Do you have balcony railings? Are you thinking of the best way to decorate them?
Certain plants can be used to give your balcony railings a more attractive and presentable appearance.
Balcony railings should have eye-catchy plants that will completely transform your space.
However, because balcony railings are always outdoors you have to consider plants that can withstand outdoor conditions.
To help you achieve that, here is a list of 10 plants that are perfect for your balcony railings.
10 Plants for Balcony Railings
1. Lavender Plant
Lavender is popularly known for its unique fragrance. However, asides from its fragrance, this plant has an outstanding purple flower that cannot go unnoticed.
This plant is ideal for balcony rails; it gives your balcony an eye-catchy effect. In addition, it is a very strong and stable plant as well.
Its strength and stability make it withstand tough weather conditions such as strong wind.
If you reside around Northern Africa and the Mediterranean, this plant will be readily available to you.
This plant thrives in well-drained soils and full sun exposure, which also makes it ideal for outdoor purposes.
Because they are fast-growing plants, they require pruning regularly.
If you’re surrounded by water which leads to attack from mosquitoes, the lavender plant is a good option to consider.
It is known to repel certain insects such as mosquitoes, moths, and flees.
2. Hollyhocks Plant
Thinking of adding some color to your balcony railings? The hollyhocks plant is a best bet because of its colorful pink flowers.
Its flowers also come in other colors such as blue, red, and yellow. Its palmate leaves are board and green in color, bringing nature into your space.
If you’re considering getting this plant then you have to ensure you have all it requires to grow effectively.
First, this plant requires well-drained soil to grow. Secondly, your balcony space has to be in a way that allows them access to full sunlight exposure.
Finally, because of its height, this plant is usually affected by strong winds.
As a result, you should ensure that they are securely fastened to your rails to avoid being destroyed by the wind.
Hollyhocks plant also requires a lot of energy when it comes to maintenance. You have to be sure you’re ready to put in the work before opting for this plant.
Despite its high maintenance requirements, it is an excellent plant for designing outdoor railings, garden chairs, wings, and other outdoor structures.
Here is an article I wrote on plants that eat fruit flies
3. Star Jasmine
The star jasmine plant is uniquely designed with oval-shaped green leaves and distinctive star-shaped flowers.
This plant adds a lot of beauty to your balcony space. Being a fast-growing plant, it requires a lot of pruning to prevent overgrowth.
Star jasmine is also an invasive plant, so it can grow in areas where it isn’t wanted. This is why regular trimming is needed.
This plant thrives best in well-drained soils and full sunlight exposure.
They can be fixed to rails using small ropes or you can just allow them to grow around your balcony rails naturally.
4. Marigold Plant
The marigold plant is another excellent choice for your balcony rails.
This plant is very colorful and beautiful to behold. It will give your balcony space an attractive and decorative appearance.
The marigold is known to produce very colorful flowers that come in different colors such as orange, red, yellow, gold, and white.
This plant is considered kid-friendly because it is non-toxic. And since it attracts butterflies, ladybugs, and other beautiful creatures, they are a lot of fun to play with.
This drought-resistant, fast-growing plant requires pruning now and then.
The subtropical America and Mexico plants thrive in well-drained soils and full sunlight exposure.
Furthermore, these plants are considered relatively easy to maintain.
5. Ferns
Ferns are one of the easiest plants to use on your balcony rails. All you have to do is
hang them around your rails and watch them transform your balcony space. This plant has characteristic leaves that look like blades.
They are green in color and vary in size and texture depending on the specie.
Ferns can withstand a great amount of wind; they thrive best in humid areas with partial or full sunlight exposure.
They also prefer well-drain acidic and neutral soils. Being a fast-growing plant, they require trimming to avert excess growth.
This plant is a native of Eastern North America, Australia, Eastern Canada, and New England.
Different species of this plant are widely available throughout the world.
Also check out this article I wrote on plants with red stems
6. Aloe Vera
You might be wondering how the aloe Vera plant would fit into your balcony railings. Most rail plants are usually planted in small colorful containers and then hung on the rails.
So, this is the category that the Aloe Vera plant falls in.
This plant is considered to be one of the most low-maintenance plants ever. This is ideal if you are a starter in balcony railings.
In addition, they are drought resistant and they don’t require pruning. If you barely have time to care for your balcony plant, this plant is a great choice.
Aloe Vera isn’t just beautiful to look upon they are beneficial to the skin and hair as well. Interestingly, these plants also get rid of insects.
This plant requires indirect exposure to sunlight for effective growth.
7. Bamboo Plant
The Bamboo plant is a fast-growing plant that can make your balcony area extra comfy and relaxing.
Because of their fast-growing nature, they require regular pruning.
If you are trying out balcony railings for the first time, you should probably go with easier plants because bamboo plants can be exhausting to maintain.
However, some species of this plant can withstand very cold temperatures, which is an outstanding feature.
They require partial to full sunlight exposure for maximum growth. And they are native to temperate, tropical, and subtropical regions.
8. Pampas Grass
The Pampas grass is another exceptional plant that fits into your balcony railings perfectly.
This plant has green tiny elongated leaves that can grow up to 10 feet tall.
Although it is also fast-growing, this isn’t an issue because it is a grass and it’s quite easy to trim.
This plant is mostly found in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The unique feature of this plant is how adaptable it is to a wide range of climates and environments.
This plant thrives in full or partial sunlight. Most importantly, they add color and glam to your balcony railings.
9. Spider plant
The spider plant is another low-maintenance plant that is ideal for balcony rails.
They can be potted and hung on the rails or they can simply be placed on a high table very close to the rails.
This plant has a green, slender, long leaf which adds to its beauty.
Maintaining this plant is stress-free; it doesn’t require frequent pruning and watering. They thrive best in even soils; neither dry nor wet.
Their roots are prone to rot when exposed to excess watering.
Indirect sunlight is best for spider plants. Excessive access to sunlight can make the leaves turn to burn.
This plant can be found in South Africa, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Western Africa.
10. Devil ivy
This is another plant that can be easily hung on the balcony rails. It is also known as the money plant or golden plant.
There’s a belief that this plant brings financial breakthroughs to homes suffering from a financial crisis.
Its green heart-shaped leaves make it great for decorating balconies, gardens, patios, and so on.
This plant is super easy to manage and maintain as well; they require minimal watering and trimming.
With partial exposure to sunlight, this plant thrives very well.
Conclusion
Using plants to decorate your balcony railings is a great option. We have discussed 10 plants that will completely transform the appearance of your balcony space.
However, because these plants will be placed on the balcony railings, they must be able to withstand certain weather conditions.
So, make sure that your location is suitable for growing the plant of your choice.
