Tips for flowers, colours and atmosphere on your balcony
Anyone who has ever been on holiday in the Alps, and especially in Austria, Switzerland or Germany, will be familiar with the exuberant floral splendour on the balconies. It seems to be the ‘business card’ of the mountain villages. The beautiful colours of geraniums and petunias, red, pink, purple and white, among others, make everyone smile happily. I have sometimes wondered why a traditional Alpine balcony looks like this. It is a fact that the mountain dwellers are good with balcony flowers, but why are they so enthusiastic about it? I have investigated this for you and will give you some tips on how to decorate a balcony in Alpine style yourself.
Where does the flower tradition in the Alps come from?
The tradition of decorating balconies with flowers has not even existed for that long. This traditional Alpine balcony has only become popular since 1950. Why? There are several explanations for this. A house decorated with flowers looks welcoming and cosy. With the growth of tourism after the Second World War, many villages and towns in the Alps began to decorate their houses and balconies to make them more attractive to visitors. In some regions, competitions were and still are organised for the most beautiful balcony. This encourages residents to decorate their homes with flowers as beautifully as possible. Eventually, decorating balconies became a way to emphasise local culture and traditions. Today, the flowery balconies in the Alps are inextricably linked to true Alpine traditions.
Which flowers are suitable for an Alpine balcony?
The most well-known flowers for the balcony are the geranium and the petunia. The hanging varieties are particularly popular, because they form beautiful flowering bunches that hang down along the edge. Petunias in particular are available in many different colours and give your balcony or garden a colourful appearance. Both plants love sun, but a geranium can also thrive in the shade. Petunias do not like shade, let alone a lot of rain, but they do like their roots to remain moist.
Calibrachoas are also popular. These are also called mini petunias or million bells. They are available in many different colours and bloom all summer long.
A slightly lesser-known plant that is used on balconies in the Alps is the diascia, or twinspur. This plant likes its roots to be kept moist, but it does not like being wet.
The fuchsia is ideal for balconies that do not get much sun. This plant can also hang beautifully and the flowers have a beautiful, full colour. It is resistant to rain and wind, but has difficulty with the full afternoon sun.
How do I get a balcony like in the Alps?
Do you dream of a balcony like in the Alps? Good news: with a little attention and the right flowers you can go a long way. Do you have a sunny balcony or a garden facing south? Then you are already one step closer to that typical mountain feeling. Many plants and flowers love that.
- Choose flowers that match the light: For example, if you have a lot of sun on your balcony, geraniums, petunias or calibrachoas are ideal. A fuchsia, on the other hand, would not do you any favors. What you can do if you only have shade on your balcony, I will tell you in a moment.
- Choose your colors consciously: A little variation in color makes it a cheerful whole. In the Alps they can sometimes go completely wild and I like that. The more colorful, the better, but a palette of only 3 colors can also be very beautiful. Then choose purple, pink and white, for example, to not make it too colorful. The colours red and white, like the Austrian and Swiss flags, also form a beautiful whole.
- Provide overhang and lushness: Hanging flowers give that typical ‘flower wave effect’ to your balcony. Think of petunias or million bells that hang cheerfully over the edge. Combine hanging flowers with upright plants in your containers to create a full and lively whole. I always try to create some height difference by alternating hanging plants with standing plants. That gives a playful and full effect and looks much richer.
- Care is half the work:
- Watering: Sometimes even twice a day on warm days.
- Fertiliser: Use fertiliser specifically for flowering plants, once a week.
- Pruning: Remove faded flowers regularly. That stimulates new flowering and prevents your balcony from looking untidy.
- Think about containers and attachment: Choose sturdy balcony containers that can be attached well to your railing. Wooden containers give that traditional feel, but plastic is lighter and often more practical. I only have plastic containers myself, because otherwise it would be too heavy, but with the right flowers they also create a cozy atmosphere.
No sun? No problem! Tips for an Alpine-style shadow balcony.
Of course, like me, you can be unlucky enough to have only shade on your balcony. Especially for fellow unlucky people, here are a few tips I discovered myself.
- Fuchsias like everything, even if they never get direct sunlight.
- Geraniums grow and stay beautiful despite the lack of direct sunlight. They can also handle a rainy summer just fine. They don't grow as exuberant as on a sunny balcony, but for a shade balcony they are a good choice.
- Petunias can also stand just shade. They have already given my balcony a beautiful Alpine atmosphere several times. Unfortunately, they absolutely do not like a wet summer. You can't predict that, but they don't like the combination of wet and shade at all.
- I mentioned this above, but alternate hanging plants with standing plants. This will make your containers look a bit fuller, as the plants do not grow as fast as their friends in the sun.
So do you want to make sure your balcony is and stays cheerful, even though you really only have shade on your balcony? Then opt for geraniums and fuchsias to be on the safe side. They can take a bit more than petunias and also give you that real Alpine feeling.
Complete the Alpine atmosphere
The flowers do most of the work, but you can complete your balcony with decorations. Think about:
- Cosy red-and-white or blue-and-white checked rugs and cushions.
- A wooden bench, chair or stool. Possibly with a heart or an Alpine motif in it.
- Solar lights or hurricane lamps
- Cute things to hang, such as a wooden edelweiss, coloured butterflies, heart motifs, and so on.
- If you like, give your old walking sticks or hiking boots a place on your balcony to really emphasise the mountain feeling. A plant in your old shoes will complete the picture.
The Alps may not be around the corner, but you can still bring them to you. Whether your balcony is full of sun or mostly in the shade, a little attention and the right flowers will just bring that typical Alpine feeling home. I hope these tips will help you and that you will soon enjoy your balcony as much as I enjoy mine.
Want to read more about traditions? Then read our article about the Almabtrieb and Easter traditions in the Alps.
