Plants for a balcony or a small space

A balcony is the harshest room in the house. It has wind that the rest of the house never sees, sun that bounces off the walls, and a floor that gets hot in the afternoon. The plants that do well on one are the ones that were already used to a bit of rough treatment, and the containers they live in make the difference as much as the plant does.

The first thing to know is that a pot dries out faster than the ground. The compost is a small volume with the air moving around all of it, so a pot that was watered on Saturday can be dry by Tuesday in summer. Check it with a finger every few days in warm weather, and water thoroughly when the top few centimetres are dry, letting the excess run out of the hole. A pot that stays wet at the bottom while the top dries is a sign that the mix needs more grit, not that it needs less water.

Choose the pot for the plant, not the balcony. A pot with a drainage hole is the one requirement that does not bend. Repotting a plant one size up each spring keeps the compost fresh and the roots from circling, and the choosing a pot guide on this site covers the material and the size in more detail. Heavy terracotta dries faster than plastic and suits herbs and succulents, while plastic holds moisture for longer and suits plants that like a steady drink.

For the herbs on this shelf, mint and coriander are the easiest to keep going on a balcony, because they tolerate some shade and a little inconsistency. Lavender and salvia are the Mediterranean sort: they want full sun, good drainage and a pot that never sits in water. Tomatoes are the largest plant here, and they need a deep container, steady watering and the most sun you can give them.

Windowsills and shelves bring their own limits. A windowsill gets light from one side only, so turn the pot a quarter turn each week to keep the plant from leaning. A shelf away from the glass is the dimmest place in the room, and it suits only plants with a low light need. The light note in each entry says where the line is, and it is worth reading before you choose a spot.

Small spaces reward plants that can be cut back to stay in scale. Pruning a shrub in a pot to keep it compact is easier and kinder than repotting it into something bigger every year, and most of the plants here can be trimmed without losing their character. Start with a small pot, feel the compost before each watering, and move up in size only when the roots demand it.