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🌿 Best Native Plants for a Chicago Balcony Garden
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items Create a pollinator-friendly, low-maintenance, and beautiful balcony garden using native Illinois plants that thrive in containers. Perfect for Chicagoans with limited space but big gardening dreams.
Sections
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Beautiful Things to Grow in Chicago
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Best Tools & Accessories for a Thriving Balcony Garden
Beautiful Things to Grow in Chicago
You will love these plants on your Chicago container garden
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Gorgeous pink-purple blooms that attract butterflies and bees. Deep-rooted and drought-tolerant, perfect for large containers in full sun.
Echinacea purpurea, Butterfly Kisses
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Cheerful golden-yellow flowers that thrive in Chicago summers. Great for attracting pollinators and tolerating urban conditions.
Rudbeckia, Indian Summer
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Ideal for part-shade balconies. Compact, deer-resistant, and offers lush foliage and delicate spring blooms.
Geranium, Calliope Dark Red
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Vital for monarch butterflies. Bright orange blooms and easy care in sunny containers.
Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed
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A hardy ornamental grass with beautiful blue-green foliage and fall color. Adds height and movement.
Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem), Standing Ovation
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Late-season blooms keep your balcony colorful into fall. Compact and beloved by pollinators.
Aster, Raydon's Favorite
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Aromatic foliage with lavender-pink blooms that attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it ideal for containers.
Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa
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Tall spikes of bluish-purple flowers that bloom from early summer to fall, providing nectar for various pollinators. Prefers moist soils and full to partial sunlight.
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
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Delicate red and yellow flowers bloom in spring, attracting hummingbirds and early pollinators. Tolerant of shade, making it versatile for different balcony conditions.
Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
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Rosy-purple, daisy-like flowers bloom in late summer, attracting bees and butterflies. Drought-tolerant and thrives in full sun, perfect for sunny balconies.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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A graceful native grass with fine-textured foliage and a sweet scent. Provides habitat for insects and birds, and its compact size suits container gardening.
Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
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Bright yellow flowers bloom in late summer to fall, offering nectar for monarchs and other pollinators. Non-aggressive and well-suited for containers.
Solidago (Goldenrod), Fireworks
Best Tools & Accessories for a Thriving Balcony Garden
These tools and accessories will help make your garden thrive!
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This compact tool set is perfect for small-space gardeners. It includes everything you need - trowel, pruner, rake, spray bottle, gloves, and a tote. I keep mine tucked under a storage bench and use it daily during growing season!
RyKing Small Garden Tool Set
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These add a cheerful pop of color to your railings and are made of weather-resistant iron. I use these for herbs and trailing nasturtiums - they’ve held up beautifully through rain and high winds.
LOVOUS Colorful Hanging Planters 8 Pack
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This mobile raised bed is a game changer if your balcony gets uneven sunlight throughout the day. I roll it around to chase the light and grow lettuce, spinach, and green onions in mine.
Raised Planter Box with Legs On Wheels
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Vertical gardening = major space saver. The self-watering system and trellis make this perfect for peas, beans, and flowering vines. I love it for adding greenery without cluttering up the floor.
LINEX Raised Garden Bed Planter Box with Trellis, Tomato Planters for
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Heavy and durable enough to handle Chicago’s unpredictable weather. I keep native grasses in mine like little bluestem—it looks modern and has never blown over, even in big gusts.
Kante 15.7" Round Concrete Planter
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Designed just for balcony gardeners, this set comes with a trowel, broom, pruner, and a smart little case that hangs right on the railing. It’s sleek, functional, and keeps my tools tidy.
Gardena City Gardening Balcony Box