The Best Types of Patio Plants to Keep in Pots

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If you’ve ever wanted your own garden but you don’t seem to have the space, a container garden on your patio may be the way to go. As long as you have access to the sun, plants can grow in pots. Here some ideas of plants that can grow in containers and are perfect for you patio. 

Decorative Plants 

Let’s start with decorative potted plants because most of us want the outdoor space to be colourful and maybe have a nice smell.  It is worth thinking about having plants that flower at different times of the year so you have colour from early to late spring then early to late summer and even into autumn.

Flowers

Flowers allow you to be creative with multiple different types. Nearly any flower can grow in a pot, so you will have no limitations in choosing the right flowers for you. Flowers can add beauty and a pop of color to your patio. 

Think about the colours you love if you find you are overwhelmed by the variety available.  So if you love purple flowers, look for a few different plants that have this colour.  Or a range of white flowers that might look stark if there’s a dark fence around the patio.

You can either for perennials that will go relatively dormant during winter months them come back in spring.  Or you can choose bedding plants that are good usually just for a single year but are full of colour.

Whatever type of flowers you consider, make sure you understand your conditions.  For instance, if the patio spends a lot of time in full sun, then look for flowers that can handle this.  Some flowers need shade or partial shade to do their best so positions flowers in shades if that’s what they need.

Succulents

These plants look beautiful mixed and matched together. Due to the small root systems, these plants can grow in any sized container. This will save you space so that you can plant even more or them. However, these plants require a certain soil to ensure they will have good drainage. Buy potting soil used for cacti, and only water when the soil is completely dry. 

Some of these plants have flowers while others have variegated foliage and bright colors for their leaves that make the feature you want.

You can also add them to terraniums, which make for a great way to make your patio space inviting and intriguing for all who visit it. To get a beautiful terrarium, you should add an inch of pebbles or small stones to the base of the plant.

Following the stones, add a layer of activated charcoal, then followed by a layer of potting soil. Then put your plants on top, from largest to smallest.  You may want to see if there’s any drainage holes in the pot to make sure the rain doesn’t built up.

Trees and shrubs

There a variety of trees nd shrubs that can grow in pots. When looking for trees that can grow in pots, look for ones that don’t grow any taller than 20 feet, often classed as dwarf varieties, so that they can be easily moved and will not outgrow the pot that it is in. Growing trees can add dimension and color to your patio. 

Shrubs can come in all kinds of sizes and shapes and tend to be perennial so will come back each year.  Some even have evergreen foliage to create a nice visual during the winter months.  Like with flowers, read that plant label to make sure you give them the conditions they need – shade lovers don’t want full sun and so on.

Herbs and Vegetables

As well as decorative plants, there’s no reason you can grow food plants in pots on your patio.  In fact, some plants do better in containers as they may be thirsty plants that need lots of water or the opposite, needing fairly arid conditions.  Both of the extremes are more manageable in containers, especially in summer months.

Small root vegetables

Small root vegetables includes carrots, green onions, radishes, and turnips. These tend to grow very well in containers. The lack of existing roots make these vegetables ideal for growing in small spaces. These vegetables grow best in loose soil, so use a potting soil that contains perlite.

Potatoes

These vegetables are suited for growing in containers. One of the best parts about this is that you won’t have to dig through dirt when it’s time to harvest the potatoes. All you’ll have to do is tip over the pot and pluck them out of the dirt. 

An important thing to remember when planting potatoes in pots is that you should always plant them in a container that is tall enough to hill up the soil around the stalks as they grow. Potatoes will grow in almost anything, though, as long as they have sufficient amount of drainage and nutrient-rich soil. 

Herbs

These are great thing to grow on your patio because you don’t need a lot of space. And, who doesn’t love fresh herbs in cooking, picked right from their own back yard. If you’re new to gardening or don’t have a green thumb, then start with basil. It’s simple to grow, but also has tell-tale signs that you’re not properly watering as the leaves become wilted and droopy. Plus, basil smells amazing!

Other herbs that can be grown around the patio are things like lavender and rosemary.  Lavender comes in an array of colors from purple and pink to almost blue and white.  They are very tough, don’t need much water and can cope with direct sunlight.  Rosemary is a related plant that has thin leaves and small flowers, usually white or pale purple.

Some herbs are even good in a mixed container with different plants together.  Avoid some of the more forceful ones such as mint or parsley as they will take over everything.  Unless you can section off the pot and then you can have a wide range of herbs.  

Create a green oasis on your patio

These are only a small fraction of the plants that can grow in pots. These plants listed are good for the patio because almost all of them provides some element of color, in turn making them very decorative.