21 Perennial Flowers for Your Balcony Garden

Though we typically associate balcony gardens with annual flowering plants such as geranium, petunia, and impatiens, plenty of perennials grow well in containers and should not be overlooked. With some strategic planning for color and timing and a little extra TLC, a perennial balcony garden can offer the same changing season joy that a backyard garden does. 

Choose plants that are hardy in your zone and suited to your balcony’s light conditions for the best possible outcome. Plant perennials in well-drained pots that are large enough for their specific root systems and meet their particular watering needs, and you’ll be off to a great start. 

Flowers are small and simple, with five petals and a traditional buttercup shape. They come in shades of pink, purple, and white. Leaves are small, lobed, and finely cut with a mounding or trailing habit and thin, multi-branched stems. Many species will turn red-orange in the fall and look beautiful in a pot until the snow flies. Popular cultivars include ‘Rozanne,’ ‘Espresso,’ and ‘Alba.’ 

Coral Bells

	botanical name Heuchera spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

With over 50 species in the genus and a high tolerance for shade, heuchera is commonly found in woodland gardens and beneath loose tree canopies. Because it has a low-spreading, groundcover-like habit, it’s not often a top consideration for the balcony garden, but it really should be! 

Coral bells have shallow root systems, moderate water needs, and an easygoing personality that works well in containers. Primarily a foliage plant, coral bells species have large, lobed leaves in green, maroon, chartreuse, and just about everywhere in between. 

Small flower sprays appear in mid to late summer and offer delicate, down-drooping blooms that do add interest, but the leaves are really the stars with this one. Try ‘Citronella’ for a bright green contrast or ‘Amber Waves’ for some late-season color. 

Clematis

	botanical name Clematis spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-20 feet
	hardiness zones 4-9

One of the most coveted perennials in the plant world, clematis is a woody, herbaceous vine with long-blooming, ray-like flowers in single and double form. Leaves are small and ovate, offering a lovely backdrop as plants scramble up a trellis or fence. 

While not often associated with container gardening, with a little know-how and some extra attention, this cottage garden favorite will do quite well on a balcony. Choose one of the smaller cultivars like ‘Alaina,’ ‘Crystal Fountain,’ or ‘Pink Champagne’ to cover a small trellis or balcony railing, and select a large container so roots have a little room to sprawl. 

Clematis plants require full, hot sun on their leaves and flowers but thrive when their roots are dark and cool. Cover the soil surface around the crown with a heavy layer of mulch and crowd some other containers or ornamentation around the base to keep roots from overheating. 

Creeping Jenny

	botanical name Lysimachia nummularia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6 inches
	hardiness zones 3-9

Considered a nuisance plant when left unchecked in a wild area, creeping Jenny is hardy, fast-spreading, and low maintenance in a container. Its spade-shaped leaves are small and densely arranged like a ground cover, but they also spill and trail like a vine. Flowers are yellow and dainty, appearing mid-summer and lasting several weeks. 

Creeping Jenny works well as a filler or base plant in a mixed container arrangement or cascading over the side of a hanging basket. Try ‘Aurea’ for a pop of bright green or ‘Goldilocks’ for a mass of yellow. Containers with creeping Jenny can be left on the balcony all winter without protection, and these hardy little plants will return next season whether you want them to or not! 

Sedum

	botanical name Hylotelephium spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3 inches to 2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-10

Often referred to as stonecrop for its succulent-like leaves and ability to grow in rocky, less-than-perfect soil, sedum may have a southwestern personality, but it thrives in most zones, even the north. A tolerance for drought, an extended flowering time, and an autumnal bloom period make this one a winner in the container garden. 

Flower buds form in early spring and intensify in color as the season progresses. Leaves are soft, green, and fleshy with an ovate shape and serrated margins. Stems are multi-branched and wideset. Depending on the species, plants can have either a ground cover habit or a fan shape.  

Sedum grows easily in containers but multiplies quickly. Choose a wide container and plan to divide it every three years or so. Plants will return perennially on the patio for many years to come, even in regions with frigid winter temperatures. ‘Autumn Joy’ is the most common upright sedum, while ‘Angelina’ is the low-growing fave. 

