Most members have beautiful gardens !
If you have to make do with a balcony, post pictures, suggestions, and more here .
However, I fear that we will be very few

My balcony in the summer is being used to the full

There is a ugly , fairly large, integrated flower box that I'm trying to embellish somehow without actually knowing what I'm doing there .
So I could use some help .
Direction west, at times extremely windy.
I want frost hardy, easy-care plants with beautiful foliage . Blossoms are not important to me, but the plants should be lush . I don't mind if they shed their leaves in the fall .

the grass is nice- maybe a Sedum with some color in the leaves, like a purple? Sedum seedheads last into winter and are pretty when they get a 'snowcap'

Wow Sally ! Those Sedums are great plants

And... yes, the box is terribly planted
The grasses are actually quite nice , but who wants to spend hours tearing up the withered yellow stalks

So beautiful, Rena!

I like the Sedum suggestion. There are low ground creepers, medium size plants, and the bigger ones like 'Autumn Joy.'

Some Sempervivums might also be nice in the planter, for something evergreen.

They also look very nice

Mrs_Hottentot said:

My balcony in the summer is being used to the full

Indeed! They look awesome and happy.

And no balcony here.

Closest I've got is an old Monstera that's steadily slurping off of the porch and down 2 steps and is working its way across the carport.

I used to grow all sorts on my balcony, I had fruit trees that I grew from store bought fruit and a banana tree and some passion fruit vines. Each year I got less and less light because there are 7 huge trees that have grown so big and bushy I get almost no light anymore on my balcony, most of what I had on the balcony either died or I gave away. The only plants that will really grow on my balcony now is a few spider plants and even those aren't looking the best. I gave up with the balcony plant wise and its now a rabbit hutch.

Why not ? As long as you don't keep any

trapped on your balcony

Mrs_Hottentot said: Why not ? As long as you don't keep any

trapped on your balcony

I have four pet rabbits

I thought there would be some more response to this thread.
I've been wanting to show how I have to grow my plants. Finally took some pictures.

I live in a small condo, so most the plants I grow need to stay small.

I have a balcony that I have 3 coconut lined 3' planters with some plants. 1 was not used this year. I experimented with some different plants this year. Was happy with the performance this summer with Rio Dipladenia. I don't have a picture from this summer when it was full of flowers.



The other planter I tried Gazania.
Pics from this summer.





I have a small table on the deck I have a few plants on.



My main growing area in the house is the kitchen. I have 3 - 2' long coconut planters on the wall and 5 small angled pot holder I made. I have some hanging pots in front of a south sliding glass door.











A small table I built in front of the south facing sliding glass door. I have 2 - 5 gallon tanks under the tables with tops to keep cats noses out of the plants , and 1 tank along side the table and TV tray with some plants.







There is a stand I built to hold 3 - 10 gallon tanks.



Kitchen table, behind it on another table is a bromeliad





Upstairs in the second bedroom is a stand I built for my main tank of Haworthia. It holds a 40 gallon breeder tank.





In the garage is a stand I built that holds 3 - 10 gallon tanks. Mainly duplicates and plants I'm growing out to trade / sell.



The last place I'm growing plants is a stand I built holding a 32 gallon fish tank.

Wow, an extensive collection and all so well kept

Steve , thanks for sharing !
The Dipladenia is a great balcony plant ! It's unbelievable how reliably it blooms the whole summer

Do you bring your Dipladenia inside for winter, Mrs H?
I have a white one, I've been storing and reviving for about four years but this year it was so late in growing, it's barely begun to bloom. I think it's time to give it up.

No, there is no space for that . It stays outside until it gives up the ghost

The last time I tried about 25 yrs ago, it didn't work but I have 2 small vines that I'm going to try to keep alive inside this winter. They were on clearance a couple months ago.

They aren't doing anything this year, maybe I put them in too much shade. The pots are so small, they were drying out before 24 hours time in the heat.

elgecko said: I thought there would be some more response to this thread.
I've been wanting to show how I have to grow my plants. Finally took some pictures.

I live in a small condo, so most the plants I grow need to stay small.

I have a balcony that I have 3 coconut lined 3' planters with some plants. 1 was not used this year. I experimented with some different plants this year. Was happy with the performance this summer with Rio Dipladenia. I don't have a picture from this summer when it was full of flowers.



The other planter I tried Gazania.
Pics from this summer.





I have a small table on the deck I have a few plants on.



My main growing area in the house is the kitchen. I have 3 - 2' long coconut planters on the wall and 5 small angled pot holder I made. I have some hanging pots in front of a south sliding glass door.











A small table I built in front of the south facing sliding glass door. I have 2 - 5 gallon tanks under the tables with tops to keep cats noses out of the plants , and 1 tank along side the table and TV tray with some plants.







There is a stand I built to hold 3 - 10 gallon tanks.



Kitchen table, behind it on another table is a bromeliad





Upstairs in the second bedroom is a stand I built for my main tank of Haworthia. It holds a 40 gallon breeder tank.





In the garage is a stand I built that holds 3 - 10 gallon tanks. Mainly duplicates and plants I'm growing out to trade / sell.



The last place I'm growing plants is a stand I built holding a 32 gallon fish tank.

Inventive! I love how you're making it work.
Congratulations on your very nice looking plants.

elgecko said:
The last place I'm growing plants is a stand I built holding a 32 gallon fish tank.

Nice job with the tank stands!
They look very well made.

That last tank...I see a few fish.
Have you thought about shrimp?

They're all the rage, we sell tons.

Or serious aquascaping?

Google image link below:
https://www.google.com/search?...

What people end up with can be amazing.

We have 7 scaped nano shrimp tanks at work (not that shrimp and aquascaping must go together but they do complement each other well).

Probably 2 gallons each and even so small they're awesome to look at.

Humboldt said: Nice job with the tank stands!
They look very well made.

That last tank...I see a few fish.
Have you thought about shrimp?

They're all the rage, we sell tons.

Or serious aquascaping?

Google image link below:
https://www.google.com/search?...

What people end up with can be amazing.

We have 7 scaped nano shrimp tanks at work (not that shrimp and aquascaping must go together but they do complement each other well).

Probably 2 gallons each and even so small they're awesome to look at.

Thanks.

I created a thread on the stand build. The thread "Planted Fish Tank & Stand Build" in Sandbox forum

I haven't updated it in some time. I wasn't happy enough to post any pictures of the tank.
I'm pretty happy as I believe I'm extremally close in figuring out the balance of the tank, finally.
I can't believe how far back I had to dial the LEDs down.

No shrimp.