Gardeners are keeping more and more potted plants on their balconies. A while ago, a fellow gardener asked me which flowers can be grown on a balcony or by a window, wanting a "sea of flowers" or a flower wall. In fact, you just need to grow these 4 kinds well below. They grow fast and make the balcony lush, so you need not worry about having no flowers to enjoy. They are prettier than the potted plants we commonly see, such as pothos, spider plant and money tree.

4 kinds of flowers can be grown into a "flower wall". Grow 1 pot now, no maintenance needed, and next year they grow into a whole stretch!

One,Firecracker flower

Firecracker flower likes light, a warm and highly humid climate and acidic soil. It is mostly planted around courtyard buildings and climbs on pergolas. It can be used to cover the walls of low-rise buildings or as vertical greening material for trellises, flower corridors, balconies and so on. This flower grows very fast; grow 1 pot and next year it can basically grow into a whole stretch.

As for propagation, firecracker flower can be grown by layering. Layering mainly uses vines that have trailed on the ground; score the bark at the leaf axils and press the stem into the soil. It can be done in spring, autumn or summer, and summer is the most suitable. After 20~30 days it will root, and after a month and a half it can be cut off as a new plant, which can bloom that same year. It is mostly grown in pots. Alternatively, layer it directly into a container without moving it to the nursery field for seedling raising.

Two,Chinese trumpet creeper

Chinese trumpet creeper is a common plant in parks or on walls. It has strong climbing ability and naturally good survival ability. Its planting methods are mainly three: sowing, cuttings and layering. Cuttings are the most commonly used in daily life, because the seeds of Chinese trumpet creeper are relatively hard to collect, so home growing mostly uses seedling cuttings. Propagation is still fairly easy, and it likewise grows fast.

The planting time for Chinese trumpet creeper is the same as for most flowering vines, mostly in the two seasons of spring and autumn. Before planting, you must choose a soil type suitable for Chinese trumpet creeper to grow in. Chinese trumpet creeper fears acidic soil most; neutral soil is most suitable for its growth, and planting in neutral soil gives the best survival rate. It has low requirements for fertilizer, so the number of fertilizing times should be reduced; just apply a little light fertilizer.

Three,Bougainvillea

For the care of bougainvillea, that is, potted bougainvillea, in general you just prune it a bit and it grows better and more vigorously. It likes light and tolerates drought, so it can only be placed on a bright and well-ventilated balcony, and watered once the soil is dry. Topdressing with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer is better. Bougainvillea grows very fast, especially the tender branches; it is easy to find that some branches grow very fast, even longer than ordinary branches, so excessive vegetative growth must be controlled. If it grows too vigorously, the apical dominance is too strong, and energy will shift to the excessively growing branches, leaving the lower and side parts with insufficient nutrients, so fewer flowers will be seen later. Therefore it is very necessary to prune off the excessively growing branches.

Potted bougainvillea is mostly propagated by cuttings, air layering and grafting, and cuttings are best done from March to June. Air layering takes about one month to root. Spring is the best time for transplanting. During the growing period, pinch off the growing tips to promote flower bud differentiation and the sprouting of side branches. The most suitable temperature for potted plants in temperate zones is 15~30°C. It likes a warm and humid climate and is not cold-tolerant. It is a short-day plant and cannot differentiate flower buds under long-day conditions. It likes light by nature and does not tolerate shade.