Which direction does your balcony facing? If it facing direct south, it's full sun. 6-8 hours direct sunlight ( not having to move your pot) if east or west, it's pretty safe to call it part sun 5-6 hrs. if north they are called shade. All the light is bright direct sunlight, not just bright atmosphere. That's the easiest way to look at it. then you can divide them in to smaller categories. you need to find out which direction and you shouldn't have to move pots around everyday to get enough sunlight. it'll be much easier to get plants that is naturally suitable for your environment. as jenny in se pa pointed out that there are different spots in a balcony that gets more and less sunlight during a day and that allows to grow plants that require different amount of sun. for ex) my balcony faces NW. but closer i get to the edge( rail ) i get more sun, so on the rail i can grow plants that need full sun ( such as petunias, nasturtium etc.) and I also have a table set up there so i can grow different herbs. and veggie. In the back of the balcony closer to windows, i only get a couple of hrs. of sun, that allows me to grow coleus, impatient, lettus mixes.. etc. ) since my balcony is like a triangle and situated diagonally, even one end of the rail is different from the other. NW balcony sound pretty gloomy, I can't grow everything I want , but I can still grow surprisingly alot of things i want to grow. All I need is to carefully positioning all the plants. I hope this helped.

Have you thought about Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)? I planted 3 of these on the front border of my property last fall so they aren't very tall yet, but are supposed to grow fast. Here is the plant info from Lowes (where I bought the plants): Plant Type: Shrub Sun Exposure: Full Sun Growth Rate: Fast Growth Average Height: 6-8' Cold Hardiness: -10 F Graceful upright evergreen. Young leaves coppery to purple red. Mature foliage is leathery, blue green with red tinit after first hard frost. Clusters of tiny white flowers appear May and June. Red berries in winter. Spacing: 3-4' Water Usage: Semi-Moist Pruning: Prune to keep compact Successful growing requires excellent drainage.

Do not worry about Oleanders toxicity. my aunt has been a veterinarian in PHX for 30 years and has never seen or heard of a case of oleander poisoning. We decided against Oleanders because of the proximity to the pool, they are very messy. We instead planted a Japanese Privet hedge, total of 65 5-gal spaced 3 ft. The only main drawback is the water consumption during their first summer. Each received 5 gallons of water 5x/week. Heavy water schedule on a reliable drip is an absolute must in their first summer. Otherwise they will fry. Even with consistent deep watering, about 20% did not survive. Another tip that will greatly enhance survival and thrive is proper soil amendment. Privets do not like high PH soil (too much salt) which is very prevalent in AZ soil. Prior to planting, treat the soil w a sulfur product. this will loosen the soil and allow for maximum nutrition uptake. Ensure to continually treat the plants w products that will lower PH levels. Many synthetic fertilizers will increase PH, so look for a local organic compound meant for trees and shrubs. Our hedge has grown 4 ft in 2 years. and will grow faster now that they're established. Good luck!

The thing that worries me about Ceanothus (I have been checking too for a similiar situation and am in South Riv. County)is that I have read they like a more well draining soil. I am thinking a mixed shrub border. It is more interesting and you can create seasonal interest that way also. The Lemonade Berry sounds interesting to me, as well as Toyon, Coffeeberry, and Manzanitas. As width is not a problem, maybe you could mix in some small trees and vary the heights. 'Wonderful' Pomegranate would be a nice tree. The Orange Honeysuckle (sorry the name is slipping my mind and I just bought one!) or Carolina Jessamine, both would probably do well growing on the fence and are a good contrast. If you lean towards Pinks, Burgundys.. Cistus does great. How about Western Redbud or Crape Myrtle? Arbutus Unedo is a small tree that also I think would work in that situation. I am just researching too, so I apologize if some of my suggestions are not quite right.. If others disagree with some of them, I also would be interested.