Best plants for a Gurugram balcony, by which way it faces

Most balcony plant lists are written for a generic Indian balcony that does not exist. Gurugram has four kinds, and the only thing that decides what lives on yours is which way it faces. Everything below assumes NCR's other three facts: dust that settles daily, water that is harder than plants like, and a May that reaches 45°C. If you are not sure of your direction, stand on the balcony at 8 am and again at 4 pm and note where the sun is; the designer does the same at a free visit.

East-facing: the easy one

Morning sun until about 11, then bright shade. This is the balcony everything wants. Flowering plants bloom, foliage stays glossy, and herbs do not bolt.

• Flowers: hibiscus, jasmine (mogra and chameli), ixora, vinca, portulaca at the railing; marigold, petunia and dianthus from November to March.
• Foliage: areca palm, rubber plant, philodendron, money plant on a moss pole, song of India.
• Edibles: tulsi, curry leaf, mint, coriander in winter, chillies, cherry tomatoes in a deep trough.
• Avoid: nothing, really. Even ferns manage at the back wall.

South-facing: sun all day, with care

Six to eight hours of sun in winter, harsher in summer. A south balcony grows the most but needs daily water from April to September and something to break the midday glare on the plants closest to the railing.

• Flowers: bougainvillea (the NCR champion), adenium, plumeria in a large pot, lantana, gerbera in winter, roses from October to March.
• Foliage: yucca, dracaena, snake plant, dwarf bamboo as a screen.
• Edibles: lemon or lime in a 24-inch pot, curry leaf, lemongrass, chillies, brinjal, okra in summer, spinach and methi in winter.
• Avoid: ferns, calatheas, peace lily, anything sold as an indoor plant.

West-facing: the hard one

Shade until lunch, then direct sun from 2 pm until it sets, at the hottest part of the day. In May and June a west balcony on an upper floor is an oven. This is where most Gurugram balcony gardens die, and where plant choice matters most.

• Flowers: bougainvillea, adenium, portulaca, vinca, euphorbia milii. All of them like being baked.
• Foliage: snake plant, aloe, agave, yucca, ponytail palm, sansevieria cylindrica, ornamental grasses that bend in the wind.
• Edibles: chillies and lemongrass take it; tomatoes need shade cloth after April.
• The fix: a bamboo or cane screen on the railing from April to September cuts the afternoon heat by a surprising amount and lets you grow the east-balcony list behind it.
• Avoid: ferns, money plant, areca palm (it scorches), anything with thin leaves.

North-facing: bright shade

Little or no direct sun, but plenty of light, and the coolest balcony in the building through summer. The indoor-plant list finally works outdoors here, and so do the winter leafy greens.

• Foliage: ferns (Boston, bird's nest), peace lily, aglaonema, calathea, pothos, spider plant, philodendron, ZZ plant, dieffenbachia.
• Flowers: impatiens, begonia, anthurium; hydrangea in winter if you water with filtered water.
• Edibles: mint, coriander, lettuce, spinach, methi, spring onion from October to March. Nothing fruiting.
• Avoid: bougainvillea, adenium, succulents; they stretch and sulk without sun.

Adjust for your floor

Above the fifteenth floor the wind dries plants faster than the sun does and tips anything tall in a light pot. Whatever your direction, go one notch tougher: more grasses and bougainvillea, fewer broad-leaved plants, heavier planters, and a screen at the windward end. The high-rise balcony guide has the full list. Below the fifth floor, the opposite: neighbouring towers shade part of the day, so an east balcony may behave like a north one.

The three NCR rules that apply to every direction

• Dust. Glossy leaves rinse clean; fuzzy leaves hold it. Rinse monthly, more near an expressway or a construction site.
• Hard water. Use a free-draining mix and flush the pots every few weeks. The white crust on the soil is salt, and it is why ferns and calatheas fade even in the right light.
• Pigeons. Dense planting at the railing and no bare soil. They go for open trays and exposed earth, not for a full planter.