Best Balcony Plants for Austin Apartments

Got a green thumb? Or, perhaps, a slightly-green thumb? 

If you’ve ever thought of growing your own flowers, vegetables or herbs but have felt restricted in your indoor apartment space, then don’t give up hope!

If your Austin apartment has a balcony or patio, then you can absolutely grow some plants in containers pretty easily — and you don’t even need to have a yard to dig up! People in apartments all over the world have hacked the balcony gardening game, so there’s no reason you can’t figure it out for yourself, too. Plus, Austin’s great weather actually makes it much easier to grow plants, especially when you know your plant hardiness zone and proper planting times. There’s more than enough moisture in the air from the Gulf Coast winds, there are enough thunderstorms and rain for a lifetime and, of course, there’s that beautiful Texas sunshine that nourishes the wide variety of plant life around the city. 

All that to say that if you’ve ever even thought about trying to grow some vegetables, herbs, flowers or any other kinds of plants in Austin, then this is a great way to learn about the types of plants that will thrive in containers outside your apartment. 

Container plants to grow in Austin, TX

Flowers

Flowers are perfect for apartment balconies, because their beautiful florals generally come with some gorgeous greenery and a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. 

When selecting flowers to grow on your balcony, choose flowers that are well-suited for growing in containers, as some species tend to thrive only when they’re in the ground. Luckily, though, you have plenty to choose from in the Austin area, including a wide selection of native flowers that can attract pollinators and hummingbirds right to your door!

Here are some good container-suited flowers to grow on your apartment balcony!

• Marigolds
• Begonias
• Chrysanthemums
• Fuschia
• Geraniums
• Impatiens
• Lobelia
• Mandevilla
• And more!

Herbs

Herbs are a fun plant to keep, if not just for their usefulness in the kitchen once harvested!

Herbs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors that can create a diverse balcony garden, and they’re generally pretty easy to care for, too. Here are a few herbs that will do well on your balcony, provided you keep an eye on their watering levels, sunlight exposure and getting rid of any pests that may show up.

Popular herbs you can easily grow on your balcony.

• Thyme
• Lavender
• Oregano
• Cilantro 
• Lemon verbena
• Lavender
• Chives
• Basil
• And much more!

Vegetables

When it comes to growing vegetables in limited space, stick to vegetables that are well suited to containers, especially any vegetables that are of a dwarf variety. 

Make sure that your containers have the appropriate amount of drainage and the right kinds of soil and fertilizer and, if you’re growing climbing plants, you have some kind of trellis that can support them. If your apartment balcony or patio faces south and has full sun, it may be a good idea to get some kind of protection from the sun if you’re growing plants that require anything besides full sun. 

And, because Austin has more than enough thunderstorms throughout the season, a greenhouse (or a simple covering) will keep the delicate seedlings, flowers and fruits from being destroyed by the wind and rain. 

All that to say, here are some of the vegetables (and their best varieties) that you can grow in containers on your balcony.  

• Tomatoes: Sweet 100, Small Fry and Patio varieties
• Radishes: Icicle and Cherry Belle varieties
• Peppers: Cayenne, Wonder and Long Red varieties
• Lettuce: Salad Bowl and Ruby varieties
• Snap beans: Romano, Blue Lake and Tender Crop
• Cucumber: Patio Pik and Spacemaster varieties
• Carrots: Tiny Sweet and Short ‘n Sweet varieties
• Onions: Yellow and White Sweet Spanish varieties

Succulents

Succulents are perfect for Austin balconies for two reasons.

One, succulents love sunshine, and Austin certainly has more than enough of it. Two, succulents don’t require much water at all, making them a little more water-wise than, say, flowers and vegetables. 

Plus, succulents can grow out of nearly any kind of container, provided it has some way for the water to drain. This means you can create an exciting, colorful and unique apartment balcony garden with very little effort and maintenance. 

Here are a few popular succulents you can grow easily in balcony containers.

• Echeveria
• Sedum
• Crassula (also known as Pigmyweed)
• Agave
• Senecio
• Graptopetalum
• Euphorbia
• And much more!

Palms

If you’re going for lush green foliage rather than dainty plants and flowers, then the biggest thing to keep in mind is the amount of sunlight your balcony or patio gets throughout the day. Fragile green leaves can burn easily if they’re not suited to bright light, and they will suffer if they’re left with too much shade. A fine line, yes, but finding the right kind of greenery for your balcony will make a world of difference.

Palms are popular plants to keep on a balcony and can add brilliant splashes of green to your space. If you want a tall, leafy one, though, make sure to plant it in a large pot that can support the palms’ height. Otherwise, you can always get a smaller, more bush-like palm that will grow nicely in a wide pot. 

Here are a few palms that you can grow on your apartment balcony, as long as you have enough shade, that is!

• Areca palm
• Cat palm
• Bamboo palm
• Lady palm
• Parlor palm

Whether you have a large, sprawling balcony, a small slice of outdoor paradise or a ground-level patio, you have plenty of options when it comes to growing plants in your outdoor space. And if you’re at a loss for what to do, there’s always your local plant store or nursery to guide you in the right direction.

Good luck!

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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/Freja