table of contents
- Hanging plants for the balcony
- For sunny locations
- Sun to partial shade
- Partial shade to shade
- frequently asked Questions
Balcony plants transform the balcony into a magnificent sea of flowers. Hanging plants bloom particularly profusely on your balcony, as their overhanging shoots grow downwards like a waterfall.
In a nutshell
- hanging balcony plants form magnificent seas of flowers
- Hanging plants are suitable for the balcony box and / or the hanging basket
- Care should be taken when cleaning out
Hanging plants for the balcony
There are balcony plants with overhanging growth from many plants that also grow upright. Therefore, the hanging varieties often have additional names such as:
- "Pendula" ("hanging down")
- Cascade or Cascade series (waterfall)
- Fontaine (fountain)
In addition to these mostly special varieties, climbing plants are also "converted" into hanging plants for the balcony. Because many of these plants let their tendrils droop when you have to do without help. The same applies to ground cover. If they lack the ground, they grow hanging from the hanging basket.
For sunny locations
Blue Mauritius (Convolvulus sabatius)
- Shoot length: 50 to 100 centimeters
- Flower: funnel-shaped
- Flowering period: May to September / October
- Flower color: blue, purple, lavender
- Watering: needs a lot of water
- Fertilize: weekly with a compound fertilizer
- Cleaning out: necessary
Blue Daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia)
- Shoot length: up to 60 centimeters
- Flower: similar to margertites
- Flowering period: April to September
- Flower color: white, pink, purple (lavender), blue
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilize: every two weeks (iron-containing compound fertilizer)
- Cleaning out: necessary
Dipladenia (Mandevilla)
- Shoot length: up to 120 centimeters
- Flower: funnel-shaped flowers
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: white, yellow, pink, red
- Location: sunny, does not tolerate blazing sun
- Watering: moderate but regular
- Fertilize: every one to two weeks
- Cleaning out: not necessary
- highly poisonous
Note: The white-flowering species "Mandevilla laxa" is often also called Chilean jasmine.
Blue fan flower (Scaevola aemula)
- Shoot length: 40 to 70 centimeters
- Flower: asymmetrical, fan-like, semicircular
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: white, pink, blue
- Watering: needs a lot of water
- Fertilizing: every two weeks
- Cleaning out: not necessary
Triple flower (bougainvillea)
- Shoot length: up to 120 centimeters
- Flower: funnel-shaped, star-shaped
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: purple
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilizing: every two weeks
- Cleaning out: recommended
Hanging geraniums (Pelargonium x peltatum, Pelargonium peltatum-Hybride)
- Shoot length: up to 150 centimeters
- Flower: simple, semi-double, double
- Flower color: white, pink, pink, light red, red, dark wine red, purple-black-red, two-colored
- Flowering period: May to October
- Watering: needs plenty of water, tolerates short dry periods
- Fertilizing: once a week
- Cleaning out: necessary
Tip: With the Cascade series, cleaning is not necessary.
Hanging petunias (petunia hybrid)
- Shoot length: up to several meters
- Flower: funnel-shaped
- Flower color: pink, magenta, dark red, light red, also colored (e.g. E.g.: yellow-red)
- Flowering period: May to October
- Location: protected from wind and rain
- Watering: regular water supply
- Fertilizing: once a week (iron-containing compound fertilizer)
- Cleaning out: necessary
Note: The shoot length of hanging petunias is different. There are slightly overhanging varieties for hanging baskets, and really long varieties for window boxes.
Hanging verbena (Verbena x hybrida)
- Shoot length: up to 50 centimeters
- Blossom: plate-like flower spikes
- Flowering period: April to October
- Flower color: white, pink, red, purple, also colorful
- Location: tolerates blazing sun, great heat, wind and rain
- Watering: regularly, never let dry out completely
- Fertilizing: once a week
- Cleaning out: necessary
Tip: There are special varieties for hanging baskets that grow particularly densely.
Hussar button (Sanvitalia procumbens)
- Hanging varieties: Starbini, Aztec gold
- Shoot length: up to 30 centimeters
- Flower: small, radial
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: yellow
- Location: tolerates partial shade, defies wind and rain
- Watering: regularly and sufficiently
- Fertilize: every one to two weeks
- Cleaning out: not necessary
Indian Mint (Satureja douglasii)
- Other names: hanging mint, hanging savory, yerba buena
- Shoot length: up to 250 centimeters, on average 150 centimeters
- Leaves: light green, rounded
- Flower: small, inconspicuous
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: white
- Watering: regularly, slowly
- Cleaning out: necessary
Note: The hanging plant Satureja douglasii gives off a mint-like smell on your balcony.
Jasmine Nightshade (Solanum jasminoides)
- Shoot length: up to one meter
- Flower: star-shaped
- Flowering period: April to November
- Flower color: snow white
- Location: Sun, also accepts partial shade
- Watering: high water requirement, daily in summer
- Fertilizing: once a week
- Cleaning out: not necessary
Note: Since the summer jasmine displaces many other plants, it is better to keep it in a hanging basket.
Purslane florets (Portulaca grandiflora)
- Shoot length: up to 50 centimeters
- Flower: cup-shaped
- Flowering period: May to September
- Flower color: white, yellow, orange, pink, red
- Pouring: economical
- Fertilize: every four weeks
- Cleaning out: necessary
Note: When the sun is not shining, the purslane keeps its flowers closed.
