Best hanging plants for balconies and patios, that you can grow easily. Especially for flats or apartments in tropical places like Kerala or southern parts of India. Also it is ideal for those who are not having enough space for outdoor gardens.
In addition, it is one of the best ideas for busy people who are plant lovers.
Benefits of growing hanging plants for balconies
Firstly, you can feel the freshness as well as positive vibes from these plants throughout the day.
Further it is easy for you to collect them for hanging baskets or pots. Because there are a lot of such plants ideal for balconies or indoors available in nurseries.
Moreover, they can make our balconies really attractive.
Additionally you can find space for other plants in your balconies. For example, potted flowering and non flowering plants, bonsai trees, small ornamental trees etc.
Furthermore, you can save many plants from certain kinds of pests, by hanging them. Preferably from snails, that are the most common enemies of plants like orchids.
Here, I am sharing with you a few plants that are ideal for hanging in baskets or pots. Definitely you can keep it either in your balconies or places with sunlight for a few hours a day.
In a like manner, there are a lot of low-light plants that are suitable for hanging baskets. Therefore, you can grow them even in the darkest corners.
Surely, there are flowering as well as non-flowering plants among these. East facing balconies are the best places for flowering plants.
Let us see a few examples of the best hanging plants for balconies that produce blooms.
Episcia Flame violet plants
Truly there are different varieties of episcia plants in the African violet family. Definitely we can choose those with trailing stems for hanging baskets.
Attractive leaves and trumpet shaped flowers in different shades are the features of the plant.
You can propagate the plant through the leaves or stems cuttings.
Never forget to use a well drained medium for growing your episcia plants.
Usually the plant produces blooms in bright indirect sunlight. However, there are chances of burning of leaves in direct sunlight.
These are flowering succulent with bright flowers in different shades. Commonly there are blooms with single or multi layered petals.
Moss rose or portulaca – one of the best hanging plants for balconies
Generally the portulaca plants are propagated through stem cuttings or germination of seeds.
Always remember to use a sandy well drained medium for the plant.
Full bright sunlight is essential for better blooming. Your balconies will look really awesome with hanging porulaca plants in full blooms.
Petunias
Petunias are plants that are having beautiful flowers in different shades. Surprisingly there are more than 35 species of plants in the family.
Though these are perennials, annual repotting helps the plant for better blooming.
Like any other flowering plants, petunias always prefer bright sunlight, mostly four to six hours a day.
We can propagate petunias through the germination of mature seeds. Though it is common to use stem cuttings, it takes much longer for proper rooting.
Orchids are best hanging plants for balconies
Doubtlessly orchids are the best choice for hanging baskets in your balconies. Abundance in varieties with beautiful flowers, is the most attractive feature of these plants.
Many flowers in the orchid family are having sweet fragrance too. Resemblance to animals, birds or insects is one of the most attractive features of most of the plants.
Indirect bright sunlight is ideal for the plant. Above all, a soil medium is not essential for the plant.
Evolvulus alsinoides
Common name for the plant is dwarf morning glory. Really it is an important medicinal plant used for making ayurvedic medicines.
However, the plant with beautiful blue flowers is ideal for hanging baskets.
Best non-flowering hanging plants for balconies
Ferns
Whether indoors or outdoors, the lush greenery that ferns provide to our garden, is really amazing.
Mostly we can find ferns in rain forests, growing on other plants or beneath large trees.
Naturally ferns reproduce through spores, that are tiny spot like structures under the leaves. At the same time, we can propagate ferns through the division of mother plants.
Nephrolepis, maiden hair fern, stag horn fern, etc. are different varieties of ferns that are suitable for tropical places.
Ferns never need direct sunlight, and hence it is ideal for keeping indoors or in balconies.
Low maintenance, easy availability and of course the beautiful appearance that make it the favourite of garden lovers.
Pothos – one of the best hanging plants for balconies
Pothos, the common money plant is ideal for hanging baskets. Likewise Money plant has got an important place in NASA’s list of detoxifying plants. Because it has the tendency to absorb airborne toxins, like xylene, toluene etc.
According to Vastu sastra and Feng shui, pothos plants can bring good luck and prosperity, if kept properly.
Soil medium is not essential, because the plant can do well in water enriched with a few drops of nutrients.
Through stem cuttings that are having nodes, we can propagate money plants.
Spider plant
Chlorophytum comosum, commonly known as spider plants, is also one of the detoxifying plants according to NASA’s studies. Lots of baby plants that sprout on long stalks look really attractive.
Spider plants are generally low light plants, that we can keep even in the darkest corners.
Leaves are attractive parts of the plant, though they produce small white flowers.
Turtle vines
Evergreen turtle vine, known in other names such as Callisia repens, creeping inch plant etc. is ideal for hanging baskets.
Of course, this ornamental cascading and fast growing plant can make our balconies lush and lively.
Favourable conditions for turtle vines are bright indirect sunlight and well drained moist sandy medium.
Truly you can buy saplings of different varieties of turtle vine plants from nurseries. Pink panther, Bianca, Purple Heart, golden etc. are a few examples.
Normally cuttings of these trailing vines are used for propagation.
Trailing succulents
Different varieties of trailing succulents are also fine for hanging in balconies. Always remember to use well drained sandy medium for these plants.
Water logging in pots can lead to faster rotting of the roots and stems.
Given above are a few examples of best hanging plants for balconies.
Certainly you can find more that are available in your area, and can do well in the particular climates. With a few such plants make your balconies really awesome.