Fountain Grass

	botanical name Pennisetum alopecuroides
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-4 feet
	hardiness zones 4-10

Work some fountain grass into the mix for privacy and/or a little texture on your patio. With a vertical, upright habit that matures into a fountain shape over the years, this hardy perennial can take a lot of sun and prefers dry soil. These two features make it a no-brainer for the balcony garden. 

Foliage is strappy and arching, varying in color from variegated to dark green. Flowers are feathery and are white or light pink, appearing in late summer and lasting for months. Most fountain grass species mature to a dark brown or copper color as the season draws to an end and remain attractive throughout winter. Cut them down to about three inches in spring, and a new flush of grass will grow. 

Some varieties are quite large and may be too much for a small balcony, so check the mature size before purchasing. Try ‘Little Bunny’ or ‘Little Honey’ cultivars for smaller applications. 

Miniature Roses

	botanical name Rosa spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 4-11

Miniature roses get their diminutive name from the size of their flowers and leaves rather than their height, but most varieties are less than two feet tall and fit nicely in a patio pot. Like their larger relatives, miniature roses offer robust, sweet-smelling blooms atop strong, prickled stems. They come in shades of red, pink, white, and yellow. Leaves are small with toothed margins and arranged in an alternate pattern along the stems. 

Fill containers with rich, organic potting soil tailored to roses and place them in full sun with generous airflow. Deadhead faded flowers aggressively, and most varieties will keep blooming all season. Try ‘Red Cascade’ for a traditional rose vibe or ‘Lemon Drop’ for a cheerful pop of yellow. Cover with rose cones or burlap during dormancy if you plan to leave pots in place. 

Hosta

	botanical name Hosta spp.
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6 inches to 4 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

As an herbaceous perennial with broad leaves in a multitude of colors and a wide, clumping habit, hosta is a great choice for a container garden on the east or north side of a building. Tolerant of dappled to full shade (less than four hours of direct sun per day), the hosta has modest watering needs and looks great all season.

Inflorescence sprays appear early in the season, offering an arch of tiny pendant flowers in shades of pink, white, or purple, but the green, blue, and/or variegated leaves are actually the reason to grow them. Plant hostas in a container that’s taller than it is wide to keep the soil moist. Choose ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ for a small setting or ‘Piedmont Gold’ for a splash of yellow. 

Tickseed (Coreopsis)

	botanical name Coreopsis spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 4-9

This mounding plant has fine, feathery foliage and small, ray-shaped flowers with sheared petal edges. Blooms come in yellow, orange, red, pink, and white. Central yellow disks attract pollinators, so only choose coreopsis if you want to invite the bees and butterflies over for a visit. 

Once established, tickseed plants appreciate soil that’s on the dry side. They thrive on a south or west-facing balcony garden, where the sun will be plentiful. Choose a container that drains well and space pots to allow for generous airflow. 

Lavender

	botanical name Lavandula spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 5-9

For a calming, sweet scent each time you open the sliding door, pot up some lavender on your balcony. With a compact, bushy habit and finely textured, gray-green foliage, lavender can be either a focal point or a backdrop plant. 

Lavender flowers are purple and dainty. They whorl at the top of stiff sprays that rise from the plant’s center and bloom for most of the summer. Cut them back to about four inches above soil level after the first wave of stalks emerge, and they’ll regrow with a tighter form. 

Lavender would rather have drought than oversaturation, so keep that in mind when watering your balcony garden. Ensure containers drain freely and divide plants every few years to avoid crowding. ‘Province’ is a popular lavender variety for drying. ‘Melissa Lilac’ and ‘Nana Alba’ are dwarf options for small containers. 

Blackeyed Susan

	botanical name Rudbeckia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-4 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

Another pollinator magnet, Black-eyed Susan, blooms in late summer to fall and provides late-season interest on the balcony. Its flowers are yellow-orange and daisy-like, with single or double-form rays encircling prominent brown centers. Leaves are hairy and lance-shaped. They average three to seven inches in length and radiate from stiff, upright stems.

