A colorful array of opulent types of flowers vie for the gardener's favor to stage themselves on the balcony. In order for the colorful blossoms to come into their own, flowers with picturesque attributes, such as elegantly hanging tendrils, inspire. Beautiful varieties stage their bloom festival in a single season. Other balcony flowers celebrate the floral appearance every year anew. This list of 100 types of flowers will inspire you to plant your window boxes imaginatively.
Annual balcony flowers
The balcony is the territory of annual flowers. For a whole summer, the frost-sensitive beauties transform small and large balcony boxes into a sea of flowers. Extensive precautions for wintering outside or inside are not necessary. In connection with the autumn clean-up work, the dead plants are disposed of on the compost. Next year, simply replant the flower boxes at the beginning of the balcony season.
sunbathers
The following flowers want a full sun location with at least six hours of sunshine a day. On the south-facing balcony, these species find ideal conditions for a never-ending flowering period from spring to the first frost:
from A - L
Blue Mauritius
- Convolvulus sabatius
- 40-50cm
- blue funnel flowers until autumn
Brandschopf, Hahnenkamm
- Celosia
- 15-65 cm with many colorful hybrids from May to September
cistanthe
- Cistanthe grandiflora
- 20-40cm
- red or pink flowering novelty for full sun window boxes
cosmidy
- Cosmidium burridgeanum
- 20-30cm
- historic flowers rediscovered with yellow-brown blossoms
Elfenspiegel, Nemesia
- Nemesia
- 15 to 20 cm
- a delicate spectacle of flowers from May to October
Godetie, Summer Azalea
- Godetia amoena
- 20-30cm
- midsummer flower spectacle in red, pink and white
woman mirror
- Legousia
- 20 cm
- floral ambassador from the Mediterranean with an abundance of flowers
gold coin
- Asteriscus maritimus
- 30-35cm
- yellow cup-shaped flowers compete with the sun
heliophilia
- Heliophila coronopifolia
- 20-40cm
- azure flowers from June to October
capaster
- Felicia bergeriana
- 20-40cm
- blue flowering rarity from South Africa
- ideal for the sunny flower box
blanket flower
- Gaillardia pulchella
- 20-40cm
- Premium variety 'Sundance Red' shines with red, double flowers
Blanket Flower 'Kobold'
snapdragons
- Antirrhinum majus
- 30-40cm
- bloom tirelessly from June to October
Levkojen
- Matthiola incana
- Dwarf varieties up to 30 cm spread romantic flair until September
from M - Z
girl eye
- Coreopsis
- Dwarf varieties 10-50 cm
- golden yellow beacon from May to October
daisies
- Leucanthemum
- plant window boxes with small varieties, such as 'Silver Princesses'
ice plant
- Dorotheanthus bellidiformis
- 10-15cm
- forms into decorative flower cushions
midday gold
- Gazania
- 25-30cm
- bright ray flowers in many colors, often striped
Low Cornflower
- Centaurea cyanus
- 20-25cm
- new breed for balcony gardeners with a soft spot for cornflowers
petunia
- Petunia hybrida
- 20-50cm
- Standing and hanging premium flowers for the sunny balcony
Pelargonium, Geranium
- pelargonium
- 20-60cm
- standing and hanging in partially shaded balcony boxes
Purslane
- Portulaca grandiflora
- up to 20 cm
- small in stature
- really big in the summer flower spectacle
summer aster
- (Callistephus chinensis
- 20-30cm
- broad bushy flowers with lush, brightly colored blooms
Alyssum, Seaweed
- Lobularia maritima
- 10-30cm
- bushy to hanging growth with abundant flower clusters
bird eye
- Gilia tricolor
- 20 cm
- plant the flower box with dense flower tuffs
Dwarf Marguerite
- Leucanthemum paludosum
- 20 cm
- successful mini version of mighty daisy bushes
Blossoms on the west and east balconies
Partly shaded locations with west or east exposure are very popular with types of flowers that languish in non-stop, blazing sunshine. Under the influence of moderate lighting conditions, the following varieties show their best side in window boxes:
from A - J
bear chamomile
- Ursinia speciosa
- 20-40cm
- little yellow-orange beauty with natural charm
begonias
- begonia
- 30-40cm
- numerous colorful varieties
- Flowering time from April to September
Blue Daisy
- Brachyscome iberidifolia
- 30-40cm
- blue starry blooms from May to October
Blue fan flower
- Scaevola aemula
- hanging flower tendrils up to 100 cm
Browallie
- Browallia americana
- 40-50cm
- blue-purple flowers with a white center from July to October
Chinese carnation
- Dianthus chinensis
- 15-45cm
- with white, pink and dark red flowers
Edellieschen
- Impatiens New Guinea
- 30-40cm
- in many colors from May to October
fire sage
- Salvia splendens
- 30-40cm
- with fiery red flowers in summer and autumn
daisy
- Bellis perennis
- 4-20cm
- red, pink and white daisy flowers in summer
Spotted Grove Flower
- Nemophila maculata
- 10-20cm
- perfect for the natural balcony
hussar button
- Sanvitalia procumbens
- 20-40cm
- the miniature sunflower for balcony boxes
Maiden in the countryside
- Nigella damascena
- 30-45cm
- natural flowers in white, pink or blue until autumn
from K - Z
Cape daisy, cape daisy
- osteospermum
- 20-30cm
- boast large clusters of flowers of many colors
loyal to men
- Lobelia erinus
- 10-15cm
- blue blossom festival from June to October
slipper flowers
- Calceolaria integrifolia
- 20-40cm
- yellow flowers on erect stems from May to October
marigold
- Calendula officinalis nana
- 15-20cm
- yellow-orange blossom explosion in the summer flower box
candytuft
- Iberis umbellata
- 20-30cm
- plant the colorful box with the fairy mix
Fried Egg Flower
- Limnanthes douglasii
- creeping up to 30 cm in length
- Flowering time from April to the first frost
marigold
- tagetes
- 20-25cm
- bloom tirelessly in many shades of yellow from March to October
verbena, verbena
- verbena
- 15-30cm
- upright to overhanging in all summer colors
Magic bells, million bells
- Calibrachoa
- flowering tendrils up to 60 cm long in many colours
magic snow
- Euphorbia hypericifolia
- 40-50cm
- delicate, white flowers from May to September
two teeth
- Bidens ferulifolia
- 25 cm long, flowering tendrils
- from April to October
tip: Most summer flowers will benefit from regular pruning of wilted flowers. Secateurs should be handy when you inspect your flower boxes. Cut off withered inflorescences to the next healthy leaf or a vigorous bud. In this way, the sunlight reaches previously shaded flowering plants, which unfold within a few days.
Flowers with privacy function
The climbing artists under the balcony flowers make themselves useful as a feast for the eyes and privacy at the same time. Tie the flowers to the struts of a climbing frame. In no time they conquer the area with their herbaceous tendrils with a dense robe of leaves and flowers. If you plant your balcony boxes with the following species, you are protected from prying eyes in a decorative way:
sweet pea
- Lathyrus odoratus
- furious sea of flowers
- in the horizontal up to 150 cm
bell vine
- Cobaea scandens
- the growth rocket among annual climbing flowers
climbing snapdragon
- Asarina scandens
- strong-growing climber with the blooms of snapdragons
passion flower
- passiflora
- exotic multicolored flowers from June to October
- climbs up to 400 cm high
morning glory, morning glory
- Ipomoea
- opulent climbing plant up to 300 cm in height
Black-eyed Susanne
- Thunbergia alata
- turns any trellis into a bright orange wall of flowers
Nasturtium
- Tropaeolum majus
- climbs up to 300 cm high on the climbing aid
- also suitable as a hanging plant
Flowers declared as annuals on this list are all sensitive to frost. The minimum temperature is usually around 10 °C. At the latest after the first frosty night, the balcony flowers breathe their life out. In their subtropical or tropical home regions, on the other hand, most species thrive for several years, which rarely succeeds in the Central European climate, even with expensive wintering behind glass.
Perennial balcony flowers
If you don't want to replant your balcony boxes every year, you can use perennial types of flowers. Once the following varieties have found a place in the flower box, they will boast of their blooms for several years. A warm winter coat made of fleece or jute protects the root balls from frost. Only when the substrate volume is no longer sufficient do perennial balcony flowers switch to the perennial bed or are repotted in a larger flower box.
Sunny to semi-shady location
Colorful splashes of color on the late-winter balcony are thanks to perennial flowers. In contrast to their annual fellows, which need warmth, perennials fall back on a frost-resistant root ball or sprout from a hardy flower bulb. From early spring to late autumn, the following species shine with colorful flowers in a sunny to semi-shady location without having to rely on time-consuming planting every year.
