What flowers should I plant on the balcony to bloom all summer?

In order to decide which flowers to plant on the balcony, you must first take into account the orientation of the balcony space relative to the cardinal directions. Not all garden flowers are suitable for planting in a container. Plants must be unpretentious and tolerate a limited amount of land. However, flower growers have the opportunity to select suitable varieties and make a cozy seating area on the balcony by placing a couple of garden chairs and a small table there.

The most unpretentious balcony flowers

Any gardener would like to care for the plants on the balcony minimally and at the same time admire their long and lush flowering. Fortunately, there are types of flowers that meet all these requirements.

5 most popular unpretentious plants:

Marigold. These flowers are known to everyone. The abundance of varieties allows you to choose plants with very different colors (yellow, orange, red, variegated) and the degree of petal terry. When planted on a balcony, only low-growing species, whose height does not exceed 15–25 cm, will look beautiful. Some hybrid marigolds grow in the form of a bush. It will be enough to plant 1-2 plants in a box; in the future they will grow greatly. Flowering of marigolds begins in early summer and continues until frost. In order for plants to always look decorative, it is necessary to promptly remove faded buds.
Pelargoniums. The popular name of this plant is geranium. The flower grows well, blooms luxuriantly all summer, and has a spicy scent. Classic color options are red and white; more modern varieties have a wide range of colors, up to a dark burgundy, almost black hue. For the winter, the flower can be moved indoors, where it will continue to bloom. Geranium is perfect for creating compositions. Florists recommend combining it with evening primrose, bacopa, immortelle, and petunias.
Nemesia. Low compact bushes perfectly decorate the balcony. For more luxuriant flowering, young seedlings are pinched after planting. Flowers are planted in a box at intervals of 20 cm. The colors of nemesias can be one-color, two-color or three-color. Heat shortens flowering time. Nemesia can bloom in 2 waves. To get flowers again closer to autumn, the stems are shortened after the first wave of flowering.
Fuchsia. To plant these flowers on the balcony in boxes, it is better to choose hanging plant varieties. The flower is unpretentious and easily tolerates shade. Blooming buds cascading down look very impressive and attract the eye. The length of fuchsia shoots can reach up to 50 cm. The color of the flowers is most often red and white. The only important condition for growing fuchsias is regular and abundant watering. After drought, the flower will not recover.
Pansy (Viola). The height of the plant is only 15–25 cm. There are many hybrid varieties. If the flowers are regularly watered and shaded from the midday sun, they will delight the eye with their beauty for a long time. For lush flowering, plants also need fertilizing.The viola's coloring is very cheerful, combining two contrasting colors (usually yellow-violet). Flowering continues all summer.

A good start is important for annuals, so you need to properly care for the seedlings. If high-quality seeds were used, and the seedlings received everything they needed, then the flowers will grow healthy and strong. Only such plants can bloom beautifully.

What to plant on a shady balcony?

Balconies located on the north side of the building are called shadow balconies. Shade-tolerant annuals that tolerate cool air and cold winds are usually planted here. Sometimes balconies on the south or west side are also shaded, for example, if tall trees grow near the house. What to plant from flowers in this case?

Top 5 plants that will do well in the shade:

Lobelia. The culture can grow both in the sun (with shading) and in the shade. The plant easily tolerates high humidity, cold, and lack of fertilizing. This species belongs to the bellflower family and blooms with delicate small flowers of white, crimson cornflower blue color. There are bush and climbing varieties of lobelia. The flower is grown through seedlings, and at the end of May it is transplanted into balcony boxes. To stimulate a new wave of flowering, you need to trim the shoots of the bushes. For a balcony, blooming lobelias become a real decoration.
Nemophila. This flower is called the American forget-me-not. Nemophila compensates for its modest beauty by the absence of increased care requirements. Most often, the flowers are bluish in color with a white center. Their size in diameter is only 1 cm, the height of the annual can vary from 15 to 30 cm. Since nemophila is resistant to cold, it can be planted on the balcony in early May.The plant grows well in containers. Nemophila is demanding only when it comes to watering (it does not like either dryness or waterlogging). American forget-me-not blooms profusely from mid-July until the first frost.
Ageratum. The plant is suitable for shaded balconies where there are not too strong winds. The flower is thermophilic; it is better to plant it outdoors at a temperature of at least 20 °C. You can sow seeds in advance or plant purchased seedlings. This is a perennial plant and can be brought indoors for the winter. Flowering continues even in the cold season. Most often, the color of flowers is blue, lilac, and white. Ageratum blooms in dense caps. Depending on the variety, the height of the bushes ranges from 10 to 50 cm.
Begonia ever-blooming. This variety of begonia blooms for a long time, tolerates shading well, and loves moist air. She will like it on the northern balcony in shaded conditions. There won't be many flowers, but the opened buds look charming. Begonia is unpretentious in care.
Primrose. The plant is perennial; it is brought into the house for the winter if the balcony is not heated. Primrose flowers are very bright and delicate at the same time. The plant loves shade. Flowering continues until the end of summer. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil in the pot and water the flower. Several times a season you can use complex fertilizers for feeding.

