Addition few pots filled with plants on your patio makes it a more interesting place to relax with your loved ones. Plants add color, breeze and attract butterflies all which will make your day memorable. In this guide, we have a collection of the best outdoor potted plants for your patio, decks, porches and balconies.
Low-Maintenance Outdoor Potted Plants
The following are types of low maintenance potted plants idea for patio:
1. Succulents
Succulents are low maintenance hardy plants you can grow on your patios. They come in diverse forms and shapes which makes them a great choice in landscaping. When purchasing a succulent for your outdoor flower beds or patio, understand their hardiness zone. Some of the succulents to consider for your patio include cactus, agave, aloe, crassula, dasylirion, echeveria and euphorbia among others.
2. Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses are a great choice for home landscapes due to their hardiness and ease of care. These grass like plants come in variety of colors, textures and sizes. Most ornamental grasses are perennials and you can use them to as potted plants for your patios for many seasons. When well-established sun loving ornamental grasses are drought tolerant.
Example of ornamental grass you should consider include fountain grass, switch grass, blue oats grass, fiber optic grass, Ravenna grass, zebra grass, blue fescue and dwarf pamper among others. Plant your grasses in well-drained soil in raised beds and ensure they are receiving sun most of the day.
3. Climbing Vines
Adding vines on your patio not only add attractive feature but also shade and privacy. Vines need a support structure such as pergola, trellis or arbors. Vines can be grown in pots and be trained to climb up on the support structure. Most vines will require pruning to make their foliage dense and control their spreading.
Vines come in plenty of types and species. Some of the best fast growing vines for your patio include, Climbing Roses, Bougainvillea, Clematis, Honeysuckle, Grapes, Passion Flower, Jasmine, Bower Vine, Trumpet Vine, and Wisteria among many more.
4. Container Vegetables
Some vegetables have colorful fruits and leaves that makes them a choice for patio plants. While they can also be consumed, these vegetables adds attractive pop of color to gardens and pots. A good choice of vegetables to try include cherry tomatoes, ornamental pepper, squash, cucumbers, radishes, eggplant, carrots and lettuce among others.
5. Ground Cover Plants
Most ground cover plants are beautiful year round and requires low care and maintenance. These small plants creates a dense mat of foliage between stepping stones, rock gardens, containers and many will grow to drape over the edges. They are also suitable for controlling grass between pavers or stones.
Some of the best ground cover plants for your patio include Elfin Thyme, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Veronica Georgia Blue, Laurentia Blue Star Creeper, Red Creeping Thyme, Japanese Ogon Golden Sedum, Irish Moss, Dichondra Grass and Bugleweed among others.
How to choose the best plant for your patio
There are two main categories of plants you can place on your patio; container plants for full sun and heat and container plants for full shade. Full sun plants require more than 6 hours of sun while shade loving plants thrive in less than two hours of sun per day. Shade lovers cannot perform in heat while sun lovers can’t handle many hours of shade.
Sunlight is a very essential to most plants and considering how much sun your patio receives is very important. If you have a covered patio or come from area that receives low sun, consider plants that love shade. Similarly, if your patio receives plenty of sun during the day, consider growing plants for full sun.
How to make your Container Plants Thick and Lush
There is more to just having potted plants on your patio or deck. Making the plants appear lush and healthy is very important. Here are expert tips for a lush container garden
- Start with a large container with rich potting soil – plants will have enough room for roots and plenty soil to extract nutrients.
- Water adequately and fertilize throughout the season – plants in containers are likely to dry out and deplete their nutrients quickly thus watering and fertilizing consistently will keep them healthy throughout.
- Choose billowing plants with thick bold foliage – the dense leaves or foliage creates a volume and a spectacular garden look.
- Train the vines to climb on walls, trellises and pergolas – this makes your container vines to grow taller faster and attain a good shape.
- Use a combination of plants with different shades of foliage or colors of their flowers – this will be eye catching and will transform your patio into a tropical paradise.
Final Though
Plants offer a diversity of beauty, form appearance, texture, color and smells. They are also an attraction for beautiful wildlife such as butterflies, bees and birds. Plants cleanse air, provide shade, food and shelter. This is an enough though to have plants on your outdoor spaces.
