Plants for Pots and Balconies

Choosing plants for pots and balconies

Start with what the pot changes. A container dwarfs most plants to roughly two thirds of their garden size, dries out faster, and turns watering into your job alone. So choose plants that forgive a missed day: rosemary, lavender, olives, westringia and most succulents barely notice, while hydrangeas and ferns will sulk by Sunday. Then think about wind. Balconies above the second floor are windier and drier than any garden bed, which suits the coastal and salt tolerant plants here far better than soft leaved tropicals.

Structure comes from surprisingly big plants. Magnolia 'Teddy Bear' and 'Little Gem' both handle life in a large tub, the Straight and Narrow lilly pilly holds about 1m wide while screening to several metres in a trough run, and Acoma, one of the smallest crepe myrtles at around 3m, gives a potted courtyard a genuine flowering tree.

Where container plants earn their place

Pots solve problems that beds cannot. Renters take the garden with them when they move. Courtyards over concrete slabs grow lemon trees where there is no soil. Balconies gain privacy from a row of troughs without a single fence panel, and cold climate gardeners wheel frost tender plants under cover for winter. Aspect decides the plant list: a north facing balcony in full sun suits citrus, olives, lavender and succulents; a shaded south facing one belongs to liriope, philodendrons and the plants in our indoor range taking a holiday outdoors. That is the quiet advantage of pots and balconies: the garden can move with the sun through the year. The climate spread is national, with over 600 of these plants rated for cool temperate zones as well as the subtropics.

Pot sizes and potting, with numbers

Match pot to plant, and always choose drainage holes over looks. Use a quality potting mix, never garden soil, and leave 3cm to 4cm of watering space below the rim.

• Herbs and small flowering plants. Lavender, rosemary and liriope are happy in 30cm to 40cm pots; French lavender clipped after flowering stays neat at about 1m.
• Dwarf fruit trees. A dwarf grafted lemon stays near 2m in a 50cm to 60cm pot; the same size suits potted olives.
• Feature trees. Give magnolias, crepe myrtles and screening lilly pillies a 60cm or larger container, and remember a filled 60cm pot can weigh well over 100kg, so check what your balcony can carry before it goes up.
• Trailing softeners. Silver trailing dichondra (Dichondra argentea) cascades more than a metre from a pot edge and needs sharp drainage.

Care in containers

Water is the whole game. In summer, terracotta pots in full sun can need water daily, and a pot is only ever a hot day away from trouble, so group pots to shade each other and use saucers with care, emptied after rain. Feed with controlled release fertiliser each spring and again in late summer, because frequent watering washes nutrients out. Every two to three years, slide the plant out in early spring, trim the outer 2cm to 3cm of roots, and repot into fresh mix, same pot or one size up. Skip this and even tough plants slowly starve.

Common questions

What fruit trees actually work in pots?

Citrus is the honest answer, led by dwarf grafted lemons and limes that fruit well at 2m, with the Eureka lemon cropping close to year round in warm climates. Olives fruit reliably in large tubs too. Browse the citrus range for mandarins and oranges that take to containers.

Which plants suit a hot, windy balcony?

Rosemary, lavender, olives, westringia, succulents and trailing dichondra all carry drought and wind or coastal tolerances. Avoid large soft leaves like elephants ears in exposed positions; wind shreds them.

Can I grow a privacy screen in containers?

Yes, with narrow growers in generous troughs. The Straight and Narrow lilly pilly planted 60cm to 80cm apart builds a slim green wall, and our balcony plant collection gathers more options sized for tight spaces.

Do I need special pots?

Anything with real drainage holes works, though weight, porosity and frost resistance differ between materials. Our pots and planters range covers glazed, terracotta look and lightweight options from tabletop sizes up to large statement pieces.

How does delivery work?

Plants and pots are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.