Balcony Plants for Winter: Lists of Suitable Varieties for Your Outdoor Pots

Whether in containers on the railing or in pots on the balcony, plants make the cold, dreary winter much more beautiful. But how is that supposed to work? Living plants in this cold? Yes, there are beautiful species that last at least for a certain period of time even in a pot and are suitable for winter planting. Which balcony plants for winter could you choose and combine?

It is not only important to choose the right plants, but also the right location for each species. Accordingly, it is necessary to combine flowers that have the same or at least similar requirements.

What Are the Right Plants for a Lush, Hardy Flower Composition That Will Survive Winter?

For a beautiful arrangement, it is best to combine plants of different heights. Gap fillers are also required, after all, the plant container should be lavishly filled and appear natural. You can choose hardy evergreen plants that will decorate with their foliage as well as flowering species that can survive winter.

Also read: Why Are Cyclamen Flowers Falling off? What Are the Conditions in Which the Plants Thrive?

The Main Balcony Plants for Winter

Choose eye-catching balcony plants for winter, which are, so to speak, the main element in your arrangements. These usually have different leaf shapes and/or colors as well as height. Which plants will survive winter and are suitable for your balcony?

Low maintenance balcony plants as the main actors:

• Bamboo (Bambusoideae)
• Common heather (Calluna vulgaris) or all heathers
• Boxwood (Buxus)
• Ferns
• Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)
• Japanese euonymus (Euonymus japonicus), partially frost hardy
• Hardy camellia hybrid (Camellia)
• Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
• Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)
• Coral bells (Heuchera)
• Sweet box /fleshberry (Sarcococca confusa)
• Candytuft (Iberis)
• Alumroot (Heuchera micrantha ‘Obsidian’)
• Skimmia (Skimmia japonica)
• Holly (Ilex)
• Cypress (Cupressus)

Balcony Plants for Winter – Create Cascades

Hanging and creeping plants usually grow low and decorate the lower areas of the pots or containers, below the surface of the soil. In this way you extend the flower arrangement downwards and it looks even more lush and creative. Hardy balcony plants for fall and winter that you can choose for this can be found in the following list:

Hardy Hanging plants for the balcony:

• Ivy (Hedera helix)
• Stonecrop (Sedum)
• Periwinkle (Vinca)
• Creeping Wire Vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris)

Add Colorful Gap Fillers

Once you have found suitable balcony plants for winter from the lists above, you will of course still need some gap fillers to fill the container. You can opt for monochrome arrangements with simple white flowers, but also create colorful combinations. Here the choice is not less, but rather the opposite. Which balcony plants to choose in winter?

Flowers for outdoor pots to fill gaps:

• Cyclamen (Cyclamen)
• Cineraria (Cineraria), hardy and frost resistant to 28F/-2C
• Common heather (Callunavulgaris) or all heathers
• Christmas rose (Helleborus)
• Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
• Cushion phlox (Phlox)
• Primrose (Primula), not all species are frost hardy
• Coral bells (Heuchera)
• Snowdrop (Galanthus)
• Moonwort (Lunaria)
• Silver wire plant (Calocephalus)
• Pansy (Viola wittrockiana)
• Thyme (thymus)
• Violet (Viola)

Read also: What Plants Bloom in Winter? – Colorful Shrubs for a Beautiful Garden During the Cold Season!

Balcony Plants for Winter – Inspiring Arrangements to Recreate

From all the mentioned balcony plants for winter, you can create beautiful combinations with hardy perennial plants for outdoor pots.

• Fall colors in winter

Here you can see a combination of Silver wire plant (Calocephalus), ivy, yellow primrose and skimmia, while the bright orange berries belong to the coral bush. However, the latter is not frost resistant, so you should bring the balcony plants indoors in winter if you design the arrangement the way you see it. Alternatively, you can replace the coral bush with a hardy, frost resistant plant, such as the wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).

• Violets as the main element

The central area is filled with purple violets, which you can choose in a different color. You can also replace the beautiful balcony plant with pansies for larger flowers. In the background, common heather or other heather adorns the balcony plant container and in the front area – heuchera.

• Ideas with heather

Common heather or similar species, combined with delicate cyclamen or with pansies/violets, creates a pleasant arrangement of winter flowers that are suitable for outdoor pots as well as for a round container on the floor or balcony table. Fill in as you like with cascading plants or silver leaf as in the examples. Instead of heather, other, taller plants can be chosen, such as grasses or green balcony plants (cypress or bamboo, for example).

Once you have collected a selection of suitable balcony plants for winter, you can give free rein to your imagination in the composition and create a wide variety of arrangements. It can be minimalist and monochrome, but also colorful with the help of the many colorful blooming varieties. A green balcony plant can serve as a focal point or background, while lower species create the surroundings. Take your time when planning! We wish you lots of fun and success!

Also read: What to Plant Next to Chrysanthemums? 10 Flower Ideas for Your Fall Exterior