Low maintenance balcony plants are ideal if you want some greenery but don’t have the time, energy or knowledge to keep demanding plants alive. While fake plants are an obvious choice, nothing beats real greenery.
Below is a list of some great low maintenance balcony plants. Specifically, they’re often slow-growing or have few care needs (including watering). Of course, to make them suitable for balconies, we’ve avoided bigger plants and trees.
8 Low Maintenance Balcony Plants
1. Spider plants – Best for beginners
You can’t go too wrong with spider plants. Often seen as the most beginner-friendly foliage, they’re very forgiving if you forget to water them. Check out our article on the best spider plants for some inspiration.
2. Aloe – Best for shady warm balconies
While not everyone will have the climate to support aloes, they’re one of the better low maintenance balcony plants. They barely need watering and won’t need repotting too often. Plus there are so many varieties that you can get almost any look you want.
3. Herbs – Best all-round
Herbs might not be top of your list of low maintenance balcony plants, but they fit the brief perfectly. You can prune them whenever you need some for cooking, and watering is a breeze for things like rosemary. We have an article on balcony herb gardens if you want more information.
4. Pothos – Best for hanging pots
Pothos is another beginner-friendly houseplant. While they’ll need more watering than some, they don’t need pruning and can grow fairly large. A pothos looks great in a hanging pot, and you can generally leave it to do its thing.
5. Pansies – Best for flowers
If you want something with a bit more interest, pansies are a great choice. They’ll grow in super shady areas and, once potted, only need watering every now and then. Pansies are a summer-only plant, but they’ll give you months of flowers with little effort.
6. Lavender – Best for pollinators
Lavender is one of the best low maintenance balcony plants if you want aroma. Providing you give it the right growing conditions (more info here), you won’t need to do much else.
7. Cacti and succulents – Best for sunny warm balconies
Like aloe, this is another one for warm climates. There’s no point in specifying certain cacti, as they’re all super easy to grow. As desert plants, they need almost no water and will thrive in bad soil. Pick up a selection from a local gardening store and make some nice arrangements with them.
8. Rubber tree – Best for larger spaces
A rubber tree is pretty low maintenance, providing your balcony is warm enough. They can get pretty big and, like the other entries here, thrive on neglect. Throw some water at them every so often, and they’ll be perfectly happy.
Final Thoughts on Low Maintenance Balcony Plants
This list of low maintenance balcony plants should be more than enough to get you started. If you’re completely new to plants, start with a spider plant or herb garden, as they’re often the most forgiving. Once you’ve mastered the art of neglect, move on to other options.