We are so used to the balcony that it is already difficultimagine a modern dwelling without it. It is sometimes called the face of an apartment. Rather, at home. But, probably, this comparison is not entirely correct. The balcony is the soul of the house, its image and essence. We are not talking about the architectural decorations of the balcony now. But even without them, the five-story balcony can look so that they will be admired. It all depends on how and how to decorate it. Of course, you can decorate in different ways. But we will talk about the colors on the balcony - about that small addition, which, with taste, some skills and diligence, adds charm to this architectural element, inhaling the living soul. Instead of arranging unnecessary things on the balcony, you can, with a little effort, create a garden where it's so nice to go barefoot on a sunny summer morning or where you can have a cup of tea sitting among the flowers on the balcony on a quiet, warm evening. Own oasis in the noise and dust of a large city. Happy dream garden. We are not talking about a winter garden on a closed loggia, but about a blossoming corner of wildlife in our own house in the open air. So, you decided to impress friends and acquaintances with luxurious riot of colors on the balcony, took out all the trash and even bought a pair of wicker chairs or folding chairs. But you understand very well that this is not it. Or rather, not all. What next? And now we begin to prepare for the decoration of our balcony with flowers. First of all, look carefully, where and what flowers on the balcony and in what containers can be placed. We will call any container for growing plants. They can be wooden, metal, plastic, clay or concrete. The placement of containers depends on the design of the balcony and the floor on which the apartment is located. If you have a lattice barrier, place the containers on the floor or place them below on the outside of the grate. Or fasten on the grate itself with the help of special holders or ordinary strong wire. On a solid fence - a brick or concrete - the container can simply be placed from above, but in this case, you must be firmly sure that accidentally elbowing, do not drop it down. If you dream of hanging compositions from flowers on the balcony, and your balcony is located above the fifth-sixth floor and besides is open on all sides, then the maximum that you can afford is a hanging container with a flat back surface that is attached directly to wall. Different hanging baskets and other devices, "floating" in the air, alas, not for you - you probably will be disturbed by the wind. Another thing is if you have a loggia in your apartment instead of a balcony. It is less exposed to wind, because it is only open on one side. The choice of containers in this case will, of course, be wider. But it is better to place hanging containers in the depths on the loggia.
Containers
The simplest and most common container is the usual onebalcony box. Now they are in trade in a variety of forms - any length, color and shape, with and without pallets. As a rule, they are made of frost-resistant plastic and are easy to handle - they are light, well washed. Their only drawback is that they can crack when hit. But if you do not drop your box, it will last you ten years, or even longer. Wooden boxes under the flowers on the balcony can be made independently of a pine board 2 cm thick. The board must be well dried and covered with linseed oil - this will protect it from rotting. Outside, the box can be treated with any wood preservative or painted with ordinary oil paint. Wood - the material is short-lived. In order to extend the period of the box, put it on two bars. Ceramic containers for flowers on the balcony can be different in size: from a conventional flower pot to 10-15-liter capacity. Before filling the earth with a clay container, immerse it completely in the water so that it is well saturated with water. 
Supports for climbing plants
If you plan to grow curly plants,take care of the supports for them in advance. Depending on the tasks - the shading of the window from the bright sun, the desire to isolate yourself from neighbors, the creation of a green pergola - the size and type of support will be different. In most cases, an ordinary rope is suitable for support, not too thick and not kapron. Many plants refuse to curl over a smooth rope or wire. The simplest option is to stick a peg into the ground and, tying a thread to it, stretch it in the right direction. Various wooden supports for boxes are made from racks. As a variant of vertical gardening, let us recall the moss walls, which have been known for a long time, but have not gained much popularity, apparently because of the laboriousness in manufacturing and operation. The moss wall is a structure of wood, metal or plastic, covered with a large mesh net. The space inside the grid is filled with peat mixed with moss, and then plants are planted there. Before embarking on gardening the balcony or loggia, evaluate the conditions in which your flowers will grow. And for this, decide on the following questions:
- On which side of the world go your balcony or loggia.
- Do not shadow the place of the future planting canopy, close-standing trees, neighboring houses.
