Vines for balcony that would grow in pots

6 years ago

Hi,

I would like to grow vine shade on the rooftop balcony...can you suggest what vine plants would grow well in a container?

We are in Europe, Zagreb, which should be zone 8.

I know grape vine and kiwi fruit grows well here, but I don't know if they could be successfully grown in pots/containers?

Other options are ivy, wisteria, but I also don't know if they would tolerate pots?

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
Vines that produce a lot of vigorous topgrowth - like wisteria, grapes, kiwi - also produce very large root systems. While growing in a container will be a natural dwarfing process, you still need a pretty large container to accommodate the large root system and that means a lot of work when it comes time for repottting, replacing the soil and root pruning.

I'd consider something that doesn't get quite so massive, like clematis or honeysuckle, and that can be pruned easily to control size. And both produce lovely flowers as well, which is a big plus :-))
daneejela thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Trachelospermum jasminoides and asiaticum grow well in large containers.
daneejela thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
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I don't live in your zone but as a general rule of thumb, you want to look for plants that are 1 - 2 USDA hardiness zones colder than that designated for your area. This recommendation is mainly if you want to keep the plants out in winter. If you have a place to bring them in that is chilled, then you can go with the more marginal plants. Sometimes it is difficult to judge what might do well if you have no direct sun and there are ways to increase the amount of light around plants. In many cases, the plants will grow but the flowering will be reduced without that sunlight. Being south-facing, I expect that it might be a little blessing that you aren't getting full blazing sun all day, which is usually the case for south-facing. I often recommend that people buy and plant things that they like and give it a try. I often go to a nursery looking for one thing and see something else and bring that home. Then I end up researching the care for the plant. However regarding your mention of "droughts" and "severe snow", you need to make sure that the plant gets manual watering if there is no natural rain that makes it on the balcony (if it is covered and/or enclosed) and you may want to consider protection in winter for less hardy plants. Snow is actually a good insulator and I allow my hardy plants to be covered in it, and that will help reduce the incidence of continual freezes and thaws, but again, it's dependent on how much precipitation in general, reaches your balcony and ultimately your plants.
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There's an article I found in Rose Magazine for Roses in containers. There are a number of points to consider. Is your balcony enclosed? Does the temperature drop below freezing in the winter. Most things can be grown successfully in containers but you have to provide some sort of protection in the winter. Plants that are hardy to Zone 5 will need to be protected from freezing in the winter; otherwise, the root dies and the plants don't come back. I've planted Chrysanthemum in a north facing balcony with success so there is enough light but I've never tried over wintering them. As for any other plants, you can go to a local nursery and look at those in the shade or part share category -- perennials or annuals (again, perennials will need to be protected in the winter -- put in basement or indoors). While a north facing balcony can be bright, it is certainly not full sun. Here is a link that might be useful: Container Roses
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Thanks! I've heard of the purple hyacinth vine too, but is there any possibility of getting it NOT as seed? Or scarlet runners? Even something that will make it partway thru the summer would be better than nothing. I was thinking about tomatoes in a couple of big containers -- hoping to find some Celebrity -- but I hadn't thought of growing them up the wall. My main criteria for back there is "green," so getting some tomatoes (or ANY tomatoes) out of it would be a bonus. Will tomato vines live through the summer here, even if they aren't setting fruit? I'll check out okra, and sunflowers might be cool. You've got me thinking outside the box now. Heck, maybe I'll try some corn back there, or some other type of bean or pea. Direct sow and see what happens. Again, if it doesn't do "all that well" or gets fried or eaten or makes a bit of a mess back there I won't be heartbroken. I just want a bit of a screen that won't be a nightmare to get rid of later. One other option would be something viney that is quick and long-term but controllable -- if it would stay on the wall behind the roses and not try to eat them, that would be completely acceptable. I just don't want cat claw or something horrific like that.
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Bourbon Milkshake
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Oh, you're in a great climate for some less-vigorous vines, OP!

Consider: Clematis, Passiflora, Eccremocarpus, Hardenbergia, Thunbergia, Ipomoeas in general (consider Japanese morning glories, cypress vine, cardinal vine, moonflower, Ipomoea lobata, etc), Codonopsis grey-wilsonii, Codonopsis clematidea, Akebia, Cup-and-Saucer vine, Sollya heterophylla, Tropaeolum (the big flowered garden variety have spicy edible flowers! T. tricolor is fun and unusual), Aristolachia (with its wonderfully ODD flowers!), Dactylicapnos macrocapnos (this one is beautiful in shade).

I lived for a while in z7/8 and all of the above grew very well there.

I like creeping toadflax (Cymbalaria muralis) which is a tiny tiny plant that winds itself on rocks. Some people consider it a weed but I like it! It would certainly grow in a container on a balcony!

PS: On a balcony care must be taken with very large climbers like Wisteria and Kiwi. How large are your containers? How sturdy the trellis? Do you expect to be able to root-prune?
daneejela thanked Bourbon Milkshake
funkyhat
6 years ago
Ivy does very well in pots.
daneejela thanked funkyhat
Paul MI
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Ipomoea quamoclit is an easy growing annual for me. I grow it, in part, to attract hummingbirds. (That latter being a moot point for you on your side of the pond, I know.)
daneejela thanked Paul MI

Vines for balcony that would grow in pots

Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

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Bourbon Milkshake

funkyhat

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