In March, the first early bloomers stick their heads out of the ground and chase away the winter blues with a colorful blossom. With the right choice of plants, new buds will appear as soon as the first flowers have faded. From June to August, planting in the flower box transforms the balcony into a colorful sea of flowers. And after that it should all be over? Thanks to well thought-out year-round planting, the balcony does not have to look dreary even when the temperature is below zero. The following plants are ideal for planting a flower box all year round.
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How does year-round planting work?
Getting a garden to bloom all year round is easy. If you have the necessary know-how and deal with the flowering times of various perennials or shrubs, you can combine them in such a way that a plant provides color in the beds at any time of the year. A balcony, on the other hand, offers little space.
In this case, exchange boxes are recommended. While the current plants are still blooming, the gardener is already preferring the next ones. Just in time for the change of seasons, he then exchanges the flower boxes. It makes sense to continue to care for the withered plants in the house, so that a cost-intensive purchase in the coming year is not necessary.
Plant flower boxes in spring
Eriken
Flowering period: January to March
Location: sunny to semi-shady
Substrate: moist, light, nutritious
Care instructions: cut back and apply fertilizer after flowering
grasses
- Location: varies from variety to variety from sunny to semi-shady
- Substrate: very nutritious
- Care Instructions: Cut back in spring
Grasses are available in an incredible range of species and are also very easy to care for. From ground-covering to upright to overhanging growth form, the choice is unlimited. Not only local varieties are popular. Some grasses bring exotic flair to the balcony.
Hyazinthen
- Location: full sun, bright, facing south
- Substrate: conventional potting soil mixed with peat or sand, moist
- no waterlogging
Hyacinths are the heralds of spring par excellence. With their pompous flowers, they bring color to the balcony. But be careful, as beautiful as the flowers are, they contain slightly toxic saponins. Just coming into contact with the flower bulb can cause skin irritation.
lily of the valley
- Location: shade or partial shade
- Growth height: 15-30 cm
- flower color. White
- perennial
The lily of the valley beguiles on the balcony with its beguiling scent and white, innocent blossom. But appearances are deceptive. This planting is also poisonous. But the lily of the valley is very undemanding in terms of care and location.
daffodils
- Location: sunny
- Substrate: wet soil
- Fertilize: after flowering with a phosphate-reduced complete fertilizer
- Flowering time: March and April
- Flower color: yellow
Daffodils, also known as daffodils, let the sun rise on the balcony with their bright yellow flowers. The experienced gardener knows not to cut off the blossoms until the flower has fully bloomed, lest it die.
Note: Due to the different location requirements, daffodils and tulips do not get along in one planter.
First
- Location: bright and sunny
- Flowering time: from January to April, depending on the variety
- Flower color: red, yellow. purple, white, pink or multicolored
Primroses offer the gardener the opportunity to find exactly the right flower color to create a harmonious look on the balcony. Hardly any other early bloomer has such a variety of colours. Incidentally, late-flowering specimens are also available.
pansies
- Plant genus: Violet
- Location: partially shaded to sunny
- Substrate: rich in nutrients and permeable
Pansies are very popular for planting in the flower box all year round. On the one hand, this is due to the large selection of flower colors and, on the other hand, to the robustness with which the flower convinces under favorable conditions. In order to promote this even more, we recommend an additional enrichment of the substrate with compost or humus.
Tulips
- Flowering time: spring
- Planting time: September to November
- undemanding to the location
What would spring be without its colorful tulips?! The graceful flowers are satisfied with almost any substrate, but they want to be watered regularly, whereby no waterlogging should occur. Light frost does not harm the plants. For optimal plant growth, the gardener should apply some organic fertilizer.
Plant flower boxes in summer
Blue fan flower
- Flower Appearance: Fan-shaped, blue to violet
- Flowering time: early summer until the first frost
- maximum growth height: up to 20 cm
- Location: sunny
The blue fan flower impresses with its hanging shoots that make their way out of the flower box. This makes it ideal for hanging baskets. For this, however, the flower needs a lot of light. In the shade it has a rather meager growth.
Clematis
- Growth form: climbing
- maximum growth height: 2.5 to 3 m
- Location: rather shady
Since the clematis likes to climb up pillars or trellises, a balcony is the ideal location for the clematis. Depending on the variety, the flowering period begins in April and lasts throughout the summer. In addition, the plant is very undemanding. There are only two things to consider when choosing the bucket: on the one hand, it needs drainage to avoid waterlogging, and on the other hand, the capacity should be at least 25 liters.
Fat Her
- Location: sunny
- Substrate: dry
The fat hen has very unusual demands on her care. In addition to a full sun location, it loves dry soil that the gardener only has to water in long-lasting heat.
