apartment gardening

[Kim1976]

Does anyone else have flowers on their apartment balconies? What kind do you have? Right now, I have a pot of mini roses that I bought from the grocery store. I am looking for some other types to put on my balcony, but not sure. I live in Maryland, and our balcony faces west. Anyone have any suggestions?
I also have 2 orchids I keep in our spare bedroom.

[badger]

While I don't have a balcony, I do have a patio and 85% of my gardening is done in pots. I would say as long as the pots are not constricting, you can pretty much have anything in there. I even do my vegetable gardening in pots.

Here are some really easy/hardy plants I have (these are in apprx. 1' radius clay pots):
hostas
ferns
honeysuckle (likes to climb, so you'll need something for it to climb, but it smells HEAVENLY). This was doing well until 2 winters ago when it was super cold and it died
bamboo (this will eventually break the pot with its roots, but it's really ornamental)
I have a whole slew of other plants I actually don't know the name of (came with the place when I bought 8 years ago).
strawberries do well in containers, and herbs do very well in pots. I have chive, rosemary, and oregano in a small pot that I've had for 12 years now!

I guess you just have to figure out at this point whether you want annuals or perennials. Have fun!

[malkin]

Those grocery store mini-roses have always been short timers for me.

Right now we're really smitten with our columbine which turned out to be white, violets, lavender, tarragon and basil on the balcony rail. And on the ground we have wheat grass, flat leaf parsley, and cat mint where the cat can help himself.

[tulip]

Do you have trees around your apartment? Is your balcony shady, sunny? What's the wind like? Do you want to grow flowers, foliage, houseplants, or edibles? Do you want to grow plants only in the warm months (annuals) or do you want them to last through the winter, which will mean nurturing them inside in the winter?

[Kim1976]

For the most part, it is sunny. There are trees in the courtyard area, and shrubs in front of our patio. And, it's not that windy, other than this last week, it has been. I'd rather grow some flowers that I can repot, and maybe ones I can keep thru the winter. I love tulips and roses. I was driving around last week, and I noticed in some of the historical district, people have these pink shrubs.. not sure if I can pot those or not? I have also thought of planting some basil.

[tulip]

Herbs would be good, and you can use them for cooking, too. Tulips are bulbs that you plant in the fall, and they come up in the spring for a short time. You could do that in the fall in a large pot, and leave the pot on the balcony in the winter. You'll get tulips in the spring.

The pink shrubs are probably azaleas. Not great in pots.

I suggest that you go for some herbs and annuals--plants grow for one season and do not come back (the ones that come back are called perennials). Here are some suggestions:

Herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley (just because of the song, you know). Basil-needs frequent watering. You can bring the herbs (not basil--it's an annual) inside in a sunny spot for the winter.

Annual flowers: sweet potato vine, zinnias, petunias, coleus, begonias, some ornamental grasses. Look at books for ideas about composition in pots. Use large pots; small ones will dry out too fast. Use good potting soil.

Enjoy your garden!