In the garden, on your balcony or on your terrace, winter is usually considered a “down time” where there is not much to do while waiting for spring. That's not true. Winter is a great time to decorate your outdoor space and there are many plants to choose from. That's why many people want to know: "Which hardy balcony plants thrive outside all year round?"
Combinations of colorful flowers, leaves and stems can be very striking. With the right plants, you can create an effective, low-maintenance decoration that will brighten even the dreariest of days. Think of the possibilities presented by plants that can climb, provide privacy, or hang.
With the right planting on your balcony, you can reap all the benefits of garden care for your health and well-being without having to worry about the tedious work. You can make the most of your balcony with one of the many creative balcony garden designs.
Make sure your container can withstand the cold weather before planting in your winter pot. Avoid using terracotta pots for your winter decor, or look for frost-proof pots and containers. For colder months, use containers made of plastic, fiberglass, or wood. Frost-proof containers are preferable as they cannot break even when temperatures drop. Pot feet allow the pots to be raised off the ground so that water can drain away and reduce the risk of waterlogging and frost damage.
Plants for balcony boxes
Unfortunately, just because you can keep your balcony plants alive all year round doesn't mean they will always bloom. Instead of worrying about whether your balcony plants will bloom or not, you should choose plants whose foliage is still an eye-catcher even after the flowers have faded. But even if you decide on permanent planting, you can have plants and flowers on your balcony. Hardy plants such as sunflowers, Christmas roses, winter jasmine or azaleas can be planted permanently in balcony boxes and bring lots of color to your balcony. The plants on your balcony can vary greatly depending on their location. Some of the most popular plants for balcony boxes are also: sedum, ice plant, candytuft, skimmia, purple bells.
Year-round plants for balcony boxes – south-facing balconies
Sun-loving plants for the whole winter are suitable for the south-facing balcony. Some perennial balcony plants have problems with the high temperatures in summer, even if they survive the winter well. If your balcony faces south, you should only put together a balcony box with plants that thrive in intense heat and light. These year-round balcony plants are perfect for sunny balconies and balcony boxes:
- snowdrop
- Spanish daisies
- Lavender
- Crocuses
- Chrysanthemums
- Traubenhyazinthen
- Storchschnäbel
- Arch love grass
Shade-loving plants for the north-facing balcony
Even if your north-facing balcony only gets a little sunlight, you still need to make sure that your plants feel comfortable. In addition to perennials, many grasses, ferns and foliage plants are also ideal for this function. You can grow these hardy balcony plants for shady balconies:
- Boxwood
- Begonia
- Scented violets
- Gold hostas
- faithful to men
- Pennywort
- Gold droplets
Herbs that survive the winter on the balcony
If flowers aren't that important to you, you can take a completely different approach to permanent balcony planting: do yourself a favor in your future kitchen by growing a variety of herbs that can be used all year round. Many of them require little care and can survive on the balcony all four seasons:
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- laurel
- sage
- Shrub basil
- Winterkresse
Hardy grasses for balconies
Enjoy the benefits of attractive grasses without worrying about their spread or potential invasiveness by planting popular evergreen grasses in a container. Here are some of the besthardy ornamental grasses, which you can plant in pots.
- Segge „Evergold“ – Carex oshimensis
The ever-golden center of the leaves gives this Carex plant its name. The leaves of this plant are naturally green, with a golden yellow stripe down the middle. This striped grass is known for its tolerance of partial shade and its ability to form gracefully curved, decorative stalks. The plant itself forms mounds that are as tall as they are wide, and its leaves are long and thin. It is ideal for growing in pots and containers as it only grows to around 30cm tall and provides color all year round.
- Blauschwingel „Intense Blue“ – Festuca glauca
Blue fescue is a beautiful grass that is perfect for a window box as it spreads a maximum of 30cm wide and reaches a height of just 40cm. It grows well in well-drained, dry or medium soil. The plant achieves best leaf growth in full sun, but can also survive in partial shade. The leaves of the “Intense blue” blue fescue turn a bright shade of blue, hence the name. The attractive grass with silver-blue leaves requires little care and is much easier to cultivate in a container than some other plants due to its extreme drought tolerance. Some may appreciate that it is not affected by pests and diseases. The grass is ideal for growing in containers to provide color all year round.
- Black Snakebeard “Niger” – Ophiopogon planiscapus “Nigrescens”
A perennial grass with striking black leaves, black snake's beard can make your balcony stand out in a sea of green and yellow plants. Plant it in full sun and it will reward you with dark green leaves and soft pink flowers all summer long.
Although it looks like a grass, the perennial plant is a member of the lily family and slowly spreads in clumps. Its full height and width are between 20 and 30 centimeters. The dark green, basal leaves of this plant almost disappear in the heat of summer. The bell-shaped flowers, which bloom on the arch throughout the summer, are initially white and gradually take on pink or purple hues. The dark purple berries that develop from these flowers are eye-catching all season long. Since it is one of the shorter grasses, it is ideal for growing in containers.
You can also plant these interesting and beautiful grasses for the balcony:
- Delicate feather grass
- Japan-Waldgras
- Fuchsrote Ass
- Miscanthus
- Pennisetum grass
Year-round hanging plants
One could even argue that winter hanging baskets have a slightly greater visual appeal than their summer counterparts. With a little more effort and research, you may be able to discover plants that offer more than just flowers and color, with stunningly beautiful leaves or textured plant parts to enjoy. In the winter balcony garden, when there isn't much else to see, all of this is particularly appreciated.
- ivy
Hanging baskets benefit greatly from planting with themclimbing green. However, due to its beautiful shape and evergreen nature, ivy is particularly suitable for use in winter gardens. If you are interested in oneIvy helixYou can't go wrong with any of the different varieties, but the colorful varieties are particularly beautiful. A “typical” ivy with its dark green, shiny foliage looks just as good in combination with other, lighter plants.
- Purpurglöckchen (Heuchera)
The bright colors of this hardy plant will brighten up your hanging containers in winter. Their leaves vary in color from bright green to a rich yellow in summer to a burnt orange in winter. Purple bells survive harsh winters and thrive in partial shade, but the dark-leaved varieties need some sun.
- Pfennigkraut (Lysimachia nummularia)
This evergreen hanging plant comes from the United Kingdom. Although full sun is ideal, pennywort can also be grown in dim light. The light green leaves turn yellow in direct sunlight and greener in partial shade. This plant makes a lovely accent for a winter hanging basket and, unless the winter is very harsh, should remain evergreen all season long.
Low, hardy shrubs for containers
- Besenheide (Calluna vulgaris)
Common heathers are planted for their flowers in late summer and fall, and sometimes for their colorful leaves in late fall and winter. They are native to Europe. In its homeland you can see a sea of pink, white or purple flowers rising above the almost invisible foliage. TheFlowers of the shrubThey usually bloom on one side and the later capsule fruits develop from them.
Also interesting:Balcony plants for the winter: Lists of suitable plants & ideas for arrangements in boxes or pots
