Every plant in the Compact Balcony Garden collection is chosen to deliver on balcony plants. Add a few that share your conditions and group them for the strongest effect.
Compact Balcony Garden
No garden, no problem. These compact, pot-friendly plants bring foliage and flower to balconies, decks and windowsills.
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Agapanthus · Agapanthus praecox Spheres of blue or white flowers on tall stems above strappy clumps — a tough, drought-proof mass-planting staple. Choose sterile forms, as the species can self-seed into bushland. -
Albany Pitcher Plant · Cephalotus follicularis A rare carnivorous plant from south-west Western Australia, forming a low rosette of intricate ribbed, lidded pitchers that flush deep red in good light. A prized, slow-growing collector's species. -
Alocasia Polly · Alocasia × amazonica Dramatic arrow-shaped leaves of deep green edged and veined in silvery white. A striking but demanding aroid that loves warmth and humidity. -
Aloe Vera · Aloe vera A clumping rosette of thick fleshy grey-green leaves with toothed margins, filled with the soothing gel long used on burns, and sending up tall spikes of tubular yellow flowers. A practical pot staple. -
Alpine Strawberry · Fragaria vesca 'Alpine' A compact wild strawberry bearing small, intensely fragrant, sweet berries through the warmer months and rarely producing runners. Tolerant of light shade, it makes a charming edging or pot plant that crops over a long season. -
Arizona Sun Blanket Flower · Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' An award-winning, compact blanket flower bearing red daisies tipped with golden-yellow all season. Heat- and drought-hardy, flowering in its first year and loved by bees and butterflies. -
Arrowhead Vine · Syngonium podophyllum A versatile climber or trailer with arrow-shaped leaves in green, cream and pink shades. Quick-growing and adaptable, easily kept bushy with a trim. -
Aussie Crawl Fan Flower · Scaevola 'Aussie Crawl' A vigorous prostrate fan flower forming a dense mat covered in mauve-blue fan-shaped flowers through the warmer months. Excellent for groundcover, banks and hanging pots. -
Avonview French Lavender · Lavandula dentata 'Avonview' A vigorous toothed-leaf French lavender flowering for most of the year in mild climates, topped with showy purple bracts. Tough, coastal-tolerant and quick to establish. -
Baby Bear Camellia · Camellia 'Baby Bear' A miniature, very slow-growing hybrid with tiny leaves and small single pale-pink blooms. Naturally compact and bun-shaped, it is perfect for small pots, rockeries and bonsai. -
Baby Rubber Plant · Peperomia obtusifolia A compact, easy-care plant with thick, glossy rounded leaves that store water. Pet-safe and forgiving, it suits small spaces and tabletops. -
Basil 'Purple' · Ocimum basilicum 'Purple' A striking basil with deep burgundy-purple leaves and a mild, clove-like flavour. As ornamental as it is useful, lovely in salads and for infusing vinegars. -
Basil 'Sweet Genovese' · Ocimum basilicum 'Sweet Genovese' The classic Italian basil, with large, fragrant green leaves essential for pesto and pasta. Loves warmth and sun; pinch flowers to keep it leafy and productive. -
Basil 'Thai' · Ocimum basilicum 'Thai' An aromatic basil with purple stems, narrow green leaves and a distinctive anise-clove flavour. A staple of South-East Asian cooking that thrives in heat. -
Bean 'Dwarf Snake' · Phaseolus vulgaris 'Dwarf Snake' A compact bush bean bearing long, slender, stringless green pods with no need for staking. Quick from seed and ideal for small gardens and pots. -
Beetroot 'Detroit' · Beta vulgaris 'Detroit' The benchmark beetroot, with smooth, round, deep-red roots of sweet, tender flesh. Dependable and adaptable, equally good roasted, pickled or grated raw. -
Beetroot 'Golden' · Beta vulgaris 'Golden' A sweet, mild beetroot with glowing golden-orange flesh that does not bleed when cut. Gentle in flavour and beautiful roasted, with edible golden-veined leaves. -
Big Red Zonal Geranium · Pelargonium x hortorum 'Big Red' Bold ball-shaped heads of vivid scarlet flowers smother this zonal geranium for most of the year over rounded, faintly aromatic leaves. Sun-loving and drought-hardy, perfect for pots; toxic to pets. -
Billy Buttons · Craspedia globosa A clumping native perennial sending up slender stems topped with perfectly round golden flower balls in spring and summer. A quirky, long-lasting cut flower beloved by florists. -
