Hello, I wanted to see if I could please get a few ideas of what kinds of plants would grow best on my 4th floor corner balcony. It faces south and west. Most of the day, it is shady on the south side because of an overhang. I get late afternoon hot sun on the west side. I have 2 large ceramic pots and have no idea what to plant in them. I am looking for something that is "aphid" free, if possible. Much appreciated. ZZ
Hi ZZ, I'm sure others will come along with suggestions too, but one plant that comes to mind would be Melampodium. They are a relative of the sunflower and look like tiny sunflowers. I've grown them and they're wonderful for full sun to part shade. They don't need deadheading and I've never had bug problems with them. You can collect the seed for next year too. http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/flowers/melampodium.asp Aphids are attracted to lush new growth, so a couple of tips to help avoid aphids would be to use organic potting soil that doesn't contain synthetic fertilizers and organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion or fish emulsion mixed with seaweed. Synthetic fertilizers are like steroids for your plants and will cause lush new growth by feeding the plant, not the soil. Organics feed the soil gently and which then feeds the plant. Don't let your plants become stressed. Stressed plants also attract insect pests. Repot when necessary and don't let them dry out to the point of wilting. Newt
I love oxalis,there are so many different ones ,all with long flowering pretty little blooms in lots of colours.
