Plants on my balcony

Simon Moon

Der Spring is sprung, der grass is ris, and I'd like to bedeck my balcony in flowers and other attractive living things, but I know jack-all about plants. I live in the Deep South (Jackson, MS, specifically), on the second floor of an apartment building, facing south. The balcony's about 6' by 12', with a roughly 4' high white plastic railing. The overhang doesn't seem to be sturdy enough to hang plants from (it feels and sounds like plastic when I reach up and poke it), so I'd guess I'm mostly looking for things to go on stands and/or window box type things.

Suggestions?

Venoch

Do you want to grow things you can eat, or look at? I read a cool article a while back on growing vegetables in containers on a small balcony and using vertical space. You can actually grow a high amount of fruit/vegetables to eat in such a space.

JebusUD

http://www.mybalconyjungle.com/self_watering.html

make these. My plants grow great in them and I am not even facing south.

Simon Moon

I'm mostly looking for decorative plants, although I am certainly not averse to growing my own produce. And while the self-watering containers are cool (and I may try some potatoes), I'm more looking for suggestions on what to grow (and then what to grow them in).

Andrew_Jay

Morning Glories are fairly easy to grow. Probably even more so further south where you are (I was growing them in Toronto). Only "complicated" thing I found was that they need a fair amount of water.

They're fun because they're climbing plants - just put them in pots next to your railing and let them climb on it, or augment the rail with some bamboo poles.

Balconies are actually pretty ideal, because they can be somewhat invasive spreading and strangling other plants, something they can't do in pots and away from soil.

Djeet

You are in the USDA plant hardiness zone 8a, and since your balcony is facing south your plants will get a lot of sun exposure. If your balcony is heavily shaded (by trees or other buildings and what not) then it's likely going to be a very dry/hot shade. If your balcony is not shaded, any plants there will need to be able to tolerate "full sun."

JebusUD

Basil. I use it like crazy. I also have a rosemary plant I use a bunch. And a few leaf lettuces are great. They make way more salad then you would think.

tsmvengy

I have one of these:

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Bromeliaceae/Aechmea_fasciata.html

Pretty, has a cool flower, basically impossible to kill.