A colorful and flowery balcony doesn’t have to be limited to springtime! Even in autumn, you can brighten up outdoor spaces – small or large – with flowers, plants, and even a small potted garden.
Balcony plants: what to know before you start
Choose plants that produce small vegetables that, once developed, won’t exceed 20 inches in height. Consider a 12 inches terracotta pot for each plant, or from 24 inches upwards for a planter that contains three plants.
Remember to support the young seedlings with sticks or small bamboo shoots. Also, take care of the soil with natural fertilizers such as wood ash, cold vegetable cooking water, or coffee grounds.
Early autumn flowers
In September and October, your balcony can still be full of flowers: There’s the romantic pansy, which features beautiful blooms in autumn and resists even the frost and the harsh winter climate: Just remember to place them in bright and sunny places.
Cyclamen, with petals ranging from white to red, is another classic flower variety you can use to decorate the balcony in autumn. Although it blooms from late autumn onwards, the first buds appear in October. Unlike violets, cyclamen prefer semi-shady environments and don’t like the frost: Keep your precious cyclamen away from sub-zero temperatures. In this season, there are also autumn daffodils, which will make you think you are in spring with their lush blooms and decorative garlic that lends itself well to being planted on the balcony in September.
Green balconies for fall
In addition to flowers, there are many other plants that can beautify our balcony and are ideal to plant this month. We’re talking about heather, ivy, and ornamental cabbage, which will last until spring. Some other ideas? Perhaps some vinca (also called periwinkle in English), an evergreen plant that falls beyond the edges of the vase and then blooms in spring, or maybe the small bushes of a wintergreen or boxberry bush? Then you could always go with the shrubs from a pieris or a prickly heath, or a senecio with silver leaves. Also great for autumn are decorative coral bells (heuchera).
A little garden on the balcony
If you have a fairly large balcony or a nice terrace, think about setting up a small vegetable garden in a single pot. In September, you can plant leafy vegetables such as chicory, endive, fennel, turnip greens, and valerian in pots for wonderful organic winter salads.
What to plant for next spring
This is the right time to plant the bulbs that will bloom in spring – tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, allium, freesia, iris… Of course, now the pots might take up some space, but when the balcony is colorful and fragrant in a few months, you’ll thank us.