For normal development, it is enough for shade-loving plants to receive diffused color for 3–4 hours a day. In the bright sun, their petals often fade and the foliage becomes faded. This group also includes balsams, mimulus, calendula, and calceolaria.

What to plant on a sunny balcony?

Many plants like to be in the sun, because their homeland is hot countries where the sun's rays are abundant.

If there is no natural protection from the scorching heat at midday (for example, the lacy shade of trees), you can use blinds or roller blinds made of light fabric for this purpose.

Suitable for planting in the sun:

Nasturtium. The culture has not only decorative flowers, but also leaves. It is better to grow hanging varieties on the balcony; they perfectly decorate the walls. By planting several specimens of nasturtium in pots, you can create an original green corner in which it is pleasant to sit with a cup of tea. With the arrival of frost, the flower can be brought into the living room and stored until next year. Seeds are sown in 2 pieces. into each pot, doing this in early May. The plant can bloom on the balcony until frost.
Petunias. The varietal diversity of petunias is very large. Cold-resistant hybrids are selected to decorate balconies. The flower can grow in the form of a compact bush, or it can have an ampelous shape. Varieties also differ in the size and degree of terryness of the blossoming buds. For lush flowering of petunia, a volume of soil of at least 5 liters is required for each plant. This crop will also appreciate fertilizing. The color of petunias can be very diverse, monochromatic and variegated. Flowering lasts until October.
Phlox Drummond. This variety loves sunlight and can tolerate drought, but overheating of the roots is contraindicated. You can protect phlox by placing the pot in a flowerpot. Phloxes like loose, fertile soil. The plant looks beautiful in hanging baskets in combination with other flowers. The color of phloxes is very different, elegant, there is a center of a contrasting color.If you grow flowers from seedlings, they bloom in early June. Flowering can continue until mid-autumn.
Morning glory. The flower is interesting because it produces new buds every day, which dry out in the evening. When growing, the plant requires support. Morning glory clings to the bars with its shoots and rises up. The frame support can be installed along the walls or on the street side. In the second case, you will get a green screen, enclosing the balcony from prying eyes. Most often, morning glory comes in blue and lilac shades. The length of the shoots can reach several meters. The flower is cultivated as an annual. Next year you will need to grow the green screen again.
Gaillardia. An unpretentious flower that easily tolerates not only the scorching rays of the sun, but also wind and rain. In appearance, gaillardia resembles a large chamomile. The culture belongs to the Asteraceae family. Large inflorescences are brightly colored in yellow and crimson tones. The plant can tolerate drought and is not picky about soil composition. For early flowering, it is better to grow gaillardia through seedlings. More than other varieties, gaillardia "Arizona" is suitable for planting on the balcony - a dwarf plant about 25 cm high.

You can plant cymbalaria, snapdragon, purslane, geranium, and sedum on a sunny balcony. Succulent plants, which are so lacking in sunlight in apartments, are displayed from the house onto the sun-filled balcony.

Song placement options

Before you arrange a flower garden on the balcony, you need to remove all unnecessary things from there. The remaining trash will only spoil the impression of the flower arrangement.

The choice of landscaping scheme depends on the area of available space:

On spacious balconies and loggias you can place both large single plants and combined plantings. Additionally, it is permissible to use various decor (figurines, driftwood, vases).
On medium-sized balconies, flowers are usually placed horizontally. Plants can be placed in a long hanging box. Flowers can also be placed in a row along the walls.
A small balcony should not be overloaded. It is better to decorate it with a vertical composition of several flowers in pots mounted on a stand.

Enough space must be left for passage.

If the balcony is glazed and heated, it can accommodate not only annuals, but also biennial and perennial plants.

Even a novice gardener can decorate a balcony with flowers. The main thing is to choose the right plants, taking into account their habitat requirements. Bright fuchsias, petunias, morning glory, violas will add uniqueness to the loggia or balcony and enliven the space. By rearranging the pots, you can repeatedly change the appearance of the composition. Proper care of plants is also important.