Especially if you don't have a garden, planting on your balcony or terrace is welcome. After work or on warm summer days you can enjoy your balcony flowers and enjoy their smell. Depending on how big the balcony or terrace is, you can arrange your flowers. Potted plants as well as hanging or climbing plants create a beautiful outdoor atmosphere. Of course, balcony flowers and balcony plants must be properly cared for. Just water every now and then and a little fertilizer here and there is not enough. Here are a few tips to have a magnificent floral blessing over the summer and also to preserve the floral splendor over the winter.
Proper wintering of balcony flowers
Before you plant your balcony, it should be clear in advance where the tubs and pots will go in the winter. There is not always a place protected from the wind or winter quarters in the house. Hardy balcony plants are the right alternative here. Apart from the fact that there is no space problem in winter, the balcony or terrace still looks beautiful in winter. But that doesn't mean that hardy plants like the Siberian cold; they also have special requirements for their winter quarters. Proper wintering begins with a coconut mat or fleece or Styrofoam under the pots; wooden panels also do their best. Like all plants that are left outside in winter, balcony plants and flowers also need to be watered, but avoid waterlogging. A covering made of fleece or bubble wrap is there to give off heat.
You should take a look at the plants every now and then, so you can detect pest infestation in winter and possibly.treat. A temperature of 5-10 degrees is recommended for exotic potted plants. The plants need a low temperature to slow down their metabolism. If the temperatures are too high, the plants sprout and long and thin shoots form. A winter garden would be the ideal place to spend the winter, but also a bright and cool basement. Stairwells and a bright garage are also available. The angel's trumpet and the fuchsias can overwinter in very dark rooms if the temperatures are low. But it's not just potted plants that can be overwintered, flowers too, such as the dahlia, for example. Here the tubers are stored in a dark room. The daisy bush also overwinters in a bright room at 5 to 50 degrees.
Which winter-hardy balcony plants for the balcony or terrace
Plants that come back next season have their place on the balcony. Clematis, for example, needs stronger protection around its roots than other balcony flowers. Wrapping with fleece and piling up pine branches is ideal. Rose stems are also sensitive and require reinforced covering. Box or firethorn, but also cotoneaster with its bright red berries transform the winter outdoor area into a beautiful environment. Small firs or dwarf conifers, for example, are perfect for festive lighting. But these plants also need winter support. The buckets should be moved to the wall of the house and the upper area should be covered with leaves or pine branches. The weather side, i.e. the west side, is not so optimal because there is icy frost here. But the location should be bright, because the darker the plant is, the cooler it is. Don't forget to water on frost-free days, otherwise the plants will not freeze but die of thirst. Wrapping the buckets with jute sacks creates an attractive look, especially if a rustic bow is wrapped around it.
Pruning and fertilization in autumn
All plants have requirements during their vegetation phase that should also be met in winter quarters. As with plants in the garden, autumn is the right time to cut back plants. When pruning you should have the right tools and the weather should be appropriate. Pruning should be done on warmer and drier days, as the wounds caused by cutting will heal more quickly.
This prevents diseases from taking root so quickly. Disease infestations on the plants should be carefully checked after pruning, because only he althy plants survive the winter outside. Even if the plants are overwintered indoors, you should look for diseases, otherwise the other overwintered plants can also be affected, which means buying new ones in the spring. The last date for the last fertilization should be in August or at the beginning of September at the latest. During the winter the plant is resting. The next fertilization should only take place after four months.
Overwintering geraniums and petunias
The petunia, a popular balcony plant, enchants with its funnel-shaped flowers. It usually ends up in the compost at the end of its flowering period. But you can also bring them over the winter. There are two options, one of which is the seed. You wait until the flower is brown and then remove the cover and then you can remove the seed capsule. If the flower has already dried a little, you can rub it with your fingers and it will contain the seeds. This is dried and sown again in spring. You can also overwinter the entire petunia with its flowers. The flower shoots should be shortened here, otherwise they will lose too much strength. Here too, watering should be moderate, otherwise the petunia roots can rot. The room where it hibernates should be bright and cool.
The geranium can also be overwintered, the same conditions apply as for the petunia.
Care for hardy balcony plants properly
Even plants that are actually hardy need winter protection if they are grown in a bucket or in boxes on the balcony. Their roots are much more exposed to the cold than the plants in the garden, so the planters should be wrapped with an insulating material such as fleece or bubble wrap.
Problems often arise because the planters are exposed to the sun during the day. Then the ball of the pot heats up and freezes again at night. This constant change often causes a lot of trouble for the plants, which is why it makes sense to use pots that are as bright as possible in the winter and that don't heat up too much. Alternatively, the planters can also be placed so that they are not exposed to direct sun.
Evergreen plants evaporate water through their leaves even in winter and therefore need to be watered all year round. However, it is important to ensure that you only water on frost-free days so that the roots are not damaged by the freezing water. Plants with long leaves such as pampas grass or bamboo often have problems with moisture in winter. They can be protected by loosely tying their leaves together. We recommend a location for these plants near the wall of the house where they don't get constantly wet in rain and snow.
Wintering balcony flowers properly
Many balcony flowers can be overwintered with relatively little effort in order to save money for buying new ones next spring. This often happens with popular balcony flowers such as geraniums, fuchsias and onion flowers, but many other plants can also be overwintered. When overwintering, the basic rule is that all plants that shed their leaves in autumn can remain in a dark place such as the basement for the winter months. Evergreen plants that are not hardy, on the other hand, need light all year round for photosynthesis and should therefore be housed in a bright room.
Most balcony flowers should be kept in a cool room to overwinter. The stairwell or a room that is rarely used and therefore not very heated is best suited for this, as long as there is no special cold house or similar available. Bulb flowers need dryness and good ventilation in winter. They should be turned every now and then to prevent moisture from collecting under the onions, which would cause the onions to rot. So that they start to bloom again early, they can be grown in a pot on the windowsill from the beginning of the year.
A safe time to bring the balcony plants back outside after the winter is in mid-May after the Ice Saints, because then there is no longer any risk of late frosts. They can also be brought into the house overnight in pots and buckets if they need to go back out on the balcony sooner.
Conclusion
Before you buy balcony flowers and balcony plants, you should think about whether there is enough space for the plants to overwinter in the house. If this is not the case, winter-hardy plants should be selected. These can remain outdoors with the appropriate precautions.
