If your balcony gets harsh afternoon sun, you’re probably growing the wrong plants.
10 Rare Herbs for a West-Facing Balcony can completely transform your space, especially if your plants keep burning in the heat.
There is an entire world of herbs beyond rosemary, basil, and mint. Herbs with flavours that chefs pay serious money for. Herbs that thrive specifically in the afternoon and evening sun of a west-facing balcony. Herbs your neighbours have genuinely never seen.
This is that list.
Every herb here was chosen for one reason: it loves the exact conditions your west-facing balcony already has — strong afternoon sun, cool mornings, warm evenings. No struggling. No wilting. Just real, rare, remarkable growth.
1. Lemon Verbena — The Most Fragrant Herb on Earth
Tear a single leaf in half.
What hits you is not subtle. It is the most concentrated, bright, intensely lemony scent you have ever experienced — sharper than lemon zest, cleaner than lemongrass, with a soft floral edge underneath.
That is Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora). Originally from South America, beloved in French patisseries and Moroccan tea culture. Almost nobody grows it at home.
Why it loves your balcony: It is a subtropical shrub that craves afternoon warmth. The western evening sun makes its essential oils more potent — more fragrance, more flavour.
Care in one line: Well-draining soil, water when the top inch dries, bring indoors before the first frost.
Use it for: Herbal tea with honey, steeped in cream for desserts, tucked under roast chicken skin.
2. Shiso — The Stunning Purple Herb Hiding in Japanese Kitchens
Imagine a herb that looks ornamental, tastes like basil crossed with mint and anise, comes in deep purple or bright green, and is so beautiful that people stop to ask what it is.
That is Shiso (Perilla frutescens). Foundational in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese cooking. Almost completely unknown in Western balcony gardens.
The purple variety is extraordinary. Its crinkled, deeply serrated leaves catch the golden afternoon light of a west-facing balcony like nothing else you have ever grown.
Why it loves your balcony: It originates from Asian mountain regions — warm afternoons, cooler mornings. A perfect match for west-facing conditions.
Care in one line: Keep consistently moist, pinch flower spikes immediately, one plant per 10-inch pot.
Use it for: Wrapping sushi, thinly slicing into salads, as a pizza topping, or blending into compound butter.
3. Vietnamese Coriander — For Everyone Who Gave Up on Regular Coriander
You tried coriander in the summer. It bolted in three weeks. Never again, you said.
Vietnamese Coriander (Persicaria odorata — called Rau Ram across Southeast Asia) does not bolt. It grows through heat. It gets more productive in warm weather. And it tastes like coriander’s more intense, slightly peppery, faintly floral older sibling.
It even has a visual signature — every narrow, pointed leaf has a distinctive dark burgundy chevron pattern stamped right at the centre.
Why it loves your balcony: It evolved in the tropical heat of Southeast Asia. Your west-facing afternoon sun is essentially its home climate.
Care in one line: Keep moist, propagate from cuttings in water (roots in 7 days), harvest tips regularly.
Use it for: Anywhere you would use regular coriander — pho, laksa, guacamole, fresh spring rolls.
4. Borage — The Herb With Electric Blue Flowers That Tastes of Cucumber
There are very few genuinely blue foods in nature.
Borage (Borago officinalis) produces them in abundance — perfect, electric blue, star-shaped flowers with black centres that look almost artificial, they are so vivid. And they taste, unmistakably, of fresh cucumber.
Both the flowers and the young leaves are edible. On a west-facing balcony in full afternoon sun, a single Borage plant will give you hundreds of these flowers across a season.
Why it loves your balcony: A Mediterranean native, it evolved in warm, dry, sunny conditions. More afternoon sun = more flowers.
Care in one line: Average soil, moderate water, allow to self-seed — it will return every year in nearby pots.
Use it for: Frozen in ice cubes for cocktails, scattered over salads, floating in gin and tonic, decorating cakes.
5. Lovage — The Medieval Herb That Tastes Like Intense Wild Celery
This herb was once in every kitchen garden in Europe.
Then, somehow, over a few hundred years, it almost completely disappeared. Finding Lovage (Levisticum officinale) today feels like recovering something genuinely valuable.
Tear one leaf. The smell is immediate — bold, deeply savoury, concentrated celery, but wilder and more complex. Like a stock cube that nature made. Every part is edible: leaves, hollow stems (edible straws for Bloody Marys), seeds, and roots.
Why it loves your balcony: A perennial Mediterranean herb that appreciates warm afternoons and handles morning shade with ease.
Care in one line: Large deep pot (14 inch minimum), keep moist, cut back hard after flowering for a fresh flush.
Use it for: Replacing celery entirely in soups and stocks, Michelin-style herb oils, Bloody Mary garnish.
6. Anise Hyssop — The Prairie Herb That Smells Like Liquorice Blossom
Soft grey-green leaves. Tall purple flower spikes. And a scent that stops you mid-step — sweet, aromatic, like liquorice crossed with mint.
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is from the North American prairies and is one of the most beautiful balcony herbs you will ever grow. On a warm afternoon, the flower spikes attract every bee and butterfly in the neighbourhood.
And it is entirely edible — leaves and flowers both.
