Gaillardia is an impressive flower with characteristic green-grey foliage and beautiful flowers that resemble daisies in shades of red, yellow and orange. Gaillardia is characterized by abundant and prolonged flowering that lasts from early summer to mid-autumn. It comes from America and belongs to the same family as the sunflower with several varieties, some annual and others perennial and a height varying between 30-90 cm. Gaillardia is an ideal choice for planting in a flower bed, in a rock garden, as well as in a pot on the balcony. The Gaillardia plant gives a wild flower feel to our garden and is also one of the plants that attract butterflies and birds. Gaillardia needs sunny positions to give us its impressive flowering. It wants light and sandy soil that has good drainage, as young Gaillardia plants are sensitive to excess moisture. To plant it in a pot on the balcony, we prefer places with southern exposure and relatively sheltered, as it is sensitive to low temperatures and strong north winds. In any case, we put a layer of gravel at the base of the pot to drain away the water and not to close the holes of the pot due to soil compression.

Portulaca, also known as silk, is an annual ornamental plant ideal for ground cover in rock gardens, but also for planting in hanging pots on the balcony. Portulaca originates from Brazil and is characterized by creeping vegetation and fleshy oval leaves. The impressive flowering of purslane lasts from spring to autumn, with single or double flowers, monochrome, two-color and even three-color, in shades of yellow, pink, orange, red and white. Portulaca has no particular soil requirements, although it prefers fertile soils with good drainage.

Chrysanthemum, a perennial plant with abundant flowering and beautiful daisy-like flowers in wonderful colors. Chrysanthemums are among the most popular flowers that bloom in the autumn season and belong to the same family as other favorite flowers such as dimorphotheca, silver marigold, asteraceae, marigold and gerbera. The chrysanthemum is native to Southeast Asia and China.

The seeds are planted in late spring and summer.

The sunflower, the well-known sunflowers, is a favorite summer plant to decorate our garden or balcony to give us its impressive flowering. The name of the sunflower comes from the fact that its head constantly turns towards the sun’s rays during the day and turns again, in the morning hours, towards the east. The dwarf varieties of sunflower, which reach up to 40-50 cm in height, are suitable for pots, while for the garden we prefer the taller varieties that exceed one meter and are also edible. The characteristic color of sunflower flowers is yellow but now new sunflower varieties have been created in shades from pale yellow to red and brown.

The Snapdragon, a favorite ornamental plant with wonderful flowers, is planted in the spring and is a characteristic plant of the Mediterranean, with rich vegetation. We will find Snapdragon in dwarf varieties from 20-40 cm, medium height from 40-60 cm and tall varieties from 60-120 cm. Although a perennial plant, it is usually planted as an annual in gardens and in pots on the balcony to give us rich flowering and impressive color combinations.

The primrose is the first flower to bloom in winter! Although a low-growing herbaceous perennial flower, the primrose is mainly planted as an annual ornamental and gives us its wonderful flowers from early January to late spring. The primula has characteristic lanceolate foliage that grows in the form of a rosette and is an ideal plant to plant in a pot on the balcony, as well as in the garden to create impressive color compositions. The name primrose comes from Latin and means first, confirming its early flowering in the heart of winter. There are, of course, some varieties of primrose that bloom in the autumn months. The leaves of the primrose resemble lettuce leaves, which is why many call it “lettuce”. There are many types of primroses with a wide variety of colors to choose from, from white, red, purple, yellow, pink, orange, blue, as well as striking bi-color varieties that have been created in recent years.