Screening for balconies
This is a common problem for balconies and terraces, which might need screening from the road, from the neighbours or an ugly view.
You can either go for the “hedge in a pot” approach, and choose smaller forms of good hedging plants, like Viburnum tinus “Gwenllian”, a hard working evergreen shrub that flowers over the winter and gets, eventually to about 1m50 tall and wide, and will live happily in a large container for years.
Alternatively, you can plan your screening more tactically, and go for plants like one of the beautiful dwarf Japanese maples that are lovely by themselves, draw the eye and can be combined with a striking pot to make something beautiful year round. Some of the smaller Japanese maples like the gorgeous “Kagiri-Nishiki” a variegated form that develops superb flaming red and orange foliage in autumn, and gets to only 1m tall as an adult, would be perfect for a shady balcony.
Climbers for balconies
If you don’t have the space for a “hedge in a pot” then perhaps a climber on a trellis might work instead.
If you love roses, like me, then the Meilland rose “David Hockney” is an absolute treat for a balcony. The flowers are a very pretty cream and pink, with flexible branches that are easy to train onto a trellis or arch, repeat flowering from spring until the first frosts, and disease resistant with a light fragrance. It works well with clematis, particularly the early flowering alpine forms, which add another month of colour to the same container. It doesn’t get taller than 1m50 so is great for a balcony as it’s unlikely to be blown over.
I love a fragrant climber, and the false jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides is a great option for a container. In the ground it can get to 3m tall, but in a pot, depending on the size of the root run, it stays closer to 1m50 and it responds well to pruning. The standard white, the more unusual pink, like Trachelospermum asiaticum “Pink Showers” or the new creamy yellow “Chilli and Vanilla” which produces inedible chilli-like fruits after flowering, all do well in pots and will tolerate cold spells down to -10C. The plants don’t need much help to climb and will happily wind themselves round any available support, even a light weight trellis in a pot.
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