Balcony challenge - advice needed please!

[sparrow100]

I know next to nothing about flowers.

My 'garden' space is a tiny 3ft by 8ishft balcony that I share with the flat across the hall. I was inspired by a lovely lady on Monty's Small Spaces and want to turn it into a garden of herbs and flowers where we can sit in the shade in summer.

The hitch is that it's north-facing - though that makes watering slightly less demanding!

So far I have lavender, rosemary, thyme, autumn raspberries (poor benighted things!), wild garlic and a window box of strawberry plants.

For flowers I have some beautiful rununculus and an overwintered trailing fuschia. The daffs, ivy and scrutty window boxes are inherited from my lovely neighbour, who died last year - I don't have the heart to throw out the plants and the boxes are useful if ugly.

What other flowers would be good? I like whites, reds and oranges. Jackdaws attack anything yellow. I have space for a few more window boxes but not much floor space - though once the grape, redcurrant, quince & blackberry go to the plot there will be a bit more!

Sorry this is a bit long - thank you for reading this far!

[veggiechicken]

Geraniums - bright red ones - and some trailing ones.
Geraniums and balconies go together like Egg and Chips

[Bigmallly]

Plenty of inspiration here sparrow:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ba...w=1366&bih=668

[Scarlet]

I have a yard, it's all Tarmac so ive created a flower area with pots. Ive all my herbs, mint,Rosemary, chives, garlic chives, parsley in pots. I also grow different coloured lettuces, loads of geraniums, fuschias and trailing lobelia. Ive looked for some photos on my phone but I haven't got any

Although (I mentioned a few weeks back) on looking in on the basement gardens in the flats in Bath they have some fantastic plants...I often see ferns, phormiums, hostas etc that look gorgeous all grouped together.

[sparrow100]

Thank you VC & Scarlet - will have a look out for geraniums and lobelias (and google them first so I know what they are!!). Possibly another fuschia. Can those daisy things cope with mostly shade? I get about 6-8 hours sunshine in peak summer, half at each end of the day.

BM those photos are fab, but unless they specify what's grown I honestly wouldn't have a clue. Am regretting resolutely ignoring everything that isn't edible!

Thank you for bearing with me!

[veggiechicken]

Here's a pic of geraniums and lobelia

[muddled]

Some nice variegated traling ivy and 'creeping jenny'....(forget the real name, vivid pea green leaves, got some I can send you if you want) to soften the square edges, set off the flower colours and hide the pots...neither need much light.

I also have a beautiful climbing white hydranger that specifically likes north facing walls. I don't know how much root space it would need to thrive but again, can happily send you some and if its not happy, at least it didn't cost you owt.

I think Scarlet has it right...ferns and hostas make small spaces look so lush and inviting! I love hostas but so do slugs although that shouldn't be such a problem up on a balcony.

[Scarlet]

One of my"pots" geranium, trailing geranium and trailing lobelia.

[muddled]

Thats lovely!

I never manage to get pots looking that crowded!
Its literally bursting with flowers....how on earth do you get it to look so delightfully haphazard?

Mine always look a bit flat and even have bald patches where everything leans towards the sun or gets flattened when I water them.

[Scarlet]

You just cram 'em in Muddled and cross everything!

[bramble]

Sparrow, Busy Lizzie plants like shade and so do Lilly bulbs. If you invest in some lilly bulbs they will come up year after year.

[sparrow100]

Scarlet that planter looks really pretty!

Thanks for the advice - I love lilies and am going to Hampton Court Flower Show in July so will see what I can pick up there. I seem to remember there are usually a couple of big stands with lily growers.

I also found this: British Roses - Roses for Difficult Areas - North facing walls which looks exciting.

There are nails knocked into the outside wall so I'm guessing at one point there were climbing things there. I would love a go at the climbing hydrangea muddled, thank you, will PM. Creeping Jenny sounds great too - albeit slightly like a character from a horror story...

Am off to google hostas and ferns.

Thanks v much for all this. From my patchy veg results on there, I thought there would be less of a selection than there actually is!

[Scarlet]

Sparrow, Busy Lizzie plants like shade and so do Lilly bulbs. If you invest in some lilly bulbs they will come up year after year.

Bramble look to the left of my pot...spent lillies! They do well in a bit of shade

[rary]

Sparrow, you should have a look at begonias, there is a wide choice of flower colour with minimum work with non stops or trailing begonias as the old heads fall off when spent, then there is a wide choice of shape and colour with the foliage begonias, and most important they are easy to grow.

[sparrow100]

Thanks rary - I've come home with 2 trailing begonias, one deep red, the other almost white. Looking forward to how they do.