Knowledgebase
Container gardening for wildlife #443997
Asked March 18, 2018, 6:48 PM EDT
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
Excellent that you want to plant containers to attract pollinators and beneficial insects. The limiting factor will be the amount of shade you have on your balcony. Also, It would be difficult to suggest only native plants. Your goal is to plant annuals and perennials that will supply blooms all season-long.
In your deck boxes on your railing, the annual sweet alyssum would be a good choice because you need something low growing. This will bloom all summer for you.
Planting a container with herbs is a good idea. Flowering herbs like thyme, oregano, basil, borage, lavender, and chives really draw bees. Parsley is a host plant for swallowtail caterpillars (often called parsley caterpillars). The added benefit is you get to enjoy using the herbs too. Coneflowers, anise hyssop (Agastache), milkweed, bee balm, and asters (which bloom later summer into fall when butterflies are looking for nectar plants) all are excellent pollinator plants.
Some annuals to plant are pentas, salvia, zinnias, fuchsia (needs shade), lantana and catmint (Nepeta). Again the amount of shade you have may limit your choices.
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