Colourful early flowers for your balcony – three planting ideas

When everything is gradually starting to get more colourful outside, that's a sure sign spring is on its way. But even if you don't have your own garden where you can admire tulips, narcissi or ranunculus, you don't have to do without a colourful arrangement of spring flowers. We share three ideas that will conjure up a spring atmosphere on your balcony or patio.

Table of content

1. Idee: Balkonkasten in Rot & Weiß

2. Idee: Schlichte Eleganz im Kübel

3. Idee: Buntes Balkon-Hochbeet

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Idea number one

A dream in red and white

A fresh spring balcony planting arrangement, pairing white spring flowers with bright splashes of colour. Red flowers are our absolute favourite – they make the contrast particularly stark.
Primroses are one of the first to open their buds in spring, which is why we've chosen them to provide a radiant red hue in our balcony box. These flowers come in an array of different versions, meaning there are no limits to your creativity and colour choices. The primroses are framed by saxifrage and candytuft. The delicate, much smaller blossoms of these two spring flowers highlight the red star of the composition, without fading into the background themselves.

Idea number two

Restrained elegance

Our second spring planting arrangement for your balcony or patio will wow you with its subtle colours. While white horned violets and candytuft flowers exude a sense of calm, a purple horned violet adds a special extra touch. They all go perfectly with shimmery silver-grey lavender leaves. The green of the plants, particularly the leaves of the cushion plant maidenhair vine, add the finishing touch to the balcony box and bring a breath of fresh air to spring. This planting arrangement has a particularly harmonious appearance thanks to the choice of container. The silver metal box works well with the overarching concept, not least due to the lavender.
We recommend adding further natural materials, such as driftwood or old branches, to break up the arrangement and add exciting contrasts.

Idea number three

Early flowers in your raised bed

As temperatures get warmer, this doesn't just mark the start of the season for spring flowers: your raised beds will also slowly start waking from their winter slumber. You can start sowing your seeds as early as March if temperatures are mild. Alongside vegetables such as parsnips or various lettuces, flowering plants are also very happy to live in raised beds. Forget-me-not or horned violet, for instance, add a splash of colour with their broad array of flowers. You can really let your creativity run wild. Be it a motley mix of sunny yellow and deep violet, or a more subtle combination of white and pastels – horned violets flower from the end of February onwards and bring the joy of spring to your raised bed, even when it's too early to sow any seeds.

The right time

When can you start planting spring flowers?

While tulip or narcissus bulbs are generally put into the soil as early as Autumn, the planting time for younger spring flowers – which you can buy pre-germinated from garden centres – depends on how sensitive the plants are to frost. While, for instance, horned violets can even survive winter temperatures without any issues, primroses should only take up residence in your balcony box once there are no more heavier frosts to be expected. If it looks like there's another cold snap on the horizon, cover your spring flowers with a piece of non-woven cloth.

Here's how

Step-by-step guide to planting your balcony

1
Fill the balcony box with soil
If you want your early flowers to enjoy healthy growth, it's important that you choose a container with sufficient space. Start by filling it with a drainage layer of sustainable pumice granules. This helps avoid standing water and improves the ventilation for the plants. Top this with special balcony and container plant compost, or alternatively, universal compost, to lay the best foundation for your plants.
2
Prepare your plants
In step two, carefully remove your early flowers from their containers. If the roots have already grown out of the drainage holes and are very matted, you can trim them somewhat. To enable the plant to get off to a good start in its new home, loosen the roots somewhat with your fingers. This stimulates the plants to grow again.
3
Planting early flowers
Finally, put your spring flowers into the container you prepared. Make sure you have enough space between the early flowers for the specific plant species in question. Fill the gaps between the plants with some soil and press it in gently. Now, all you need is your watering can: make sure you don't pour the water straight onto the flowers – then you can look forward to your new spring arrangement.