Hi Jules! I live in Houston and have a north-facing balcony chock full of shade-loving plants: hydrangea, red bird, plume ginger, 4 different varieties of ipomea (sweet potato vine), 2 dracenaes, chinese evergreen, airplane plant, 6 varieties of coleus, impatiens, daylilies, all kinds of ivy, ferns, a 12-foot ficus tree, and on and on! Quite honestly, you can grow more things on a north-facing balcony in Houston than any other direction. You still get plenty of bright light but not so much that everything burns up. Good luck!
Kaye

I don't balcony garden - but I think it will be easier to grow on the shady side. The water in the soil won't fluctuate so wildly. And there are a lot of options as noted.