Plant black-eyed Susan in a large container with something smaller around its feet to cover leggy stems throughout the season. Deadhead as soon as flowers have faded, and this one will keep blooming for up to a month. Try ‘Indian Summer’ if you’re looking for some height to screen a neighbor, or ‘Goldilocks’ for a marigold-like cheerfulness that will please the bees. 

Catmint

	botanical name Nepeta spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-2 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

This herbaceous perennial enjoys dry soil and full sun. It also blooms repeatedly throughout the season and has a modest root system, making it very balcony-friendly.

Depending on species and cultivar, plants can be either round and tight or fountain-shaped and loose. Flowers are small and rise above foliage on terminal spikes. Leaves are small and mint-shaped in a pretty shade of blue-green. 

As a bonus, catmint has a light, spicy scent and is repellent to many insects, including aphids. Its leaves are edible and can substitute for mint in some recipes. For small containers, try ‘Little Titch’ or ‘Blue Dwarf.’ ‘Pink Cat’ offers a soft alternative to traditional purple. 

Creeping Phlox

	botanical name Phlox Stolonifora
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-12 inches
	hardiness zones 5-8

Creeping phlox is a very low-maintenance plant with a soft scent and a sweet spring disposition. Flowers are small and ray-shaped, with five petals in pink, white, or purple shades. Its leaves are fine, oblong, and leathery to the touch. They cling to stems that cover the soil like a ground cover or droop whimsically over the side of a planter. 

Creeping phlox roots are shallow and can tolerate long stretches without water. Work some into a mixed container, and they will insulate the roots of other perennials without competing for moisture or nutrients.

Put some in a hanging basket, and they will trail like a dense vine. ‘Running With Scissors’ and ‘Eye Shadow’ both feature star-shaped violet flowers, while ‘Coral Eye’ offers two contrasting shades of pink. 

Daylily

	botanical name Hemerocallis spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

Daylilies may not be the first plants that spring to mind for the balcony, but they actually do quite well in containers. With spiky, bright green foliage that lasts into fall and long bloom periods in early summer, daylilies offer contrast and visual interest for most of the season. 

Flowers are trumpet-shaped and reflexive, averaging two to six inches wide. They come in shades of yellow, pink, white, and red, opening sequentially over a month or so, only to fade and begin dropping petals the next day. Snip their strong stems down to the base when this happens, and you’ll get even more blooms on your balcony. 

With golden yellow flowers and dark green leaves, ‘Stella Doro’ is the variety you’ll encounter most often in landscapes and garden centers. ‘Rosy Returns’ is a pink-purple daylily that reblooms later in the season, adding value to a hardscape garden with limited plants. 

Bee Balm

	botanical name Monarda spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-4 feet
	hardiness zones 4-9

Though it requires a large container on the balcony for success, bee balm brings the pollinators in a way few other plants can. If you’ve got a tomato potted up, you may want to include some bee balm. 

Fragrant, spiky flowers define this North American native. Petals are tubular and arranged in a whorled pattern over a brown or green central disk. Blooms can be red, purple, pink, white, or lavender. They open in spring to summer on top of sturdy stems with serrated, lance-shaped leaves.

Bee balm’s rhizomatous roots will expand quickly and outgrow even large containers in no time. Dig them up and divide them every two years to prevent reduced flower output. ‘Petite Wonder’ and ‘Pardon My Pink’ max out at about 12 inches in height and won’t hog space in a small setting.

Bleeding Heart

	botanical name Dicentra spp.
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-8

If your balcony is short on sun and long on shade, bleeding heart is a perennial that might work for you. This woodland native produces sprays of dainty, heart-shaped flowers that bloom atop terminal stems for several weeks in spring. Leaves are small, lacy, and multi-lobed. 

Bleeding heart plants prefer moist, well-draining soil but can tolerate drought for a good while. They enjoy cold zones and will not sustain winter damage when kept outside in a pot. Foliage will turn yellow and unsightly in the middle of the summer, so you may want to pair this one with another perennial or plan to relocate the pot after it’s done flowering.

‘Luxuriant’ has a low-growing, compact habit for a wide, short container. ‘Valentine’ grows up to three feet tall if you’re looking for a little height. 

