Wild plants are valuable sources of food for bees, bumblebees and butterflies. They are perfect for greening a balcony. You can decorate your balcony with wild perennials in tubs, green facades with climbing plants or create a mini pond with aquatic plants.
Rockroses thrive on sunny balconies
Wildflowers in a pot
Perennials are suitable for planting in tubs, which can remain on the balcony in winter. Choose perennials that prefer dry locations. They have no problems with the small amount of space and the moderate nutrient content in the substrate. With a clever combination of species of different heights with different flowering times, you can enjoy the abundance of flowers throughout the growing season.
You should pay attention to the following when compiling:
- Choose species that grow at different heights
- Mix taller growing species with low creeping plants
- place a medium-sized plant in the flower box (€16.99) every ten centimetres
The Carthusian carnation with its violet flowers, the erect ziest with its white petals and the yellow-flowering rockrose are considered to be plants in dry locations. Like the marsh marigold, the thick-leaved stonecrop serves as a low-growing gap filler.
Plant balcony bars and walls
Many balconies offer more space in height than in area. Climbing and creeping plants are suitable for greening bare facades, creating privacy screens and enclosing secluded niches. With a climbing aid you can control the growth of the plants. Perennial self-climbing plants that do not require climbing aids tend to spread uncontrolled.
Types and varieties of clematis that do not grow higher than two meters are suitable as climbing plants for climbing aids. The honeysuckle is a vigorous climbing plant that grows up to six meters high. Unlike these species, ivy is not a creeper but a climber that anchors itself to a surface with adhesive roots. Ivy grows slowly and prefers shady locations.
Climbing roses ensure a lush bloom. With unfilled varieties you offer insects a valuable food source. Double flowers do not produce nectar. Wild hop is a fast-growing perennial for shady locations that needs a lot of moisture. Among the annual climbing plants, nasturtium, runner bean, Thunbergia and sweet pea are popular.
Aquatic plants in the mini pond
An old barrel or a waterproof vessel is suitable as a biotope for aquatic plants. It should be half filled with loamy sand and then filled with water. Place the mini pond in a shady spot. Direct sunlight offers ideal growth conditions for algae. Water fleas and water snails act as natural filters. They feed on dead plant matter. Floating leaf plants are suitable for planting.
Frog bite and floating pondweed or dwarf water lilies are ideal for the mini pond. Fir fronds grow both under water and above the water surface. The aquatic plant develops dark green shoots that stick out of the water like small fir trees. Plant marsh plants such as the yellow iris or swan flower in a pot that is placed in the water. This visual eye-catcher attracts insects such as water beetles or dragonflies.