Some farmers try to avoid planting in west-facing spots as much as possible because the afternoons there are very hot. This can feel even worse on a balcony, where there isn’t much room and the heat bounces off the walls of the house. However, a balcony facing west gets a lot of sun and has daylight for a much longer time than balconies facing other directions. This can be a great time to plant.
If you’ve looked at a lot of balcony garden ideas and still feel like you can’t make a garden because your west-facing direction makes it too hot for plants to survive, you need to change your mind. Lots of plants that like sun will do well on your balcony, and you can even make your urban yard feel like a patio in the sun.
3 ways to garden on a west-facing balcony
More and more, what we think of as a yard is changing. No matter how much room you have, you can garden. You can grow plants in window boxes, on your balcony, or inside. Having a porch that faces west means that it gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer. However, gardening experts say that it is still possible to have a successful garden balcony in this spot. Here are three ways to plant on a balcony that faces west.
1. Choose heat-tolerant plants
Since the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, a balcony facing west will have different lighting and temperature than a balcony facing east, which will have warm mornings and cool afternoons.
The trouble is that it gets really hot in the afternoon in the summer. This can make your balcony looking west feel like a beach. You might be worried about leaf burn and how much water you’ll need to keep your plants alive, even though this can be great for getting a tan.
But choosing plants that can handle both heat and drought is a great way to add greenery to your outdoor space that won’t die in very hot weather. To top it all off, there are a lot of drought-resistant plants that would do great in this urban yard.
Dr. Mike Arnold, professor of gardening and horticulture at Texas A&M’s Department of Horticultural Sciences, says that plants that will grow in these areas should like sun and heat. The best plants are tropical ones and ones that grow well in hot places. But you should always check first to see what plants can do well in your US hardiness zone.
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2. Incorporate adjustable shade
West-facing balconies will have a hard time getting natural shade during the hottest parts of the day, while east-facing balconies have plenty of shade in the afternoon. Adding some yard shade can be a good idea because it will let you enjoy your outdoor space even when it’s very hot.
You might want to put up a pergola if your deck is bigger. A gazebo like this one from Amazon has slats that can be moved to let sun or shade in during the day. This is the best way to make an outdoor living room that is cool and cozy.
If you have a smaller porch, though, you might want to use these patio umbrellas from Walmart. They don’t take up much room but still do a good job of blocking the sun.
3. Grow Mediterranean herbs
Having a deck that faces west can be helpful if you like to grow herbs in your kitchen garden. Building a balcony herb garden is simple because herbs grow well in pots, and many of them will do very well in the afternoon sun on a balcony looking west.
Anette says, “Herbs from the Mediterranean like rosemary, lavender, and basil should grow well here.” All of these herbs do best in full sun, but they also need a lot of water. As an extra bonus, growing these sun-loving herbs will make your balcony smell nice, making your urban outdoor space feel better.
You can actually get a lot of ideas for how to make your west-facing porch look like a garden or patio in the Mediterranean. Just keep in mind that the plants you choose for a balcony facing west will need to be able to handle less shade and indirect light than plants that are grown on a balcony facing south, where the sun shines most of the day.
