Help me choose flowers
March 27, 2021 6:25 AM Subscribe
I live in Europe and I have potted plants on my terrace. All of them prefer temperatures of 15-25 degrees Celsius and wilt when it gets hotter. I would like to have some flowers to look at during July and August, when we have 30 degrees and more. The problem is, it's not particularly sunny. We have direct sunlight maybe 2 hours a day. Do you have any recommendations?
Begonias and lilies are heat and shade tolerant.
You can also try geraniums, azaleas, vincas, kalanchoe, and hydrangeas — they’re slightly less tolerant, but you have a shot of keeping them happy, especially if you just want them for a season (although kalanchoe you can definitely overwinter).
If you want nonflowering but colorful/showy plants as well, snake plant, inch plant, umbrella plant, croton, pothos, zz plant, spider plant, Chinese evergreen, and basically any kind of small succulent is going to be just fine both on a shady, hot balcony in the summer and overwintered inside. Well, croton might be a little finicky, but it just drops its leaves (and then regrows them) when stressed.
Something else to think about if you’re having issues with summer wilting is that container plants on balconies get very dry, very fast, and the hotter it is the worse that gets. You may have to water a lot more than you’d expect, like every morning and evening to the point of soaking. I know I have fried many a plant by skipping just 1-2 days of watering in the summer or just giving small sips for too long.
posted by rue72 at 8:05 AM on March 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
You can also try geraniums, azaleas, vincas, kalanchoe, and hydrangeas — they’re slightly less tolerant, but you have a shot of keeping them happy, especially if you just want them for a season (although kalanchoe you can definitely overwinter).
If you want nonflowering but colorful/showy plants as well, snake plant, inch plant, umbrella plant, croton, pothos, zz plant, spider plant, Chinese evergreen, and basically any kind of small succulent is going to be just fine both on a shady, hot balcony in the summer and overwintered inside. Well, croton might be a little finicky, but it just drops its leaves (and then regrows them) when stressed.
Something else to think about if you’re having issues with summer wilting is that container plants on balconies get very dry, very fast, and the hotter it is the worse that gets. You may have to water a lot more than you’d expect, like every morning and evening to the point of soaking. I know I have fried many a plant by skipping just 1-2 days of watering in the summer or just giving small sips for too long.
posted by rue72 at 8:05 AM on March 27, 2021 [5 favorites]
Oh and I almost forgot! Crown of thorns can deal with pretty much anything — full sun, no sun, drought, laying in the kitchen sink as a cutting for weeks on end (ask me how I know).
posted by rue72 at 8:12 AM on March 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by rue72 at 8:12 AM on March 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Impatiens do fine in heat and shade.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:21 AM on March 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:21 AM on March 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
Coleus is known more for its leaves than its flowers but the leaves come in an endless array of colors and it loves heat and shade.
posted by corey flood at 9:27 AM on March 27, 2021
posted by corey flood at 9:27 AM on March 27, 2021
Trachelosperum jasminoides aka star Jasmine is a good fit, have seen it doing well from semi-shade to full sun in LA in low 40's C. Does need cutting back, can cut to 300mm high, is super fragrant with little propeller-like white flowers.
posted by unearthed at 1:03 PM on March 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by unearthed at 1:03 PM on March 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Begonias have a corm you can pop out and overwinter.
Geraniums may go a bit straggly in low light, but it's trivial to reroot cuttings, so you can take some from the tips in the autumn and root and grow them overwinter inside (they make perfectly fine houseplants). The new plants will have lost the straggly stems and will start out compact, and since you'll get several from each original plant you'll be keeping the ones you like and giving the rest away.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:07 PM on March 27, 2021
Geraniums may go a bit straggly in low light, but it's trivial to reroot cuttings, so you can take some from the tips in the autumn and root and grow them overwinter inside (they make perfectly fine houseplants). The new plants will have lost the straggly stems and will start out compact, and since you'll get several from each original plant you'll be keeping the ones you like and giving the rest away.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 10:07 PM on March 27, 2021
I guess it depends on how showy you want the flowers to be, but my haworthia, gasteria, aloe, and hybrids (these genera cross) bloom in July, August, and a surprisingly large amount of the year besides. They can take high heat and prefer partial to light shade. The bigger the clump you own the more individual plants you'll have which means the more flowers you'll get.
posted by vegartanipla at 10:07 AM on March 28, 2021
posted by vegartanipla at 10:07 AM on March 28, 2021
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posted by tmdonahue at 6:52 AM on March 27, 2021