If there is no garden or other green recreational area available in the vicinity of your own apartment, the balcony belonging to the apartment takes on a deeper meaning beyond its function as a smoking area and tumble dryer location as a place for fresh air in the sun. However, this can only offer the promised recreational value, especially in the middle of urban development, if there is a certain level of privacy that ensures a minimum level of privacy in a comfortable and aesthetic way.
Which plants are suitable as privacy screens for the balcony?
Standing balcony plants such as geraniums, fuchsias and petunias, blooming flowers such as gladiolus and tulips, climbing plants such as clematis and climbing nasturtiums as well as bamboo and sweet grasses such as zebra grass are suitable as privacy screens for the balcony. Depending on space and desire, these can provide privacy.
Protect your own balcony from prying eyes
As a rule, balcony plants do not grow particularly tall, but rather grow hanging, so that they can cover the balcony railing, which is often not particularly aesthetic, with a real shower of flowers. In order to achieve a certain degree of privacy by extending the balcony railing upwards, it is better to choose “standing” versions of geraniums, fuchsias and petunias for planting the balcony boxes. In order for them to grow he althily, they must be watered daily in the morning or evening on hot days. It also doesn't hurt to supply the plants with a suitable liquid fertilizer (€14.00 on Amazon) about every two weeks.
Plant flower boxes with tall plants
Various flowers such as gladioli and tulips can also be considered as flowering privacy screens for the balcony. A pretty shrub or bed rose also offers perennial flowers, but these sometimes need to be protected from the winter cold on the balcony. Some conifers and trees such as Thuja occidentalis and boxwood are also used for the evergreen privacy hedge on the balcony. If this is permitted at all according to the respective house rules, the trees should be cut back regularly. Oversized specimens offer a lot of attack surface for the wind during autumn gusts and, in the worst case, can even loosen parts of the balcony railing from its anchorage.
Climbing plants on the balcony
Basically, a balcony can also be protected from prying eyes from neighbors with pretty flowering climbing plants. However, if it is the balcony of an apartment building with neighbors above and below your own balcony, it is not advisable to use rampant climbing plants such as wisteria or wild vine. For greening nets and trellises, it is better to use an annual and fast-growing climbing plant:
- Clematis
- Trailing nasturtium
- Black-Eyed Susan
- Morning glory
Bamboo as a privacy screen on the balcony
Bamboo is also enjoying growing popularity as a privacy plant on the balcony, as it (ideally) offers green leaves all year round and an attractive appearance. When selecting plants, be sure to choose low-growing varieties and note that many varieties are not necessarily hardy in the exposed position on a balcony.
Tip
Many bamboo species are only very suitable as balcony plants due to their growth characteristics and location requirements. Alternatively, sweet grasses such as zebra grass can be used instead of bamboo, but these also require relatively high planters for their pronounced roots.