Geranien
- Location: sunny
- Substrate: well aerated, no conventional potting soil with a high water content
Geraniums are among the most popular balcony plants ever. The sun worshipers are available in numerous flower colors, some of which are also two-tone. If you want to benefit from the flower all year round, you should also water it on rainy days. In addition, frost protection is absolutely necessary.
lavender
- Flowering period: June to August
- Substrate: dry, poor in nutrients
- Location: full sun
Lavender is a true all-rounder on the balcony. It not only sets color accents, but also drives away mosquitoes with its scent and ensures relaxation. In order for the plant to develop splendidly, the gardener should cut it back by two thirds after the last frost and the budding. After flowering, cut back again.
Margeriten
- Flowering period: May to October
- very undemanding
- Flower color: mostly white, less often pink, reddish or yellow
- Location: sunny to semi-shady
Marguerites need neither fertilizer nor other complex care measures. A sufficient amount of water and permeable soil alone are crucial for healthy growth. In order for the flowers to develop well, sufficient planting distance is required.
midday gold
- Flower color: white, red, reddish brown, soft pink, yellow
- Flowering time: from June
- maximum growth height: up to 30 cm
- Location: sunny, as warm as possible
- Frost hardiness: down to -5°C
The midday gold is also known under the name Gazanie. The flower convinces with its bushy growth and is ideal for planting in the flower box all year round, as the flowering lasts until autumn.
Petunien
- Flowering time: spring to autumn
- Location: sunny, warm
- Planting distance: 20 cm
With a sufficient amount of water , petunias almost blow up the hanging basket thanks to their lush flowering. They are therefore indispensable as balcony plants. The choice of varieties is immense. New breeds come onto the market every year.
Schönmalve
- Location: bright, sunny but not blazing sun, sheltered from rain and wind
- Substrate: nutrient-rich uniform soil
- evergreen
The flower mallow, which comes from South America, delights the gardener all year round with small, bell-shaped flowers.
Vanilleblume
- Flowering time: summer to autumn
- poisonous
Not only the scent of the vanilla flower is particularly impressive. She always turns her head to the sun, which is how her nickname solstice came about. The vanilla flower needs a lot of water.
Balcony plants for autumn
cyclamen
- Location: bright, no direct sun
- Temperature conditions: 15-20°C
A balcony decoration from the Alps? You’re wrong , the cyclamen conjures up a Mediterranean flair in the flower box, because it grows in the wild in Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Turkey. It tolerates neither drought nor waterlogging.
Astern
- Flowering time: from spring to November, depending on the variety
- Flower color: white, red, blue, pink, purple
The ideal location varies greatly from variety to variety. Early asters prefer the sun, late flowering varieties prefer the shade. The growth height is also very different. It ranges from small plants to specimens three meters tall. However, all asters have one thing in common: they attract numerous bumblebees and insects.
Bergen
- Location: both sun and shade
- Substrate: humic, well drained
The Bergenia is the perfect perennial for lazy gardeners. In terms of care, she hardly makes any demands. Only waterlogging should not occur.
Bleiwurz
- Location: sunny
- fast growing
- evergreen
The lead root enchants with its tropical appearance. As a climbing plant, it takes up the balcony railing. However, it requires regular watering from its owner.
checkerberry
- poisonous
- hardy
- high water demand
The checkerberry came to Europe from Canada and is suitable both as a bed plant and for the flower box. However, the latter form of cultivation is somewhat more complex. The gardener should use mulch to protect the substrate from drying out. In addition, he may only use decalcified water for watering.
spurge
- Location: sunny to semi-shady
- Substrate: rich in nutrients, permeable
With a long flowering period and an enormous variety of species, the spurge finally conquers the hearts of gardeners. She has good adaptability to her environment. However, their plant parts are poisonous.
Balcony plants for the winter
Eriken also impress with their bushy inflorescences in the cold season. They should be sown from March/April. Due to the variety of colors of the flowers (purple, pink, white, red), combinations create beautiful year-round planting.
Peat myrtle
- Growth habit: short, growing in width
- evergreen
- Flowering period: May to June
- Location sun or shade
The peat myrtle, which remains small, is denied a view over the balcony railing. Nevertheless, the gardener should often shorten their shoots in terms of expansion. But not at the time when purple, white, pink or red berries adorn their foliage.
Purpurglöckchen
- Flowering period: May to August
- Location: sunny to semi-shady
- Substrate: humic and nutritious
The amber-red, heart-shaped leaves of the purple bells are a real eye-catcher. There are numerous varieties, each more beautiful than the last. With a lack of light, however, the plant loses its impressive appearance.
Plants that can stay in the flower box all year round are also suitable for planting in the flower box all year round. Here is a small selection:
- Combinations of small shrubs and hardy flowering plants
- perennials
- climbing plants
