Balcony box planting plays an important role in the creative design of the house and garden. Numerous imaginative options transform your flower box into a miniature plant paradise. You can find out how to plant your balcony boxes correctly throughout all seasons here.
How do I plant balcony boxes correctly?
Plant balcony boxes correctly: 1. Start after the Ice Saints (mid-May).2. Choose plants suitable for sunny or partially shaded locations. 3. Prepare the flower box with water drainage and drainage. 4. Use high-quality, peat-free potting soil. 5. Dip the root ball in water. 6. Maintain a hand-width planting distance.
Ideas for summer balcony box planting
So that your balcony shows off its most beautiful side in summer, the starting signal is given in mid-May. After the Ice Saints, the planting time for summer flowers and perennials in the flower box begins. Perennial bloomers are now very popular and bathe the balcony in a sea of flowers from May to late summer. The following two planting suggestions for the fully sunny south balcony and the partially shaded west/east balcony may serve your inspiration:
Flower box for sunny locations
- Little Girl's Eye 'Robin' (Coreopsis lanceolata 'Robin'), yellow flowers with red-brown eye
- Ornamental sage 'Blue Hill' (Salvia nemorosa), blue flower spikes
- Mosquito grass (Bouteloua gracilis), horizontal, brownish flower spikes
- Carpathian bellflower (Campanula carpatica 'Blue Clips'), sky blue cup flowers
- Carpet phlox 'White Admiral' (Phlox douglasii), purple flowers
- Sedum 'Carl' (Sedum spectabile), pink flowers
Flower box for partially shaded locations
- 1 White Candytuft 'White Dwarf' (Iberis sempervirens), white flowers
- 2 Purple bells 'Frosted Violet' (Heuchera micrantha), white flowers
- 2 Blue periwinkle (Vinca minor), blue flowers
- 2 mountain sedges (Carex montana), yellow spike flowers
- 1 Ball primrose 'Rubin' (Primula denticulata), ruby red flowers
- 1 Ball primrose 'Alba' (Primula denticulata), white flowers
- 2 Brown cranesbill 'Samobor' (Geranium phaeum), violet-brown flowers
Instead of planting a uniform flower box with red geraniums or white hanging petunias, these two planting suggestions are recommended as varied alternatives.
Planting suggestions for autumn and winter on the balcony
When the beauty of geraniums, petunias, gold baskets and carnations fades in late summer, another window of opportunity opens for creative balcony box planting. The perennials of summer are now passing the floral baton to hardy survivalists with a very special mission. To prevent melancholy from spreading on the balcony during the dark season, the following plants are perfect:
- Winter heather (Erica carnea 'Whisky') with orange-bronze-yellow needle leaves and ruby red flowers from February; 15-20cm
- Roller spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) delights with roller shoots with grey-green-blue decorative leaves; 15-20cm
- Red carpet berry (Gaultheria procumbens) with oval, smooth-edged leaves and bright red berries; 10-20cm
- Purple bells (Heuchera), colorful, beautifully marked leaves with a silvery shimmer; 20-30cm
You can loosen up your balcony box planting for the winter with delicate, small-growing ornamental grasses. Choose wintergreen species and varieties, such as Japanese gold sedge (Carex oshimensis 'Evergold') or dwarf blue fescue (Festuca Cinerea hybrid 'Dwarf King').
Christmas rose as a winter balcony box planting
The Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) enchants us with pure white to crimson flowers in the middle of the winter. The native perennial is naturally faithful to its location. Once planted, it would like to remain in its location for up to 25 years. The winter queen still tolerates a short tryst in the winter flower box. So you can safely plant the snow rose in a large balcony box in autumn, enjoy the beautiful winter blossoms and put the perennial in the garden bed in spring.
Herbs in the balcony box – planting suggestions for the mini herb garden
With herbs as a balcony box plant, you benefit twice. Numerous species bloom in wonderful colors in summer and provide an aromatic harvest. Prime examples of herbs include sage (Salvia officinalis), lemon thyme 'Variegatus' (Thymus citriodorus), marjoram (Origanum dictamnus) and lavender 'Dwarf Blue' (Lavandula angustifolia). On the sunny, warm balcony, with the roots stretched out in herb soil, you can get the best out of the herb plants.
Professional tips for planting technology – this is what you should pay attention to
Before you implement these planting suggestions, please prepare the flower box professionally. If there are no openings in the floor for water drainage, drill them yourself. Then spread out a drainage system consisting of inorganic materials such as pottery shards or pebbles. Only then do you fill in a high-quality, peat-free potting soil (€12.00 at Amazon) as a substrate, which is ideally enriched with perlite breathing flakes for perfect permeability.
Before placing a plant in the flower box, immerse the potted root ball in water until no more air bubbles appear. Ideally, you should use collected rainwater or stale tap water. Young plants that are so well supplied with water root quickly and do not suffer from drought stress. Experience has shown that it is easier to remove a pot from a damp root ball anyway.
When measuring the planting distances, please remember that the plants will increase in height and width. So don't succumb to the temptation to place the flowers and perennials close together so that the arrangement looks decorative right from the start. After a short time, the plants will pressure each other and hinder their growth. To plant a flower box correctly, the rule of thumb is to plant a hand's width apart.
Tip
It's amazing how many delicious vegetables are suitable for planting on balcony boxes. Sweet peas, crunchy snack cucumbers, delicious mini pumpkins and tempting red marble tomatoes thrive in the flower box with trellis. Vitamin-rich lamb's lettuce and American lettuce grow just as lushly and vitally in the balcony box as juicy strawberries. As a substrate, we recommend organic vegetable soil with sheep's wool, such as Compo Bio Universal Soil.
