26 balcony plants that want full sun
The criterion is the one the catalogue can actually support: full sun, and repotted at most every two years — plants that are moved or swapped often, not the trees and shrubs that stay in the ground. A hot week on a balcony dries a pot faster than the same week indoors, which is what the water tier is for.
In the table, watering runs from 2 to 14 days at medium light; 1 of the 26 want humid air.
| Plant | Water | Light | Humidity | Temperature or hardiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BasilOcimum basilicum | every 3–5 days | Direct sun | Medium | 15–30 °C |
| boneseed daisiesOsteospermum | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Elegant ZinniaZinnia elegans | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| French marigoldTagetes patula | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| garden cosmosCosmos bipinnatus | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Gerbera DaisiesGerbera | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Gladiolus | every 3–6 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 2°C outdoors |
| HibiscusHibiscus rosa-sinensis | every 5–9 days | Direct sun | High | 13–32 °C |
| hoary stockMatthiola incana | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| million bellsCalibrachoa | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Petunia | every 2–5 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| SunflowerHelianthus annuus | every 2–5 days | Direct sun | Low | 8–38 °C |
| sweet alyssumLobularia maritima | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Treasure FlowersGazania | every 3–7 days | Direct sun | Medium | 8–32 °C |
| Crocus | every 5–10 days | Direct sun | Low | down to -20°C outdoors |
| DaffodilNarcissus | every 5–10 days | Direct sun | Low | down to -20°C outdoors |
| GeraniumPelargonium | every 3–6 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| Meyer lemonCitrus × meyeri | every 7–10 days | Direct sun | Medium | 10–30 °C |
| OleanderNerium oleander | every 5–7 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| Pot marigoldCalendula officinalis | every 4–8 days | Direct sun | Low | down to -5°C outdoors |
| TulipTulipa | every 5–10 days | Direct sun | Low | down to -20°C outdoors |
| beebalms and bergamotsMonarda | every 10–14 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| catmintsNepeta | every 10–14 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| HyssopsAgastache | every 10–14 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| RosemarySalvia rosmarinus | every 6–8 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |
| English lavenderLavandula angustifolia | every 7–10 days | Direct sun | Low | down to 5°C outdoors |