from A - K
blue pillow
- Aubrieta
- 5-10cm
- forms into bright blue cushions of flowers in spring
Dost, flower dost
- Origanum laevigatum
- 30 cm
- recommended are 'Blue Lagoon', 'Apollo' and 'Jenny'
Scent Violet
- Viola odorata
- 10-15cm
- put on a fragrant flower dress in March until May
elf spur
- Diascia barberae
- 30-35cm
- Flowering period from June to September
- evergreen foliage
sedum
- sedum
- 35-45cm
- purple to white flowers from June to October for full sun locations
bluebell
- campanula
- 20-25cm
- blue or white bell-shaped flowers from June to October
- Chrysanthemum indicum
- 20-40cm
- blooms in many colors from August to November
Autumn Catchfly
- Silene schafta
- 10-15cm
- decorates the autumnal balcony box with bright cushions of flowers
Horn Violet
- Viola cornuta
- 10-20cm
- spreads floral cheer with bold blossoms from summer to autumn
Johannis herbs
- Hypericum polyphyllum
- 15-20cm
- yellow beacon of starry flowers at summer time
Carpathian foam cress, goose cress
- Arabis procurrens
- 5-10cm
- ideal gap filler with white flower clouds
Pillow Aster
- Aster dumosus
- 25-35cm
- opulent flowering period from the end of August to November
from L - Z
lavender
- Lavandula angustifolia
- 25 cm
- Mediterranean floral flair for the sunny balcony
pearl basket
- Anaphalis triplinervis
- 20-30cm
- brings with the variety 'Silberregen' white clouds of flowers from August
Upholstery Phlox
- Phlox douglasii
- 5-10cm
- plant sunny balcony boxes with the dense flower cushions
primrose
- Primula
- 15-25cm
- one of the first flowers on the balcony from January/February
gypsophila
- Gypsophila
- 30-40cm
- The 'Rosenveil' variety keeps what the name promises
Spanish daisy
- Erigeron karvinskianus
- 20 cm
- Premium variety 'Blossom Sea' from May to October
perennial linen
- Linum perenne
- 25 cm
- 'Nanum Saphir' shines with sky-blue flowers from June
sweet pea
- Lathyrus latifolius
- tendrils up to 300 cm long
- hardy and easy-care privacy screen perennial
pansies
- Viola wittrockiana
- 20 cm
- shine in many colors from April to November
cranesbill
- geranium
- standing and hanging variants for sunny to partially shaded locations
Carpet phlox
- Phlox subulata
- 5-15cm
- small flowers in attractive colors with evergreen leaves
Pentecost
- Dianthus gratianopolitanus
- 5 cm, fragrant
- white flowers in May and June
Bulb flowers for balcony boxes
cyclamen
- cyclamen
- 5-15cm
- decorative flowers and shapely foliage in late winter or fall
Squill, Spanish bluebell
- Scilla
- 20-30cm
- beautiful as a colorful mix
grass star
- Rhodohypoxis baurii
- 7-10cm
- bright red flowers for sunny locations
hyacinth
- Hyacinthus
- 15-40cm
- inspire with blue, pink and white flower clusters from February
crocus
- Crocus
- 10 centimeters
- optionally as spring or autumn crocus
Low Dahlia
- Dahlias variabilis
- 20-25cm
- plant balcony boxes with miniature dahlias
checkered flower
- Fritillaria meleagris
- 25-35cm
- Flowers in a checkerboard pattern from April to May
Snow Glory, Star Hyacinth
- Chionodoxa luciliae
- 15 cm
- distinctive floral decoration from March to May
snowdrop
- Galanthus
- 5-25cm
- ring in spring with white blossoms
grape hyacinth
- Muscari
- 10-20cm
- enchants with sky-blue flower clusters from March to April
tulips
- Tulipa
- short-growing tulip varieties with 15-20 cm
- like 'Sweethard' or 'Small Sombrero'
anemone
- anemone
- 20-30cm
- red, white or purple flowers in early spring
Flowers for the low-light balcony
If sunlight only rarely spoils the balcony, you still don't have to do without blooming balcony boxes. The following types of flowers put on a pretty flower dress even in shady locations.
Bergenia
- Bergenia hybrid
- 25-35cm
- Queen of the shade bloomers for medium to large window boxes
Autumn bloom, Bergenia cordifolia
spring pea
- Lathyrus vernus
- 20-40cm
- often with hanging flowering shoots from March to May
chamois root
- Doronicum orientale
- 40 cm
- develops satisfactory flowers even in the shade
Gold Funkie
- Hosta hybrid
- 20-30 cm, primarily the 'Goldene Woge' variety for boxes and tubs
Yellow-green hosta 'Gold Standard'
spherical primrose
- Primula denticulata
- 15-25cm
- spherical flowers in March and April also on the north balcony
splendor pier
- Astilbe japonica
- 30-40cm
- ideal for the large flower box in a semi-shady to shady place
Royal spars, Astilbe
Purplebells
- Heuchera
- Dwarf varieties up to 20 cm adorn the light-poor flower box in summer
Black snake beard
- Ophiopogon planiscapus
- 10-20cm
- light pink flowers contrast with dark foliage
- Aruncus aethusifolius
- 20-40cm
- boasts white summer flowers in shady locations