Bird's Nest Bromeliad · Nidularium innocentii A shade-loving rosette of dark, often maroon-backed leaves whose centre forms a nest of bright red bracts cradling white flowers. Excellent groundcover bromeliad for deep shade under trees. -
Bird's Nest Fern · Asplenium nidus Broad, glossy, undivided fronds unfurl from a central rosette like a leafy nest. Pet-safe and easy-going, it tolerates lower light than most ferns. -
Birthday Candles Banksia · Banksia spinulosa 'Birthday Candles' A compact dwarf banksia with fine green foliage and gold and burgundy candle flowers through autumn and winter. A neat, bird-attracting feature for small gardens. -
Bishop's Cap Cactus · Astrophytum myriostigma A distinctive spineless cactus shaped like a star of broad ribs, dusted with tiny white woolly scales over a grey-green body, opening yellow flowers from its crown. An elegant, geometric collector's plant. -
Black Mondo Grass · Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' A striking strappy-leaf groundcover forming spreading tufts of near-black arching foliage, with small mauve flowers and black berries. A dramatic contrast plant for edging, pots and pebble gardens. -
Blue Barrel Cactus · Ferocactus glaucescens A handsome barrel cactus with a powdery blue-green ribbed body armed with golden-yellow spines, opening a ring of pale yellow flowers at its crown in summer. A striking, slow sculptural specimen. -
Blue Chalksticks · Curio talinoides var. mandraliscae A spreading groundcover succulent of upright finger-like blue-grey leaves with a chalky bloom, forming a cool silvery carpet ideal for mass planting and erosion-prone slopes. Tough and water-wise. -
Blue Fescue 'Elijah Blue' · Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' A compact evergreen tufting grass forming tidy hemispherical mounds of fine steel-blue foliage. Excellent for edging, rockeries and containers in well-drained, sunny spots. -
Blue Flax Lily 'Little Jess' · Dianella caerulea 'Little Jess' A compact, clumping strap-leaved flax lily with airy sprays of blue starry flowers followed by glossy purple berries. A tough, low-care mass-planting and border grass for sun or shade. -
Blue Flax-Lily · Dianella caerulea A clumping strappy native with starry blue flowers followed by glossy violet berries that draw birds. Tough, tidy and at home in mass plantings or pots. -
Blue Rug Juniper · Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' A flat, ground-hugging juniper forming a dense silver-blue carpet that trails attractively over walls and rocks. One of the best conifer groundcovers for slopes, banks and erosion control. -
Blue Spruce Stonecrop · Sedum rupestre A hardy creeping groundcover succulent with needle-like blue-green foliage resembling tiny spruce shoots, lighting up with flat heads of bright yellow star flowers in summer. Tough and frost-tolerant. -
Blue Star Juniper · Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' A compact, slow-growing dwarf juniper forming a neat mound of dense, silvery steel-blue needles. An outstanding small feature for rockeries, pots and the front of borders. -
Blush Pink Nandina · Nandina domestica 'Blush Pink' A dwarf nandina prized for soft pink to coral new growth in the warmer months, deepening to red in winter. A colourful, low-care choice for pots and edging. -
Blushing Bromeliad · Neoregelia carolinae A broad rosette of glossy green strap leaves whose centre flushes brilliant crimson as the plant prepares to flower. A reliable, showy bromeliad for shaded patios and tropical gardens. -
Boston Fern · Nephrolepis exaltata A classic feathery fern with arching fronds that spill beautifully from a hanging basket. Pet-safe and lush, it thrives with humidity and consistent moisture. -
Brasco Violet Native Daisy · Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' A compact mounding native daisy smothered in violet-purple flowers over a very long season. Hardy and free-flowering, ideal for borders, pots and bee-attracting plantings. -
Breeze Flax Lily · Dianella caerulea 'Breeze' A fine-leaved flax lily forming a soft fountain of bright green foliage with blue flowers and purple berries. Hardy and versatile for borders and mass plantings. -
Buddha's Temple · Crassula 'Buddha's Temple' A curious hybrid forming tight stacked columns of grey-green folded leaves resembling a tiered pagoda, topped with dense heads of tiny white to pink flowers. A prized collector's oddity. -
Bulbine Lily · Bulbine bulbosa A tufted native lily with fleshy grass-like leaves and spikes of fragrant star-shaped yellow flowers in spring. An easy, drought-hardy perennial and bush-food bulb. -