Why it loves your balcony: Prairie origins mean it is built for warm afternoon sun and tolerates dry spells far better than mint.
Care in one line: Average to poor soil, drought-tolerant, deadhead spent spikes for a second flush.
Use it for: Herbal tea with honey, steeped into cocktail syrups, scattered over fruit salads, and flower garnishes on desserts.
7. Salad Burnet — The Renaissance Herb That Tastes Purely of Cucumber
There is a small, elegant, almost fern-like herb that delivers the clean, pure taste of cucumber in every single leaf.
Requires almost no water. Grows almost anywhere. Comes back every year.
Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) was as common in English gardens as parsley in the 1600s. Then it fell out of fashion for absolutely no good reason. Rediscovering it on your balcony feels like finding something genuinely lost.
Why it loves your balcony: It evolved on dry chalk grasslands that bake in the afternoon sun. One of the sun-driest and drought-tolerant culinary herbs in existence.
Care in one line: Gritty well-draining soil, minimal water once established, harvest the youngest leaves only.
Use it for: Salads, natural cucumber water, Pimm’s garnish, cream cheese with lemon, and cold soups.
8. Lemon Balm — The Calming Herb Your Nervous System Has Been Asking For
Most people have heard of it. Almost nobody actually grows it.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) has crinkled, heart-shaped leaves, a clean, gentle lemon scent, and a 2,000-year history of use for anxiety, sleep, and stress relief, a history modern research is now beginning to confirm.
On a west-facing balcony, it grows quietly and abundantly, returns every year without fail, and asks for almost nothing in return.
Why it loves your balcony: Mediterranean herb that appreciates warm afternoons but loves the cool morning shade that west-facing positions naturally provide.
Care in one line: Any potting mix, keep moist, harvest before flowering for maximum potency.
Use it for: Evening tea with honey (steep 5 leaves, 5 minutes, drink before bed), salad dressings, fish garnishes, Lemon Balm ice cubes.
9. Epazote — The Ancient Aztec Herb That Transforms a Pot of Beans
There is a secret that Mexican grandmothers have known for thousands of years.
Add a sprig of one particular herb to your beans while they cook. They become more digestible, more flavourful, and somehow more deeply satisfying.
That herb is Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides). Used since the Aztec civilisation. Pungent and wild-smelling raw, then extraordinary when cooked — somewhere between citrus, mint, and something completely its own.
Why it loves your balcony: It is from the hot, dry Mexican highlands. Strong afternoon sun is not a challenge for Epazote. It is home.
Care in one line: Sandy dry soil, minimal water, treat it like a bay leaf — it practically looks after itself.
Use it for: A sprig in black beans or chickpeas (last 15 minutes of cooking), Mexican quesadillas, tamales, and corn dishes.
Note: Use in normal culinary quantities only — a sprig, not a handful. Not recommended during pregnancy.
10. Cuban Oregano — The Herb That Laughs at Hot Balcony Afternoons
Regular oregano flinches in strong afternoon sun.
Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus) does not flinch. Its leaves are thick, fleshy, almost succulent-like — storing water, handling heat, shrugging off conditions that wilt everything else. And the flavour is three times more intense than dried oregano from any jar. One fresh leaf does what three teaspoons of dried oregano barely manage.
It even looks spectacular — some varieties have creamy white variegated edges that make it look as ornamental as any flowering plant.
Why it loves your balcony: It evolved across tropical Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Hot afternoon, and the western sun is simply in its natural habitat.
Care in one line: Well-draining soil, moderate water, cuttings root in 10 days, bring indoors before first frost.
Use it for: Marinades, tomato sauces, roasted vegetables, Caribbean fish dishes, and rubbed directly onto corn or potatoes.
One Last Thing Before You Start
You do not need all ten.
Pick two or three that match how you cook and what excites you. Lemon Verbena and Lemon Balm, if you love herbal teas. Vietnamese Coriander and Shiso, if you love Asian cooking. Borage and Salad Burnet, if you want something beautiful and low-maintenance.
Grow them for one season. Then you will understand why none of these is common, because once you have grown them, you will never go back to a supermarket herb packet again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which rare herb here is easiest for beginners? Lemon Balm and Salad Burnet. Both are perennial, nearly indestructible, and productive from the first season. Start with one of these if you are new to balcony herb gardening.
Can I grow these on a west-facing balcony in the UK? Yes. All 10 grow from April to October in the UK. Lemon Balm, Lovage, Salad Burnet, and Anise Hyssop are perennial in UK climates. Lemon Verbena, Cuban Oregano, and Vietnamese Coriander come indoors before the first frost and survive winter on a sunny windowsill.
Where do I buy these herbs in the UK, the US, Australia, Germany, and India, etc? Specialist online herb nurseries, Etsy live plant sellers, or seed suppliers — Thompson & Morgan (UK), Baker Creek (US), Eden Seeds (Australia). Vietnamese Coriander and Cuban Oregano are often root from fresh stems bought at Asian grocery stores.
How much sun does a west-facing balcony actually get? Typically, 4–6 hours of direct sunlight, arriving from early afternoon through sunset. Mornings are shaded. This is the ideal growing window for every herb on this list.