A balcony a few streets back from the sea is one of the most rewarding places to garden, and one of the most demanding. Salt spray, relentless wind and pots that dry out faster than you can fill the watering can all conspire against you. Get the basics right, though, and a small seaside balcony can out-perform a sheltered inland garden for sheer length of colour. This is a display built on tough plants, heavy pots and a bit of stubbornness.

What a Coastal Balcony Throws at You

Wind is the biggest single factor. On an exposed balcony it rarely stops, and even a moderate breeze carries salt crystals that settle on leaves, draw moisture out of them and leave foliage scorched and blackened at the edges. Plants with soft, large leaves — think courgettes, dahlias or most bedding lobelia — simply shred and burn.

Then there is the light. Sun bouncing off water gives brilliant, almost harsh illumination, and a south- or west-facing balcony can bake by mid-afternoon. Add a rain shadow from the balcony above, and you have a growing space that is windier, saltier, brighter and drier than the garden below. Plan for all four and you will not be disappointed.

Pots Worth Having

Sturdy is the word. Flimsy plastic troughs go brittle in UV light and blow over at the first autumn gale. Choose frost-proof glazed ceramic, heavy fibreglass or good-quality timber, and go bigger than you think you need — a container of at least 35–40cm across and 30 litres of compost holds moisture far better than a cluster of small pots.

• Weight the base. A layer of washed gravel or a few broken slabs in the bottom of the pot anchors it and improves drainage.
• Raise pots on feet so water escapes freely and does not stain the balcony floor.
• Secure tall or top-heavy pots with brackets or by wedging them into a corner — never rely on luck during a storm.
• Skip terracotta unless you can water daily; it wicks moisture away through the walls.

Use a soil-based compost such as John Innes No. 2 mixed with a third of multipurpose and a handful of grit. It holds water, drains sharply and gives roots something to grip in the wind.

Plants That Shrug Off Salt

Look for silver, grey and leathery foliage, tight growth and a natural seaside ancestry. These are the plants that look better after a gale than before it.

• Shrubs: dwarf hebe, Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb', Coprosma, compact lavender and rosemary.
• Perennials: sea thrift, Erigeron karvinskianus, hardy geraniums, sedum and houseleeks.
• Grasses: blue fescue, Carex and pheasant's tail grass for movement without damage.
• Summer colour: osteospermum, marguerite daisies, pelargoniums, calibrachoa, bidens and trailing verbena.

Dust the whole lot with a hose after a storm — a quick rinse of fresh water lifts the salt and prevents scorch.

Building the Display

Height matters on a balcony because you are usually looking at the pots from below or through a window. Put the tallest plants at the back against the wall or railing, mid-height in the centre and trailing plants at the front so they soften the rim of the pot.

Silver foliage is your friend here: it reflects light, reads well against a grey sea sky and hides a little neglect. Use it as a spine, then thread through bright accents — hot orange, deep pink, strong blue — so the display sings from a distance. A single pot can hold a small shrub, a clump of grass, three bedding plants and a trailer, and look deliberate rather than crowded.

Watering, Feeding and Daily Care

From May to September, expect to water at least once a day, and twice on hot, breezy days. Water in the morning so foliage dries before evening; damp leaves in cool air invite mildew. If you can fit a drip irrigation kit or a self-watering reservoir into the base of the larger pots, do it — it turns a chore into a holiday-proof system.

Feed weekly with a liquid tomato fertiliser once flowering starts, and top-dress with slow-release granules in spring. Mulch the surface with 2cm of gravel or crushed shells to slow evaporation and stop compost splashing onto the balcony in a downpour.

Storms, Winter and Starting Again

Before any named storm, move pots into the lee of the wall, lay tall plants down if you must, and check that nothing can become a missile. Remove spent flowers regularly to keep everything flowering into autumn.

In winter, cut back tender perennials and mulch the crowns, or lift and store them somewhere frost-free. Hardy shrubs, grasses and herbs will carry the display through the grey months, and in February you can refresh the top 5cm of compost, add a handful of slow-release feed and start again. A coastal balcony rewards consistency more than cleverness — sturdy pots, tough plants and a daily glance with the watering can.