Hello!
I am looking for advice on which plants to use to create a screen at both ends of our balcony to provide us with privacy. Ideally we would like to have screens that are evergreen in the winter and flowering and scented in the summer.
I hope I am posting in the appropriate forum!
We live in Belgium in an apartment with a large balcony facing north. We have installed lattices at the east and west ends of the balcony. I have planted, in troughs at the feet of the lattices, fuchsia, clematis, nasturtiums, a false jasmin, a honeysuckle, dark-eyed Susans and sweet pea (and pepper and tomato plants). I hoped that they would create a wall of greenery and flowers. As can be seen from the photos, the result has been disappointing, the plants covering at best only the bottom half of the lattices.
In recommending plants to me, please bear the following factors in mind:
- our lattices are only 1m80 (roughly 6 feet) in height
- our apartment is on the 4th. floor and there is often a strong westerly wind
- despite facing north, our balcony, being on the top floor, receives sunshine most of the day
- I do not like bamboos
- if need be I can always fall back on a small ivy (e.g., Goldchild)
Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise with me!
Which plants for balcony screens?
That's a tough site- windy and exposed, in Northern Europe, so there are few evergreen flowering vines available.
There are some evergreen Honeysuckles (Lonicera). There can get massive, I am not sure they would thrive in a pot. Same for the Evergreen Clematis.
Akebia is sometimes evergreen, not sure in your site.
I might fall back on the ivy, or some clinging/climbing Euonymous like
Euonymus fortunei 'Wolong Ghost'
Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald 'n' Gold'
Or just plant the deciduous showy flowers you like, but put a grass mat or bamboo panel behind the lattice so it is opaque in the winter.
I really like what you have done, it is lovely.
Thank you for taking time to reply to my query! I will check out your suggestions.
The weather in Brussels is not too bad. In winter the temperatures rarely go lower than 15°F and we do not have much snow.
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