Since we are living an intense summer with a lot of heat during the day and also at night, I want to show you the right plants for gardens or balconies with a lot of sun so that you do not have problems with sick, dehydrated or dying plants.
In addition, I found this topic interesting since some people asked me about it through Facebook.
Geraniums for a sunny balcony
Geraniums (Pelargonium hortorum), better known in Chile as cardinals, are quite common in this type of gardens and sunny balconies. They are very beautiful and resistant to sun exposure throughout the day. Even, sometimes I do not water them at this time and it also blooms and remains vigorous. It is a super noble shrub, beginner-proof (attentive) and if you prune the dried flowers, it will continue to bloom more.
Native plants of full sun
The Añañuca is a perennial plant, native to Chile, very ornamental that grows in very dry soils, so it is ideal for sunny areas. It is a bulb plant with red, pink or yellow flowers; they are very striking despite not being a very large plant. I always recommend the use of native plants so that we restore the natural landscape and because they are the ones that best adapt to our climate, do not forget this point.
Succulent
Succulent plants are one of the stars for very sunny gardens. As they are plants with water reserves in their leaves, they withstand extreme heat and grow happily in these conditions.
Centerpiece with succulents
Both in punctual decoration in planters, such as planters, green boxes or planted directly on the ground, succulents adapt very well, provided they have good drainage. On a balcony with a lot of sun they work perfect. And if you don’t have much space, you can make some small arrangements, like the one Aldo made in the photo above.
There are the Echeverias, Aloes, and the beautiful Agaves to name a few species to incorporate into the garden design. They can be associated with gravels or woods that highlight the spectacular colors that these plants have.
Rosemary
On the other hand, in a range of aromatic and special plants for full sun, I recommend the use of Rosemary since it is a shrub that can be consumed, it brings aroma to the garden and blooms abundantly throughout the summer. In this category are also Lavenders, Santolina, Thyme and Sage, each with its own aroma that fills the garden or balcony.
If you want to cover a wall or a pergola facing the sun all day, the Buganvilia (Bougainvillea glabra) is a climbing plant with the ability to withstand the temperature and bloom a lot at the same time. The most common is fuchsia, but there are also red, orange, and white (this one is more sensitive). Eye that if there are frosts in winter it will not bloom. But if it’s a warm winter, you can have flowers all year round and that’s why it’s highly recommended.
Crawlers
If you want to have a tapestry of flowers in a sunny area, Verbena (Verbena officinalis) is a very good plant to cover floors. It looks messy, dynamic, grows rapidly and is also medicinal. It can be associated with the other plants that I have already mentioned and it is handled with pruning to control the border edge.
Another option to cover floors is Aptenia (Aptenia cordiflora). I have tried this succulent plant several times and it is excellent for areas with a lot of sun. The advantage is that it prevents soil water from evaporating very quickly. Despite cutting it, it grows again covering the ground without problems. It is very good to cover slopes or areas where you cannot plant another species. It has small flowers, similar to the Sunbeam, in fuchsia and red. Aldo also has this plant in his garden and it has worked excellent.