is considered an unpretentious plant, but it must be protected from direct sunlight.
The beauty of ampelous flowers
This is the name of the plants grown in hanging pots.
- Fuchsia - this plant is evergreen, its flowers have an unusual shape: the open part they "look" down. Thanks to this feature, fuchsia is grown according to the principle of ampelous plants. This flower has many varieties, so there are plenty to choose from for decorating the balcony.
- Lobelia is a well-known ampelous plant. It looks like a cloud of bright blue, juicy color. Lobelia prefers bright but diffused light, she feels comfortable in partial shade. It is better to plant a flower on a balcony located on the east or west side.
- Petunia - this flower is a favorite among gardeners. In a hanging flowerpot or planter, it looks very impressive: numerous bright flowers shower shoots. Northern balconies are suitable for frost-resistant hybrids, and southern balconies for most varieties.
- Spurge is a succulent, as it has the ability to accumulate moisture. Therefore, it does not need to be watered often. However, care should be taken with the juice that will flow out if the branch is broken. It is poisonous in milkweed. The plant has many varieties that are often grown outdoors and at home.
Indoor flowers for the balcony
Home plants need fresh air and sunlight just like humans do. Therefore, with the onset of spring, they are taken out to the balcony. You need to be aware of the weather. The air should warm up to 15 oC. But not all flowers can be taken out. For example, saintpaulia and cacti of some species do not like such changes. They are more easily tolerated by plants from a subtropical climate. These are shrubs, the leaves of which are distinguished by high density: myrtle, oleander, laurel, aralia. Indoor flowers that are taken out to the balcony include:
- Cyclamens - these flowers on the balcony (photo below) are popular due to their original appearance. Everything is beautiful in this plant: both flowers and patterned leaves. It grows well on the balcony in summer, but does not tolerate heat, so it is better to bring the flower indoors at this time.
- Geranium - perfectly tolerates a change of place of growth, blooms luxuriantly.
- Orchids - they are adored and grown by all flower growers. These original flowers on the balcony feel good. They are indifferent to temperature changes.
- Fuchsia - this graceful flower is always beautiful. Does not lose its merits when changing the place of growth.
Balcony design
Decorate the mini-garden according to your preferences. But ifIf things don't go the way you want them to, good advice will always come in handy. For example, if the plants are supposed to be planted in one row, you can plant petunias: alternate three pink flowers with two purple-colored plants. If, in addition, the wall of the balcony is in the tone of the buds, it will look very gentle and light.
With a two-row planting method, boxes with flowers that differ in erect stems are placed closer to the wall of the building - in the background, and plants of ampelous varieties - in the front. Flowers such as ageratum and lobelia, nasturtium and calendula, tulips and daffodils or crocuses give a good combination. When choosing plants, it is important to take into account the color scheme, size, flowering periods, and most importantly, your preferences.