- Is the place protected from rain and sun.
When you choose which flowers you canput on the balcony, be sure to consider these factors, otherwise in the first year you may be unsuccessful, which will for a long time beat off any desire to grow flowers on the balcony.
Requirements for light
All plants are conventionally divided into light-loving andshade-tolerant. These names speak for themselves. The photophilous, and their majority, develop better and live in a well-lit place. In turn, they can be divided into lovers of the bright sun and preferring places where there is only a mild evening or morning sun. Shadow-tolerant plants also love light, but can grow successfully in both shade and sun, but only in places where the midday sunlight does not hit, for example, on the western or eastern side. Some plants feel good in the shade and in the sun. Therefore, it is impossible to draw a clear line between these groups and once and for all determine each plant its place under the sun. This is all the more impossible to do, that the conditions in each specific case will be different.
Watering
Conditions define as important an issue aswatering. On the south side, the temperature is usually higher, which means that the leaves evaporate more intensively and the substrate dries faster in containers. Here, plants should be watered daily, and some moisture-loving plants - two or even three times a day. In the shade of the northern side, there is no such problem, but there is another: because of the low temperature, evaporation is not so intense, and a stagnant moisture can occur in the container. This sometimes leads to the death of the plant, especially if it does not like waterlogging.
Flowering time
Most annuals have maximum floweringfalls on July-August. But if you plant a viola, a daisy or primrose that has overwintered indoors, then in the beginning of June you can get a pretty composition, which then, when the primrose with a daisy will bloom, will be replaced by other flying machines. 
Height of a plant
Plants can be divided into high, medium andshort, as well as ampel - hanging and climbing - climbing on the support. When creating compositions taking into account the height of plants, the optimal option is that in the foreground, ampel forms are planted - lobelia, nasturtium, ampel pelargonium, or undersized - alissum. Behind them are middle-aged - salvia petunia, tagetes. In the next row, tall trees are planted - dahlias, gladiolus, chrysanthemums. Well, now go climbing - morning glory, beans. Of course, in a standard box with a width of 13-15 cm, plants of all growth forms can not be imagined, but this is not necessary, it is enough to confine oneself to one or two. For example, the first row - ampel, the second - sredneroslye. Or the first row - undersized, the second - curly. You can combine boxes. One is planted completely with stunted plants, and behind it is a box with tall and curly plants.
Choice of colors
It is the color that has the strongestinfluence on the viewer in the flower decoration of the balcony. What color range or combination you choose depends on you, your tastes and preferences. If you are a beginner florist, do not aim immediately at a wide range. Take to start two or three types of plants that do not require special care, but with a lush and long flowering, for example, alissum, nasturtium, petunia, tagetes, lobelia. It is possible to decorate the whole balcony beautifully with only one petunia, using its varieties in various combinations. For example, place in one box plants with flowers of different colors or alternate boxes, planted with petunia with flowers of the same color. For experienced florists it is possible to suggest creating a monochrome composition from different plants - to decorate the whole balcony in one range, for example, yellow, red or blue, using five or six or even more types of plants.
Height of the storey
When selecting a flower assortment, it is necessary to take into accountheight of the floor. For planting the balconies of the upper floors exposed to wind, plants with strong, well developed shoots or low-growing species with a highly branched aboveground part, for example, dahlias, tagetes, lobelia, alissum, petunia, salvia, etc. are recommended. For tall plants, in this case use a garter. On loggias, unlike balconies, there are no such restrictions, since they are almost completely protected from the wind. But on loggias another problem. Since they are closed on three sides with walls, there may be a certain lack of light. Therefore, when choosing colors for loggias, consider this feature - you will have to select shade-tolerant plants. Asking which flowers are grown on the balcony, try to take into account all the above factors, experiment with the assortment of plants, the color scheme, study how different plants behave on your balcony. But the reward to you will be a balcony in a magnificent floral frame, which all passers-by will pay attention. Yes, and you yourself will be happy to spend time there reading a book or even at work, which, surrounded by such beauty, will not seem boring to you. We advise you to read:
