Comments on: More Plants for Part-Sun, Windy Balconies

By: Ashley

Ashley — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:14:57 +0000

Thanks so much for the info! I’ve never lived in an apartment building before or known anyone really who has who had a garden going, so I really have no idea what to expect or do.
Today I planted some seeds in some Jiffy Pots on a tray and am hoping at least some of it will do well.
I planted:
*Tomato – Balcony Charm X2
*Portulaca
*Bachelor’s Button – Polka Dot Mix
*Watermelon – Moon & Stars
*Pepper – Early California Wonder
*Snapdragon
*Carrot – Scarlet Nantes
*Nasturtium
*Peas – Lincoln
*Zinnia
*Marigold

A few of the packs specifically said they were ideal for containers and the others came from packs I already had that I am just trying my luck with. I figure the watermelon I won’t be able to keep in a pot but I can always transplant it to my sister’s garden if I can’t keep it.

I also want to plant some Tulip bulbs that I have from last year (that already seem to be growing…or something…they look like they have really long eyes like potatoes??) but from what I am reading online it seems that I should have done that in the Fall I believe. I am going to plant 3-4 bulbs into a pretty large container and hope for the best.

As you may be able to tell I really have NO clue about gardening and am just going with it and hoping I learn what to do along the way lol

Thanks again for your advice though! I will definitely be referring back to this blog again and again!

By: Fern

Fern — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:20:19 +0000

Ashley--The liklihood of swarms of bees on a 6th floor balcony is pretty slim. You might see one or two from time to time no matter what you plant, but it's pretty hard to get their attention up that high unless you are putting in a serious effort to attract them. Here are some past LOTB posts on the subject of high rise gardening with tons of plant recommendations: High Rise Gardening.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:27:14 +0000

Are there any particular plants that do well on high rise balconies (6th floor) that don’t attract too many bees? I would love to get a garden going but I don’t want to be bombarded by bees every time I try to open the balcony door either :S
I know with the cat mint, we used to have some in my mom’s garden and there were always TONS of bees swarming it. I have a little boy who I would like to get involved and I would like to keep the odds of him being stung to a minimum.

By: What to Do on Windy Balconies that Also Get Scortched by the Sun?

What to Do on Windy Balconies that Also Get Scortched by the Sun? — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:02:16 +0000

[...] I posted about plants that can stand up to the wind and don’t mind getting only partial sun. In the comments section of that post, Yeye asked about full sun plants that are also wind [...]

By: Fern

Fern — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:08:26 +0000

Yeye–Full sun is defined as six or more hours of direct sun. So if your balcony is getting direct sunlight from 11am to around 5pm and then from 6pm until sunset is getting filtered light, then you definitely have a full sun balcony.

Lavender would be a great choice. Things with flexible stems and leaves seem to work best.

By: Yeye

Yeye — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:54:22 +0000

Thanks Fern, I really appreciate the feedback.

Is it possible I don’t have a full sun balcony? The sun doesn’t hit until around 11am and continues the rest of the day, being filtered in the evening by a tree. But it gets so hot in the summer, I feel like it must be full sun.

I had picked up some geraniums before I really thought about the wind factor. I haven’t planted them yet but they’ve been sitting on the balcony getting their petals ripped off….. should I rehome them and get something more appropriate? I feel like marigolds and lavender might be less delicate.

Your knowledge/experience is appreciated.

By: Fern

Fern — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:11:04 +0000

Yeye — I should do a post on that. Stay tuned!

By: Yeye

Yeye — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:51:31 +0000

Any ideas for full sun + wind?

These “dealing with Wind” posts are so great. It’s so hard to find information elsewhere…

By: Fern

Fern — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:27:23 +0000

Shawn — You’re very welcome. Thank you for giving me the idea for these posts!

By: Shawn

Shawn — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:05:14 +0000

I’m surprised by how interesting, and colourful, the plant choices are for the setting. Those little pines do look like they would stand up to anything like a trooper. I think when the garden centers start to dig out of the snow a bit I’ll go try to find one.

Thanks, Fern!