10 Best Flowers & Plants for Urban Living
As a child I grew to love gardening and planting flowers each spring with my mom around our house in Ohio, but now that I live in the large metropolis of Los Angeles with only a small balcony for a backyard I find it much more difficult to still have that fresh, invigorating garden experience. So, I did some research and found the best ways to grow flowers in an urban setting.
Whether you live in a large city, suburb or a rural area, I hope these tips will help your life be filled with more beautiful vegetation and colors each day! Happy Spring!
1. Pothos – Epipremnum Aureum This leafy green is ideal for adding lively accents higher up in your apartment or small home because it add lush green accents and also adds oxygen to the air. They are perfect for hanging baskets or as a climbing plant. Plus their purifying qualities allow them to absorb and strip toxins like formaldehyde often found in common household items like carpet and area rugs. They can survive in a variety of lighting conditions, but please note that low light may reduce the leaves’ variegation. My mom had at least two of these growing for decades in our home and they were very low-maintenance.
2. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum Wallisii)
This beautiful plant boasts long dark green leaves and elegant white flowers. The Peace Lily is great for small spaces and requires little sun for survival. In fact, direct sunlight can actually damage the plant’s foliage—it has the nickname “Closet Plant.” The plant doesn’t require a lot of watering, but when it does, it’s easy to tell as the leaves begin to drop. My grandma and mom both really liked these plants for inside their home because they had a very "clean" look to them. They are elegant and lovely.
3. Succulents
Who doesn’t love a succulent? Over the past few years we’ve seen a boom in this plants popularity which can probably be attributed to their good looks and their no fuss lifestyle! They are hard to kill, even for anyone who doesn't like to garden. All you need to keep these guys going is a little bit of sunlight and water once every other month.
4. Sunflowers
Most of the time we see sunflowers by the side of the road lifting their beautiful, yellow faces to the sky in adoration, but rarely do we think of sunflowers as an urban flower. But, here are a few handy tips for how to grow sunflowers in decorative pots that will bring bursts of color to your home or patio and also be a fun talking point with guests. Read HERE for these easy tips!
5. Zinnia
Look for zinnias in almost every color except blue; they're also available in a variety of heights. The flowers may look like daisies or dahlias, spiders or pom poms and more. Plant them in the sun and space them as directed on the seed packet or label; good air circulation helps prevent disease.
6. Impatiens
Impatiens ask little more than a shady spot and enough water to keep them from wilting. Plant these pretty annuals when the weather is reliably warm. In recent years, many impatiens (I. walleriana) have succumbed to downy mildew. 'Big Bounce' (pictured) is a new hybrid for shade to partial sun that resists this deadly disease. You'll also find disease-resistant impatiens in the 'Bounce' series.
7. Petunias
Petunias are one of the most favorite flowers of gardeners. They bloom profusely with exquisite colorful flowers that spread mild fragrance during night. In addition, petunias grow quickly. Its flowers adorn the balcony in purple, pink, violet, red or white robes. It grows well in hanging baskets and in containers. It requires sun and fertilizer to grow, but remember that over-watering is detrimental.
8. Geranium
An outstanding flower to grow on balcony. It has pleasing smell (or smells) and is extremely easy to grow. Geranium just needs a lot of sunlight and water to benefit you with bright, multi-colored flowers of pink, red, purple or white colors. There are myriads of geranium varieties available, both annual and perennial.
9. Begonias
Begonias not only have beautiful flowers of red, pink, orange, white, and even golden colors, but also have thick heart-shaped foliage that looks great even without flowers. Ideal for shady balconies. Begonias can also be grown in hanging baskets. Its main requirement is moist and fertile soil.
10. Chrysanthemum
Also called as mums, are second most popular flowers after Rose. Seasons and months varies, but mums can be grown in almost every part of the world. It is a beautiful container flower, all it needs is full sun and water.
