I have a top floor balcony which has open exposure to the south and to the west. Tons of sun and tons of heat in the summer. Along the south side and west side, there is a balcony rail and I would like to set up a window box or something like that with plants which will add privacy to those two sides (like a vine or something). I'm completely plant-ignorant so I haven't a clue where to begin. Appreciate any advice!
Hey there - I have the same climate as you, so I can tell you what I would do. For the vines, I would experiment with morning glories b/c they are cheap and they die in the wintertime. You can easily grow them from seeds and train them wherever you want using string or wire. They love heat and sun, but in a pot you'll need to keep up with the watering. If you decide you like what a vine does and want to try something more permanent, you can then go with a fancy honeysuckle or clematis. If you wanted to go high-maintenance you could get some jasmine or bougainvillea. The jasmine might have to be brought in but with the winters we've been having lately, you wouldn't have to worry about it. Bougainvillea would definitely have to be brought in so high-maintenance there. For the window box and containers, it depends on whether you need something big or not. If you want a shrub that does well in the heat, crapemyrtles are awesome and they'll leave you with a nice structure in the winter. For annual flowers, I think marigolds and flossflowers are a really nice color combo. Fancy salvias are trouble in containers. Verbena would be also beautiful in this environment and it flowers thru October or November. For some splash, tropicals would be awesome - crotons and palms would give some good structural elements. Fancy geraniums would work in theory but I'm guessing you'd get some nice wind and thunderstorms on that balcony and they would not recover the way I would want them to. Other trailing vines that do really well are sweet potato vine and sweet pea vine, they are very prolific and love heat.
thanks so much for the reply. The balcony is only 4' x 8' so space is at a premium. That's why i was thinking either a window box suspended from the rail, or at the base of the railing.
