The convenience of apartment living often means sacrificing outdoor privacy. Shared common areas and close neighbors leave little quiet space, so having a private balcony is very valuable. Grow some of these 5 best privacy plants for balconies so your apartment balcony can become your private oasis.
1. Bamboo
Bamboo is easy to grow in containers and will provide an attractive privacy screen without taking up much floor space on the balcony.
Use a long container that is at least 12-inches (30 cm) deep and place bamboo plants 8-inches (20 cm) apart in the soil. Bamboo plants grow very fast but don’t produce much lateral foilage so planting them close together will create a living privacy screen.
Cut the top out of the bamboo plants when they are at the desired height and they will remain at that height.
2. Clematis
Ideal perennial vining plant for green foliage and colorful blooms on a balcony. Plant Clematis in a sunny location and keep the soil moist at all times. The vine will reach 6-8 feet (15 – 20 cm) long when mature.
3. Ivy
Ivy is a fast-growing vine that can be planted in a container on the floor and trained to grow upwards or a hanging planter and trained to grow downwards.
Attach one end of a few lengths of twin to the container and the other end to the top or bottom of your balcony. The Ivy will cling to the twine and grow in the desired direction to create a green privacy screen for your balcony. Boston Ivy is an evergreen vine that will provide year-round plant privacy.
4. Snake Plant
Also known as the Mother-In-Law Tongue, snake plants produce tall, sword-shaped leaves that can reach up to 6-feet (1.8 m) when mature.
Snake plants are in the succulent family and require minimal care. Place the plants in bright, indirect light and water only when the soil is dry. Snake plants produce tall white blooms that resemble a hooded cobra in the summer.
5. Star Jasmine
This is a fast-growing flowering vine that produces tiny white star-shaped blooms in early summer. The blooms are very fragrant and will fill an apartment with their sweet fragrance. The small round glossy green leaves of the Star Jasmine remain on the vine from early spring through autumn. The leaves will turn a lovely shade of yellow in late autumn.
Place container in partial sun and in a location that provides protection from the wind.
* Consider growing food plants on your balcony for privacy, beauty, and food. Scarlet runner beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, passion fruit, and grapes are a few more vining, blooming, food-producing plants that can be used as privacy plants for balconies.
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