As decorative permanent guests, hardy potted plants should not be missing on the balcony. In every season, frost-resistant ornamental trees characterize the successful balcony design with attributes such as evergreen leaves, beautiful flowers and colorful fruit decorations. This guide introduces you to recommended balcony plants that can easily overwinter outside.
Which hardy plants are suitable for pots on the balcony?
Winter-hardy potted plants for the balcony include mahonia, barberry 'Jytte', laurel rose, Mediterranean viburnum and dwarf rhododendron. These plants are frost-resistant and offer attractive foliage, beautiful flowers and colorful fruit decorations all year round. Shade bells, bergenia, scarlet fuchsia, ostrich fern and golden-edged sedge are suitable for shady areas.
Evergreen, blooming and hardy – premium potted plants for the balcony
Evergreen potted plants with robust winter hardiness are the indispensable representatives for year-round greenery on the balcony. When flowers, perennials and tropical summer plants retreat in winter, the following ornamental trees bravely hold their ground:
| Evergreen, hardy potted plants | botanical name | Growth height | Flowers | Flowering time | special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahony | Mahonia aquifolium | 80 to 120 cm | golden yellow umbels | April and May | beautiful autumn colors |
| Barberry ‘Jytte’ | Berberis candidula | 80 to 100 cm | yellow bell flowers | May and June | cushion-shaped growth |
| Laurel Rose | Kalmia latifolia | 80 to 100 cm | pink sea of flowers | June | bright red buds in May |
| Mediterranean Snowball | Viburnum tinus | 80 to 150 cm | white-pink umbels | March to April | Steel blue fruit decoration, shiny green leaves |
| Dwarf Rhododendron | Rhododendron micranthum | 50 to 100 cm | numerous colorful varieties | May/June to June/July | easy to cut |
Although these potted plants are reliably hardy, we recommend additional protection in the form of a cover made of winter fleece (€23.00 on Amazon) and a wooden block as a base.
Floral problem solvers for low-light locations – shade bloomers for the pot
When balcony gardeners struggle with shady niches, the following problem solvers for imaginative greenery come into play. These hardy potted plants create floral moments of happiness when light is in short supply on the balcony:
| Shade-tolerant potted plants for the balcony | botanical name | Growth height | Bloom | Flowering time | special feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Bells 'Carnaval' | Pieris japonica | 80 to 100 cm | white | March and April | fire-red leaf shoots |
| Bergenia 'Abendglut' | Bergenia cordifolia | 40 to 50 cm | dark purple | April and May | wintergreen |
| Scarlet-Fuchsia | Fuchsia magellanica | 80 to 100 cm | red | July to October | rare, hardy fuchsia |
| European Ostrich Fern | Matteuccia struthiopteris | 80 to 120 cm | no flowers | no flowering period | ostrich feather-like fronds |
| Gold-edged sedge 'Aureovariegata' | Carex morrowii | 30 to 40 cm | no flowers | no flowering period | yellow-white edged stalks |
Tip
With a clever fertilization strategy you can strengthen the frost hardiness of your balcony plants in the pot. For this purpose, switch the nutrient supply to a potassium-rich fertilizer in late summer. Among other things, potassium has the special property of lowering the freezing point in cell water. Comfrey manure, liquid potassium fertilizer from specialist retailers or patent potash are well suited.