Aster

	botanical name Aster spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6 inches to 8 feet
	hardiness zones 4-8

Pair this mum-like herbaceous perennial with flowers that bloom in spring and summer, and you’ll have a whole season’s worth of color in one pot. Asters range in height from dwarf to giant. They bloom in late summer to fall on top of single or multi-branched stems and tolerate irregular soil and moisture conditions. 

Flowers are daisy-like, with petals fanning out around a prominent yellow disk in single or double layers. Blooms can be pink, purple, white, red, or yellow and usually max out at about three inches wide. Foliage varies from fern-like to ovate and from blueish-green to dark forest. Plant ‘Pink Victor’ for three feet of drama or ‘Jenny Dwarf’ if space is an issue. 

Coneflower

	botanical name Echinacea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-10

Use a tall, deep container to accommodate its long taproot, and this perennial will fare well in the balcony garden. Coneflowers have single or multi-layer petals that radiate out beneath prominent central cones. Depending on the species and cultivar, flowers can be purple, yellow, red, pink, or orange. 

With an upright, vertical habit on strong stems, coneflowers can be placed at the center of a mixed perennial pot and serve as the thriller plant. As it tends to be leggy, front it with something midsized or place the pot at the back of a container cluster with varying heights. ‘Pink Poodle’ has a pompom shape and resembles a dahlia flower. ‘Secret Joy’ offers tall stems with whimsical buttercream blooms.  

Yarrow

	botanical name Achillea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

Yarrow flowers are dense and flat in an umbrella-like arrangement on multi-branched stems. From summer to fall, its flower colors include yellow, red, white, and pink. Stems are delicate, and leaves are fern-like with a soft texture and a bright green to blue-gray color.  

Yarrow likes almost any soil and lots of sun. Its roots are relatively shallow, and it takes well to container life. Shear it back after a wave of blooms, and it will likely flower again. On high balconies or in locations with high winds, place the yarrow in a spot where it will be protected. You can also fix stems loosely to a central stake. 

‘Little Moonshine’ is a compact yarrow that mounds up nicely in a pot. ‘Paprika’ is a spicy red variety that grows up to two feet tall. This pollinator favorite brings many benefits to the garden.

Hydrangea

	botanical name Hydrangea spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-20 feet
	hardiness zones 3-9

This deciduous shrub features round, flat, or conical blooms in shades of pink, white, blue, red, and green. Leaves are elliptical and large, sometimes up to eight inches long. Light preferences range from full sun to mostly shade, so whatever kind of exposure your balcony has, there’s probably a hydrangea you can grow out there successfully. 

Mature height also varies among species and cultivars, with climbers like Hydrangea anomala capable of covering all the balconies on your building if you let it go and give it enough time. Pay careful attention to mature size when selecting a variety for your unique space, and choose a pot that’s large enough to insulate roots during dormancy. 

‘Annabelle’ is a tried and true hydrangea standard that’s hard to kill. ‘All Summer Beauty’ is compact and bushy for a smaller pot. Either should grow well on a balcony with minimal fuss. Blooms can be left up for winter interest, and the birds will likely visit to peck their seeds.  

Dianthus (Pinks)

	botanical name Dianthus spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 6 inches to 3 feet
	hardiness zones 4-9

Also known as ‘pinks’ because of their predominant color palette and fringed or sheared petal edges, dianthus plants can be low and groundcover-like or tall and densely clustered. Flowers are flat, ray-shaped, and lightly scented. Despite the nickname, ‘pinks’ also come in white, red, and purple. 

Most species bloom in late spring; some will repeat if sheared back after the first wave. Leaves are oblong or pinnate and small. The stems are delicate and clingy when growing near the soil. 

When planted in a container, dianthus may cascade over the sides in a mat-like habit. They require weekly watering in normal weather conditions and will not wither in hot, west-facing sun. ‘First Love’ has both pink and cream-colored blooms for a little variety, while ‘Tiny Rubies’ is perfect for a small container. 

Final Thoughts

When selecting a perennial for your balcony garden, educate yourself on its winter care and determine if you can meet those needs. Some plants can be left out in pots during freezing temperatures and will wake up happy next spring without any issues, while others might need to be covered, brought inside, or babied a little.