Nancey - you could try those from seed. How the peas do might depend on whether you are coastal or inland as at least the annual ones do better when it's cooler (so might be one to try in winter for you).

Some other things you could try are bougainvillea, mandevilla, allamanda, various jasmines, and bower vine (there's a variegated one that is pretty).

Do some passionflowers! They're spectacular. I'm a balcony gardener also, and have at least a dozen passionflowers. (Okay, my balcony is bigger than yours... LOL) They'll climb onto whatever they can. The flowers are amazing. Some are fragrant, some will produce fruit. Some are butterfly host plants!
Amanda 'romando'

Thanks for the suggestions - i am somewhat coastal (about a mile from the shore) so i do get the breezes and the cooler nights.
I am thinking of going with the sweet peas...until i saw pictures of the passion flowers!

Now i have to decide.
Can passion flowers be started with seeds? or is it better to go with an established plant this time of year.

Also - how big of a container should i have for either of these?

Thanks again for the terrific suggestions!

N

Passionflowers can be grown from seed, or cuttings. I personally haven't ever tried from seed, though I have a stash of a few different sorts of passiflora in case I get brave. I've grown several from cuttings, with which I have mixed success-- they either take off or they kick the bucket pretty quickly. But many people grow them from seed effortlessly (I'm just impatient, I guess!) But in our zone, passionflowers are pretty easy to find at reasonable prices. Even Home Depot carries them sometimes. My smaller ones are in one gallon nursery sleeves, and my largest ones are in 5 gallon containers. They're usually pretty heavy feeders, though I don't often fertilize at all. Regular watering, most like full sun, though some are a little less tolerant of sun. Part sun would work for any of them, really. Go for it!
Amanda 'romando'

Until this past winter when I had an awful mealy bug infestation which took out my passies, I had 3 - 2 P. edulis and a P. belotti. I had them in 14" containers and trained them up a 5ft tee pee per plant. You really might consider edulis to get the fruit if anything. They do grow fast!

hi, i used to live in zone 10. go to BUTTERFLY WORLD, not only is it worth the trip to see all the butterflies, but also the plants there. also they have a excellent nursery that sells many passionvines. have fun

If you're not big about watering a lot, consider rose moss (portulaca), purselaine or ice plant (delosperma or mesembrianthemum). All are succulent trailers that flower nicely even when it's quite dry.

This is an old thread but I'm bringing it up again, as I've just acquired a balcony with sorta similar conditions (It's a zone 9 west.)

Nanzey, did you plant anything? How did it turn out?