Flowers for Balcony Planters: Sun, Shade, Wind and Window Boxes

The best flowers for balcony planters match the light the planter gets. In sun, Clemson Extension suggests geraniums, petunias, verbena and trailing lantana. In shade, try impatiens, tuberous begonias and fuchsia. On a windy balcony, the RHS favors plants with narrow, gray or waxy leaves. Combine a tall thriller, a filler and a trailing spiller.

This guide is part of what to grow on a balcony.

Flowers for sunny balcony planters

Sunny balcony planters suit a long list of flowers. Clemson Cooperative Extension’s list for hanging baskets and window boxes in sun includes geranium, ivy-leafed geranium, petunia, verbena, trailing lantana, fan flower, French marigold, gazania, sweet alyssum, moss rose, annual vinca, creeping zinnia, dusty miller and licorice plant.

The Royal Horticultural Society calls pelargoniums, the plants usually sold as geraniums, hard to beat on a balcony, and says sedums and lavenders thrive on rooftops. Count your hours of direct sun before you buy; what to grow on a balcony explains how.

Flowers for shady balcony planters

Shady balcony planters need a different list. For part shade or shade, Clemson names pansy, impatiens, tuberous begonia, caladium, coleus, polka dot plant, purple shamrock and trailing fuchsia. Mississippi State University Extension warns against the opposite mistake: a flower suited to shade will struggle once it is placed in full sun.

Thriller, filler and spiller in one planter

Thriller, filler and spiller is a simple way to plant one container in three layers. Penn State Extension describes thrillers as tall plants that add height at the center or back, such as spikes, canna lilies, caladiums and tall ornamental grasses. Fillers are rounded plants that fill around them, such as lantana, nemesia, diascia and coleus. Spillers trail over the edge, such as sweet potato vine, creeping Jenny and trailing petunias.

Mississippi State gives one combination for each kind of light:

Penn State adds that every plant in the container should share the same needs and suit the spot where the container sits.

Flowers for windy balconies

Windy balconies favor tough, low plants. The RHS says plants with narrow, gray or waxy leaves cope best, that grasses suit wind because their narrow leaves let it pass through, and that sempervivums handle exposed spots. It suggests containers with a low center of gravity, such as long, low planters, and advises against small pots. In warm, windy weather, the RHS says plants may need water once or twice a day.

Window boxes and railing planters for flowers

Window boxes and railing planters hold flowers at eye level, but they hold little mix. Clemson says to use a lightweight soilless mix and boxes with drainage holes, to plant much closer than in a bed, and to put trailing plants at the edges with upright ones at the center or back. Water when the mix feels dry 1 inch down, which in hot weather can mean daily or even twice a day.

For feeding, Clemson suggests a half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks from spring through summer, or time-release pellets, used as the label directs. Our guide to potting mix for containers covers what to fill the box with.

Choose the box by your rail: railing planters covers clamp and over-the-rail types, and window boxes covers boxes on brackets.

Hanging baskets and trailing flowers

Hanging baskets suit the trailing flowers on Clemson’s sun list, such as ivy-leafed geranium, trailing petunia, fan flower and trailing lantana, and trailing fuchsia in shade. Baskets dry out fast in sun and wind, so check them every day in summer. Our guides to hanging planters and coco liners cover hooks, weight and liners. An empty railing box or hanging planter also makes a good spring present; see our Mother’s Day garden gifts.