Two things many balcony gardeners must deal with are wind and shade. In my last apartment and my current one, I’ve noticed that the close proximity of nearby buildings often creates a shady wind tunnel. These are some plants that will flourish in such conditions.

Lady’s Mantle: Hardy to zone 3, the billowy flowers of Lady’s Mantle belie it’s toughness. It forms 12-18 inch mounds, and looks great as the only plant in the pot or in combination with other plants. In the summer, it will be covered in billowy yellow flower heads. Even when Lady’s Mantle is not flowering, its soft, light green, fuzzy leaves that hold droplets of dew will not disappoint. It will be happy in full sun or light shade.

Look for ‘Thriller,’ which is easy to grow from seed.

Photo by Kingsbrae Garden

Rose ‘Marie Bugnet:’ Another plant hardy to zone 3. This rose has the whitest, white flowers, bar none. It also has a great scent, that will be easy to appreciate on a balcony garden. Marie Bugnet keeps a compact shape, only getting 3 feet tall and wide, which is perfect for small spaces and container gardening. It would look great with Lobelia ‘Cascade of Color’ growing beneath it.

Photo by Arnold Pittao

Gaillardia: Is a total show off. It produces large flowers with orange-red centers ringed with gold. Several varieties are more compact and well suited for container growing. The varieties I have in mind are also hardy to zone 3. While technically a full-sun plant, I have been able to get them to bloom (although less profusely) with bright shade/part-sun. Gaillardia are heat and drought tolerant, the later of which makes them great for windy balconies where soil tends to dry out more quickly.

Look for ‘Fanfare’ (the varitety shown at left) and ‘Arizona Sun,’ which will only grow to be 10 inches tall and wide.

Photo by Phillip Bouchard

Catmint (Nepeta): Catmint looks a bit like Russian Sage, but will tolerate less sunshine than its doppelganger. It is very easy to grow, with few pests or problems. The foliage is topped with billowy spikes of flowers that bloom repeatedly all throughout the summer. It’s a traditional companion to roses. Catmint is hardy to zone 4 and likes sun to partial shade. As the photo indicates, some of the varieties are very attractive to cats. So if you have a feline friend, you could make him or her a little bouquet.

Some varieties of catmint can be quite large, inappropriate for a container garden, especially a windy one. Look for ‘Felix,’ which will stay around 12 inches tall.

Photo by jessiecat_techie

Columbine: Columbines prefer partial-sun, preferably morning sun and afternoon shade. Hardy to zone 4, columbines like rich, moist soil, amended with lots of compost.  In late spring or early summer, you should see their unusual blooms opening up. Be sure to chose a dwarf variety as some of the larger sized plants can be unmanageable in a container garden.

Look for ‘Red Hobbit’ (White and Red) or ‘Little Treasure’ (yellow)

Photo by Shotaku

Pine ‘Cesarini Blue:’ If you’re looking for a tree and are going for a woodland look, check out this tree. It has beautiful blue-grey needles. After 10 years, it will only be 6-8 feet tall, and will be perfectly happy in a large container. It’s a pine tree, so it’s not surprising that it’s hardy to zone 3. Cesarini Blue doesn’t need great quality soil or even that much water. While tall plants are often at risk for tipping over on a windy balcony, this tree and its pot and soil should be heavy enough to stand up to most winds.

This week I have been racking my brain and furiously researching container gardening ideas for windy balconies. Specifically, high-rise, part-sun, cold-winter balconies. Below are some specific ideas for growing roses on such balconies. I hope you like them!

Super Simple Rose Container Idea

Plant white or cream colored rose in center of a pot that is 18 inches deep and wide. Spread an even layer of Lobelia Cascade of Color seeds over the surface of the dirt. When the lobelia has grown in, they’ll cover the dirt and cascade over the sides of the pot with blooms in jewel tones of blue, purple, pink and white.

Miniature Rose Container Recipe

Start with a pot that is at least 18 inches tall and wide. Place a Bronze New Zealand Flax or other bronze colored grass in the back of the pot, all the way against the back rim. [UPDATE: In the comments, Gen suggests these dwarf varieties of flax: ‘Tom Thumb’, ‘Platt’s Black’, ‘Jack Spratt’] Plant a ‘Sequoia Gold’ miniature rose in front of the flax and to the right. It will eventually trail over the side of the pot. To the left of the rose, in front of the flax, plant a dwarf shasta daisy.

Other Easy Rose Container Ideas

Photo by Stacy Lynn Baum

• Plant a red rose in the middle back of the pot. In front of the rose, plant baby’s breath, and in front of that, plant blue and yellow pansies.
• In the back, right corner, plant a purple rose. In the back left corner, plant sage. In the front, center of the pot, plant a yellow calibrachoa (million bells).
• Plant a pink or apricot colored rose in the center of the pot and sow blue love-in-a-mist in the dirt around the base of the rose.

Caring for Container Grown Roses

To prepare soil for use in a rose container, mix 2 parts good quality, fast draining potting soil with 1 part well composted steer manure, and 1 cup rose fertilizer that contains bone meal (I use a brand called EB Stone, but have also used Espoma fertilizers in the past).

