A lovely way to inject some color and life into your outdoor spaces is to adorn them with lovely little container plants. We find that decorating your patio with potted crops is a quick fix to take an outdoor nook from bare to beautiful.
Container gardening also happens to be a brilliant solution for people with small backyards that do not have enough room for large trees and bushy shrubs. So instead, we have curated a list of some expert-approved patio plants that work in paved spaces of all sizes.
Hence, if your space feels incomplete and you haven't a plant in sight, why not bring one of these garden grows home for a naturally tranquil outdoor lounge?
1. Azaleas
In conversation with Linda Vater, plant expert at Southern Living, she tells us that azaleas are one of the best plants for a tranquil patio. "With their evergreen foliage, sun tolerance, and bountiful flowers that rebloom across three seasons, azaleas are ideal patio plants for homeowners seeking multi-season visual interest," she says.
Linda finds that the glossy dark green foliage creates dramatic interest all year long, while showers of showy white blooms provide a beautiful floral display. "While they are eye-catching enough to serve as a solo planting in a pot, Linda also recommends pairing them with seasonal annuals like white petunias or chrysanthemums for a bloom-packed patio planter.
Hardiness Zones: 7 - 10
2. Gardenias
If you're looking for the best flower for a nice smelling backyard and that will add an enchanting fragrance to your patio seating area, Linda tells us that you can't go wrong with a potted gardenia. "Gardenias offer shiny evergreen foliage and are most commonly known for their aromatic white blooms," she notes. "Offering year-round visual interest, impressive scale, and month after month of blooms, gardenias make an excellent choice for patio plants.
If you're wondering how to position container plants on a patio, Linda explains that these gardenias can be arranged as screening plants, by the pool or pretty much any outdoor seating area where guests can enjoy their aroma.
Hardiness Zones: 7 - 10
3. Dwarf Fig
"Who says you can’t grow fruit trees in containers," says Linda. "New ‘dwarf,’ or more compact varieties, are making beautiful, bountiful harvests possible, no matter how petite your patio may be."
So if you have a more compact space and have been on the lookout for modern small patio ideas to maximize your real estate, Linda finds that dwarf fig trees are your best bet for a rewarding patio garden. "Cold hardier than other fig varieties, it reaches 4-8’ tall by 3-4’ wide when mature," she notes. "And this variety offers remarkably easy care with excellent disease, pest, and drought resistance, as well as heat tolerance."
Hardiness Zones: 7 - 10
4. Barberry
Another genius solution for gardeners who have limited outdoor space is vertical garden ideas. And for a dynamic, deer-proof vertical element in pots, Linda assures us that barberry delivers. Additionally, Linda explains that this disease and pest-resistant variety has low water needs, making planter care a breeze.
"Attractive multi-hued foliage climbs skyward in a narrow, upright form, creating the perfect vertical element to serve as a potted screening shrub," she says. "With coral and ruby foliage accented with shocks of lime green, barberry subtly shifts in color across the seasons, popping against bright summer blooms and pairing beautifully with fall foliage."
Hardiness Zones: 5 - 9
5. Knock Out Roses
Rose expert Kristen Smith tells us that knock out roses are a romantic patio plant that manages wonderfully as part of outdoor potted plant arrangements. "Gardeners love the decorative flair that patio containers offer, but they’re also looking for container plants that can be left to themselves without much care," she explains. "Petite knock out roses answer the call with aplomb."
Whether sitting singly on the front porch or grouped together on a patio, Kristen finds that containerized roses add a much-needed color punch to a home landscape. If you give the plant the TLC it needs, she explains that you’ll soon find it covered throughout the season with tons of fire-engine-red blooms that are small but mighty.
Hardiness Zones: 4 - 10
6. Mandevilla
According to Justin Hancock, horticulturalist at Costa Farms, mandevilla is a fantastic porch or patio plant because it blooms nonstop all summer long, no matter how hot it gets. "In fact, this tropical plant does best when it’s hot and steamy," he says.
He explains that it comes in the form of a climbing vine that can grow up to 10 feet over a summer, or a mounding plant that grows about 18 tall and wide. And adds that the jewel-tone flowers are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds and are produced in profusion. So if you're into wildlife gardening, mandevillas are an ideal pick. "As a bonus, it has a thick, milky sap that makes it distasteful to deer and rabbits," notes Justin. "So you don’t have to worry about whether the neighborhood wildlife will nibble."
Hardiness Zones: 10 - 11
7. Coral Bells
Finally, we have the stunning coral bells. When it comes to plants that flower in the fall, that don't necessarily need to be planted in an expansive outdoor space, coral bells are generally among a gardener's top picks. These plants are great for a touch of autumnal foliage to get your patio in the mood for fall.
They're also incredibly unique to admire, with their low mounds of foliage featuring tall spikes of tiny red flowers. You don't have to worry about this plant too much and besides the regular watering and maybe even an occasional dose of fertilizer, they're not too fussy at all.
Hardiness Zones: 4 - 9
With that, we have our final list of our favorite patio plants that are perfect for container gardening. Landscape designers commonly call upon these popular crops for some extra garden appeal and now you can adorn your space with your personal picks from this expert-approved list.
If you find yourself wanting to spend more time outdoors but end up gravitating towards your interior spaces that happen to be a tad more decorated, then maybe these plants will do just the trick. You won't know until you try!
FAQs
What is the best potted plant for a patio?
Besides the lovely container plants listed above, we find that birds of paradise, petunias, and small hibiscus varieties offer stunning foliage for patios. Not only do these crops flourish in planters, but they also bloom some of the prettiest vibrant flowers.
What evergreen plants are good for pots?
Some of the patio plants we've listed are season-specific, but there are also plenty of evergreen container crops that work for patio settings. If you're a low-maintenance gardener looking for plants that thrive year-round, we recommend decorating your space with bay laurel, yucca, and California lilacs.
