Plant selection with strange requirements

Yeah, but my thought was that it would screen the balcony, which would give the requested privacy.

Then there's Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) - I've never grown them, but they might work - ask locally.

http://www.homesteadfarms.com/siberian_iris.htm

First thing I'd do is go to some of those best nurseries and engage the staffs, taking a photo. They might come up with lots of choices that could work. I wouldn't just call them. Go hang out for a bit.

On the pot, I figure a pot to do the job will be fairly large, depending on the plant, but not necessarily humongous.

Would you consider an fake plant/tree? No maintenance so you don't have to worry about getting at it and many are lightweight.


http
www.silkplantjungle.com/adonidia.htm

To repeat: the balcony is only 2'x3' and it is a fire-escape so it needs to be accessible. This all leaves very little room. I am still voting for an annual - particularly one with little root mass. Plants that over-winter need much bigger pots in climates that freeze up at all.

I even kind of like the fake tree......

Here's a totally different idea...

an intricate wrought iron gate to the balcony at the doorway. (I have to go back and see what the door looks like and imagine if that could work.}
I used to do a bunch of wrought iron design, and some of it can be delightful. One gate had rabbits on top with brass bunny tails when the gate closed, the owner liking rabbits. (Where the hell is that photo?) Possibly a custom screen door..

Of course you can see through wrought iron, but you can also see through plants, which presumably wave in the breeze and so on. All kind of a screen effect.

Then there is a beaded curtain idea, not necessarily out of beads.

How about 3 small pots with a few stalks of bamboo in each? Bamboo is invassive if planted in the garden, but not if in pots (don't transplant them!). They grow straight up, have a lacy screening effect, rustle in the breeze, and don't need much care.

Anything living you plant there will need lots of water since it gets a lot of sun.

oooh, I like it kris. And many kinds grow really fast, too.

Right, I had the invasive golden bamboo in a pot for years.. talk about leaves. I was also always tuned to watering it, and it was under a porch roof.
But clumping bamboos are more controllable.

Yeah. This is good if it's kept as an annual - it'd need to be cut back here and there as the new shoots grew up.

Or you could hang Japanese noren, the curtains they put up in the doors of shops, from the toprailing, and they'd fly in the breeze like vertical flags, and screen the balcony. And a lot of them are really beautiful.
http://www.jun-gifts.com/specialcollections/norencurtains/norencurtains.htm

Yeah! I was thinking of a hanging something, too - plants, cloths, bug netting (or beads as Osso suggested).

I'm not sure of that measurement, I'm guessing 40" x ?. Anyway, if the pot is low enough, it's a step for climbing over the balcony railing.

Ms. Snot hates the fake tree (smiling).

I admit to moving towards a fancy screen door. Not the jail bar type.

Well, hell, I was suggesting annuals! I think it's going to be a tricky bill to fill given the size and condition of the balcony. My guess is that Boomer wants a cheap fix for this, too. Screens, hanging painted pieces of Japanese linen, wrought iron.... may be too expensive.

That bamboo photo is pretty, nice idea, replace pots with time..

still, I see a bigger watering job than with some other things.

I'm looking at a list of maybe 50 bamboos, and they vary re temp for cold hardiness, so check first..

I like cloths..
but they'd have to be made of the right stuff. There was a company who got going with/after the LA olympics in '84 - and flags, banners, cloths, showed up all over the place. I forget the name, of course.

Like the bead/japanese thing better - have to look at MJack's link.

Yeh, wrought iron would be, even the delicate type, but I hadda mention it, re the house.

Here's a curtain link - with stainless steel grommets, whatever that's worth.
http://www.boscovs.com/StoreFrontWeb/Product.bos?quantity=1&itemNumber=38204&type=Product

No interesting bead hangies that work outdoors, so far.
But such an inventive person as boomer might be able to come up with something (and make millions from the idea)... chains from a rod with interspersed weatherproof doodads.

Liked the Norin (sp?) link.

MontereyJack wrote:

Well, especially if he is going to use it as a fire escape.

A pull-tab chain curtain....?