Roses are heavy feeders, they need fertile conditions to produce lots of flowers. Continue to fertilize your roses regularly, according to the fertilizer package instructions. You can also sprinkle epsom salts  on the soil from time to time to give your roses the magnesium they need. They also like plenty of water. Water your rose whenever the soil feels dry to the touch.

This is a good resource on pruning roses. Don’t neglect your pruning duties! Your rose bush really needs it for optimum health and to maintain a nice shape. Know that it is almost impossible to kill your rose by pruning it, so there’s no need to procrastinate!

Repot roses every two years or so. Even if you only trim their roots and repot them in the same container, they’ll benefit from the fresh soil.

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This week we’re talking about gardening on high rise balconies, thanks to Shawn, who brought the topic to my attention and graciously agreed to be “exhibit A.”

While high rise balconies and rooftop gardens often offer beautiful city views, they also have challenges unique to their location, such as exposure to harsh winds. Wind can dry your pots out faster than normal. It can knock them over. It can shred the leaves of your plants and break their stems. Most of the time, it’s not a container gardeners friend. However, there are some upsides. Constant air movement will help plants that are often susceptible to mildew, and wind will make it too difficult for some pests to get to your plants.

Combating Wind

Don’t be dissuaded from gardening in the sky! While not every plant is suitable to being batted around by the wind, there are things you can do to help your plants cope.

Photo by ~Aphrodite

• Create a wind break. Either affix clear plexiglass panels to the balcony railing, or plant hedges in planter boxes on the sides of your balcony where the wind comes through (i.e. if wind normally comes from the east, plant the windbreak hedge on the east side).
• Use a mulch in your pots. It will help prevent the wind from drying out the dirt. Something like pebbles or river rocks will not be blown away. Be sure to fill your pots with soil to two inches below the lip, and add then add an inch of mulch.
• Don’t use unglazed terracotta. Terracotta dries out faster than other pot materials. Wood may be one of the best choices because it can be easily secured to the railings (if need be) by screwing in an eye hook in an inconspicuous spot and feeding a short length of chain through the eye and around the railing.
• Go with a smaller number of larger pots or planters rather than having many small pots. The likelihood that the wind will be able to pick up a pot and carry it overboard is slim, but it is definitely possible to knock over lighter pots and break them, or damage the plants.
• Remember that wind chill effects your plants too. Protect your pots in the winter.

Plants That Are Tough Enough to Stand Up to the Wind

There are actually more plants than you might think that are tough enough to stand up to the wind. These are just a few ideas.

Remember that when plants are tested for hardiness, they are tested growing in the ground, not in a container. The ground is often warmer than the air. On a windy, exposed balcony, you can guarantee that your plants’ roots will be subjected to colder conditions than if they were grown in the ground. With this in mind, if you plan to leave your plants outside during the winter, it is best to pick plants that are hardy to one or two zones colder than your region. For example, if you live in Montreal, you live in zone 5 (right?). Try to find plants that are hardy to at least zone 4. You can help your plants by insulating them in the winter.

Photo by nomad123

• Many varieties of Floribunda roses are hardy to zone 4 or 5, sturdy enough to handle the wind and will flower (although less abundantly) with less than the usual 6 hours of sunshine recommended for roses. Try Fair Bianca ‘Ausca,’ Gruss an Aachen, Iceberg, Carefree Wonder ‘Meipitac,’ and Anthony Meilland ‘Meitalbaz,’ among others.
• Bayberry will tolerate wind, cold, shade and pretty much everything else you can throw at it. The downside is that it isn’t the most interesting plant to look at. It would work well as a wind break shrub, and in the winter it does have nice blueish-white berries.
• As far as vines go, many varieties of honeysuckle vines are cold tolerant and will happily wind themselves around balcony railings. The wind on a balcony might actually help them avoid harboring mildew, which can plague honeysuckles. A vine growing on the railing might help diffuse some of the wind, but remember that if you’re a renter, you’re likely going to have to kill the plant to remove it when you move.
• Threadleaf Coreopsis is hardy to zone 4 and wind-tolerant. It forms lacey clumps of leaves flecked with small yellow flowers. It looks great spilling over the side of a pot. However, it does need full sun.
• Russian Sage is another plant that can tolerate cold temperatures and wind, but that does need full sun.

Two weeks ago, Shawn contacted me about his balcony way up on the 17th floor, in Montreal, Quebec. As he describes it, “I suspect it will get very windy out there at times. Being that I face due east and with the exposure and wind, it probably won’t get too warm for too long up there either.”

Here is a photo of the north side of his balcony:

Shawn was looking for some advice about what to do with a cold, windy balcony 200 feet in the air. Ask and ye shall receive!

Coming up this week, I have several posts designed for my friends who garden in the sky, as Shawn calls it. I have obviously never lived somewhere as cold as Montreal, but I have been busy researching! I have gardened on a high rise balcony before, so I have my own experience to rely on there. Stay tuned for posts on dealing with the wind, weight restrictions, and high rise but cold-tolerant container recipes!

In the meantime, I thought I would see what you guys think about high rise gardening. What are your best tips and tricks? I know Nancy gardens on a balcony in Toronto, are there any other high rise gardeners out there?