Black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata)
- Shoot length: up to 150 centimeters
- Flower: funnel-shaped flowers
- Flowering period: June to October
- Flower color: white, yellow, orange, pink, red
- Watering: do not let it dry out
- Fertilizing: every two weeks
- Cleaning out: necessary
Surfinia Hanging Petunia (Petunia x atkinsiana)
- Shoot length: up to one meter
- Flower: funnel-shaped
- Flowering period: May / June to October
- Flower color: white, yellow, pink, red, lavender, dark red, violet, blue, also colorful
- Location: Sun, tolerates rain much better than other petunias
- Watering: needs a lot of water
- Fertilizing: once or twice a week
- Cleaning out: necessary
Magic bells (Calibrachoa x hybrida)
- Shoot length: 30 to 50 centimeters
- Flower: small funnel-shaped flowers
- Flowering period: April to October
- Flower color: almost all colors, also multicolored
- Location: tolerates wind and rain
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilizing: occasionally
- Cleaning out: not necessary
(Gold-) two-tooth (Bidens ferulifolia)
- Shoot length: 50 to 80 centimeters
- Flower: many small star-shaped flowers
- Flowering period: April / May to October
- Flower color: yellow, orange, multicolored (yellow and orange shades)
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilizing: weekly
- Cleaning out: recommended
Sun to partial shade
Bacopa (Sutera cordata, Sutera diffusa, Chaenostoma cordatum)
- also called snowflake flower in trade
- Shoot length: 50 centimeters
- Flower: small, plate-like
- Flowering period: May to October
- Flower color: white, pink, lilac, blue
- Location: sun to partial shade
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilizing: once a week
- Cleaning out: necessary
Wire bush (Muehlenbeckia complexa)
- Shoot length: a good 100 centimeters
- Ornamental foliage plant
- Watering: keep evenly moist
- Fertilizing: once a month
- Cleaning out: not necessary
Golden yellow pennywort (Lysimachia nummularia)
- Shoot length: a good 50 centimeters
- Flower: small, cup-shaped
- Flowering period: May to July / August
- Flower color: yellow
- Location: no blazing sun
- Watering: high water requirement, do not allow to dry out
- Fertilizing: once a month
- Cleaning out: necessary
- Variety: Yellow-leaved pennywort "Aurea" (yellowish leaves)
Hanging carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus)
- other common names: mountain carnation, Tyrolean carnation, Engadin hanging carnation, Swiss hanging carnation
- Shoot length: up to 50 centimeters
- Flower: double
- Flowering period: May / June to October
- Flower color: white, pink, red, purple, yellow
- Location: Sun (preferred) to partial shade
- Watering: need a lot of water, watering mornings and evenings on hot summer days
- Fertilizing: every two weeks
- Cleaning out: necessary
Harp bush (Plectranthus fruticosus)
- Shoot length: up to 100 centimeters
- giving structure between summer flowers or as a solitaire in the traffic light
- Ornamental foliage plant: heart-shaped, green with a white border
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilizing: once or twice a month
- intense smell drives away mosquitoes and moths ("Moth King")
Note: In gardening shops, the harp bush is often sold under the name "incense" because of its scent.
Loyal to men (Lobelia erinus)
The hanging Männertreu varieties are available from specialist garden shops under the name “Cascade Series” or “Lobelia erinus pendula”. They are perfect hanging plants for your balcony.
- Shoot length: up to one meter
- Flower: small, cup-shaped
- Flowering period: May to September
- Flower color: white, pink, red, blue, purple, lavender
- Location: Sun to partial shade, tolerates great heat
- Watering: regularly and sufficiently
- Fertilizing: once a week
- Cleaning out: necessary
Silver rain (Dichondra argentea)
- Shoot length: up to 180 centimeters
- Ornamental foliage plant
- Leaves: heart-shell-shaped, rounded
- Flower: yellow-green
- Watering: keep evenly moist
- Fertilizing: once a month
- Varieties: Emerald Falls (medium green), Silver Falls (silvery)
Partial shade to shade
Hanging fuchsia (Fuchsia x hybrida)
- Shoot length: up to 60 centimeters
- Flower: bell flowers
- Flowering period: April to October
- Flower color: many colors, also multicolored
- Location: partial shade and more shady places
- Watering: regularly
- Fertilize: every two weeks (low-phosphorus fertilizer)
- Cleaning out: necessary
Note: Hanging fuchsias come into their own better in the traffic light than in the balcony box. Triphylla hybrids tolerate the sun very well.
Zebra ampelkraut (Tradescantia zebrina)
- Shoot length: up to 150 centimeters
- Ornamental foliage plant: silvery-white or silvery-dark purple stripes
- Leaves: heart-shaped
- Location: bright, shady, partially shaded
- Watering: keep rather dry
- Fertilizing: every two weeks
- regular pruning of older shoots
frequently asked Questions
No, you can use normal window boxes. So that the hanging plants grow faster over the edge, you should plant them at a slight angle to the outer edge. Plants that only slightly overhang are good for the side edges.
Structuring plants are decorative foliage plants that are usually placed in the traffic lights between the flowering plants. They serve as a dividing wall and put the blooming balcony plants even more in the limelight.
This is basically possible if you use a planter with the appropriate height. So that the view "from above" is just as pretty, you should combine the hanging plants with upright plants.
