The summer heat on balconies and terraces can destroy ordinary annuals within a few hours if they are not watered regularly. However, there are plants from semi-desert and Mediterranean regions that can handle several days of drought without damage.
Rely on the most durable
Even the June sun can literally create a fire in a few hours on south-facing balconies and terraces, and it won’t get any better during the summer. For most classic annuals, this means a quick end if you don’t water them twice a day. But few people want to be a slave to the watering can in the summer, let alone cancel weekend plans or summer vacations because of thirsty chests.
But you don’t have to give up a blooming balcony, even if you plan to stay away from home. It is enough to replace the more delicate annuals with plants that are made for fear. Or rather, they can face the heat with grace, without it detracting from their beauty and their ability to flower.
These five hardy beauties will survive on a hot city balcony while you relax by the water. A post from YouTube channel PlantDo Home & Garden also presents ten plants that easily withstand drought.
5 resistant plants for hot summer balconies
These species differ from ordinary flowers in that they can manage water extremely sparingly. They often come from semi-desert or Mediterranean areas, so a forgetful day without watering won’t throw them off at all.
- Banded nutmeg (Pelargonium zonale): A good old classic that does not grow on our windows for nothing. Geraniums have strong, fleshy stems and hairy leaves that are excellent at retaining moisture. The more the sun shines on them, the more abundantly they bloom. These are pelargoniums, which are called English or bush geraniums. These are more robust and last longer.
- Large-flowered dogwood (Portulaca grandiflora): A low, creeping plant with needle-like leaves that act as water reservoirs. they only open in full sun and they literally love the heat. It is at home in a sandy and dry substrate.
- Unbreakable Fan (Scaevola rival): A lesser-known annual that produces beautiful overhangs of blue or purple fan-shaped flowers. Its advantage lies in the fact that the leaves are firm and leathery, so almost no water escapes through them. and form rich bunches.
- Binoculars (Bidens ferulifolia): A lush growing plant with a flood of tiny yellow flowers. It can withstand harsh windy conditions on open balconies, and once it has taken root well, short-term drying out of the substrate will not harm it in any way.
- Rocks and rocks (Sedum, Forever living): If you know you won’t be on the balcony for two weeks, these succulents are a safe bet. They need almost no care, they grow even in a minimum of clay between stones and their geometric shapes look great in modern boxes. If you would like taller and more prominent flowering plants, then reach for .
How to arrange chests correctly for the summer
In order to support the resistance of these plants to the maximum, it is necessary to follow a logical procedure when planting them, which will help them to create the right foundation:
- Choice of container: Forget the small, narrow boxes made of dark plastic, which will immediately heat up in the sun and literally cook the roots in them. Instead, use wider self-watering boxes, ideally in light colors that reflect heat.
- Preparation of drainage and substrate: Always put a layer of expanded clay or coarse gravel at the bottom of the container so that the roots do not stand in water if a storm comes. Mix the substrate with some sand and add the hydrogel. These are tiny crystals that soak up water during watering and then gradually release it to the roots in times of drought.
- Thorough mulching: After planting the flowers, cover the surface of the soil in the box with a layer of small stones, gravel or pine bark. This simple step will prevent the sun from burning directly into the substrate and evaporating precious moisture from it.
Before leaving for vacation, it is sufficient to water the boxes abundantly for the last time and ideally take them down from the railing to the floor of the balcony, where the wind will not blow on them so much.
In this way, the plants will survive your absence and upon your return will welcome you in full force, without wilted leaves and withered buds.