Burro's Tail · Sedum morganianum A trailing succulent forming long ropes densely packed with plump blue-green teardrop leaves coated in a chalky bloom, tipped with red-pink flowers in summer. Perfect tumbling from a hanging basket. -
Bush Diamond Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Diamond' A compact kangaroo paw with soft pink and white paw flowers over a long season. Hardy and disease-resistant, ideal for containers and bird-attracting borders. -
Bush Flame Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Flame' A compact kangaroo paw with bicoloured red and yellow paw flowers over a long season. Disease-resistant and bird-attracting, ideal for pots and sunny borders. -
Bush Gold Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Gold' A compact kangaroo paw with bright golden-yellow paw flowers on slender stems through spring and summer. Disease-resistant, bird-attracting and long-flowering. -
Bush Lily · Clivia miniata Glossy strap leaves and trusses of vivid orange trumpets light up dry shade where almost nothing else flowers. A long-lived clump-former; bulb and sap are toxic if eaten. -
Bush Pearl Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Pearl' A compact, disease-resistant kangaroo paw bearing deep pink furry flowers over a very long season above evergreen fans. Bred for pots and small gardens, it is a magnet for honeyeaters. -
Bush Ranger Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Ranger' A dwarf kangaroo paw with vivid red paw flowers over a long season on compact clumps. Hardy, disease-resistant and excellent for pots and bird-attracting borders. -
Bush Tango Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos 'Bush Tango' A compact kangaroo paw bearing warm orange paw flowers through spring and summer. Disease-resistant, long-flowering and a magnet for nectar-feeding birds. -
Busy Lizzie · Impatiens walleriana The go-to bedding plant for shade, smothering itself in flat flowers all the warm months in moist soil. Frost-tender and thirsty, it rewards regular water with non-stop colour. -
Butterfly Bush · Gaura lindheimeri Airy wands of white-to-pink flowers dance on wiry stems like a cloud of butterflies for months on end. Drought-proof and self-cleaning, it brings movement to any sunny border. -
Calathea Orbifolia · Calathea orbifolia Large rounded leaves striped in silvery green that ripple with quiet drama. A pet-safe beauty that rewards humidity and even moisture with show-stopping foliage. -
Calendula · Calendula officinalis Edible golden and orange daisies that flower through the cool months and self-seed cheerfully. The petals brighten salads and have a long herbal tradition. -
Calla Lily · Zantedeschia aethiopica Elegant white spathes curl around a yellow spadix above glossy arrow-shaped leaves, thriving in boggy ground. A serious environmental weed in parts of Australia and toxic to pets and people. -
Camarosa Strawberry · Fragaria x ananassa 'Camarosa' A high-yielding short-day strawberry with large, firm, deep-red fruit and good flavour, widely grown commercially. Crops over a long spring season and performs strongly in beds, raised gardens and containers. -
Capsicum · Capsicum annuum · from $3.95 A warm-season vegetable bearing crisp sweet capsicums or fiery chillies that ripen from green to red, yellow or orange. Compact and productive in garden beds or containers in full sun. -
Capsicum 'Banana' · Capsicum annuum 'Banana Capsicum' A sweet, mild pepper with long, tapering yellow fruit that ripen to red or orange. Crisp and prolific, lovely raw, grilled or pickled. -
Capsicum 'California Wonder' · Capsicum annuum 'California Wonder' A classic blocky sweet pepper with thick, crisp walls, ripening from green to brilliant red. The benchmark capsicum for stuffing, roasting and salads. -
Capsicum 'Sweet Bullhorn' · Capsicum annuum 'Sweet Bullhorn' A long, horn-shaped sweet pepper with thick, sugary flesh, superb roasted or grilled. Fruit ripen from green through to deep red on a sturdy bush. -
Caramel Coral Bells · Heuchera 'Caramel' A heat-tolerant coral bells with ruffled apricot-amber leaves that turn rich caramel and warm toward autumn. A glowing foliage perennial for shaded beds and containers. -
Carrot 'Baby' · Daucus carota 'Baby' A small, quick-maturing carrot with short, sweet, tender roots ideal for shallow soils and pots. Perfect for containers and gardeners short on space or patience. -
Carrot 'Nantes' · Daucus carota 'Nantes' A sweet, blunt-tipped cylindrical carrot with crisp, tender flesh and a fine core. A reliable all-rounder that grows well in deep, loose, stone-free soil.