Hi Anne Lynn, I've given your question some thought.  The first thing to consider in planting on a balcony is the issue of weight and the design of the building.  I would go to the engineer or architect of the building in question and have a sit down talk about what you have in mind.  There are a lot of things that can go wrong with just putting a few containers on the balcony.  The biggest one is balcony failure of course and then the ever-present dripping down on the balcony below.  I can imagine that there are a lot of HOA's that have very specific rules about what you can do and what you cannot do on a balcony.  A lot of buildings have staggered balconies that don't drip down on the people just below for that reason.  I know you can grow almost anything you have down on the ground in containers on a balcony or on a patio.  The winter weather would be a drawback to a lot of hardy plants.  The rule of thumb for containers for perennial plants is that the roots must not freeze.  Yes, they freeze in the ground but that is very gradual and they thaw gradually too.  

I would do a lot of research from books on container gardening:  Easy Patio Veggies & Herbs by Pamela Crawford 2020; Complete Balcony Gardening by Dr. Jones Scholes, 2020; Balcony Gardening Guidebook for Beginners by Carlos Roldan, 2021; and Balcony Gardening, An Easy Step by Step Guide to Start a Balcony Garden by Erick Johnston, Ph.D.  2020.  

Again, almost anything goes for growing in containers for plants.  You can't get too big for the container or the wind torque, of course.  Most of the time annuals would be grown for color and possibly vegetables.  Watering can be the trick but you can do a timer on drip irrigation and keep things under control.  Hope this helps some.  Don