Enjoy the sunset from your very own rewilded balcony garden, one you designed yourself with a smattering of tasty Australian bushfood plants.
Here are some of our favourite exotic and native plant pairings for a rewilded balcony that’s both productive and pretty. Every species listed is well suited for container growing, but as always, remember that any plant growing in a pot will depend entirely on you for survival.
Peperomia x Samphire
Peperomia is an undisputable indoor ornamental favourite, but did you know it enjoys the outdoors as well? For a low-maintenance variety of textures and colours on your balcony garden, pair this glossy slow grower with our favourite salty succulent, Samphire (Tecticornia lepidosperma).
We suggest a Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia) for shades of green or Red Lunar (Peperomia caperata) for a more striking contrast. Or if your balcony calls for hanging baskets, a partly shaded Samphire will grow as a trailing succulent — an ideal match for a Jade Necklace (Peperomia rotundifolia).
Fittonia x River Mint
Eye-catching Fittonias (Fittonia spp.) are a great way to add pops of colour to your shade-loving greenery. We reckon they’d go very well with Native River Mint (Mentha australis), creating a convenient native herbs potager that doubles as living ornamental decor.
Right away, the neat and tight foliage of the Fittonia will contrast nicely against the River Mint’s loose bushy growth. Plus the range of Fittonia colours and patterns offers plenty of aesthetic options. Note that both plants love indirect light and dappled shade as well as moist soil conditions (though you’ll want to keep Fittonia’s feet dry).
Echeveria x Seablite
You’d think balcony “succulent scapes” would get a little more hype, given how easy it is to care for these dry-weather plants. If this is the garden for you, why not try an Echeveria (Echeveria spp.) and Seablite (Suaeda australis) match-up?
The plump pink and green stems of the salt-loving Seablite are a great aesthetic companion to the quaint Echeveria, accentuating the rounded rosette shapes of varieties like Blue Metal, Black Prince, and the popular Echeveria glauca.
Rhoeo x Red Back Australian Ginger
If you’re familiar with the trusty Rhoeo (Tradescantia spathacea), you’ll have most likely seen them mass planted as a ground cover. They’re easy to find, easy to care for, and will grow quite happily in a pot as well as a garden bed.
For a tropical-inspired balcony, match it with a Red Back Australian Ginger (Alpinia caerulea, aka Atherton Ginger), bringing unity to your horticultural setup with similarly shaped foliage. Note that Rhoeo’s cooler shades of green and purple may clash with the Atherton Ginger’s bright green and bronze, but you can offset this with a reddish variety of Dracena or a deep green Monstera.
The intense deep green of a Monstera can help offset the colour clash between Rhoeo and Atherton Ginger.
