I thought I’d share 7 patio pot planting ideas, that not only look lovely, but last and last.
At this time of year attention often switches to patio pots and containers. You see lots of people filing through the garden centre checkout with trolleys bulging with petunias, fuschias, lobelia all destined for pots. Well I have a confession to make. I have over 50 pots but I don’t much like these plants! I will use them with other things as little fillers, but for me a pot that just has annuals is like a movie set. It all feels too temporary. They’re pretty but it’s all show and no substance. I prefer my pots to have a bit more to them. That means using shrubs and perennials.
Sometimes I get it wrong, the plants aren’t happy in a pot and I have to put them out into the garden instead. But other times they work really well. So I thought I’d share 7 patio pot planting ideas using perennials which I think are winners.
Some are plants which just look brilliant on their own in a ‘pot’. Others are combinations which when put in the right setting are just lovely.
Patio Pot Planting Ideas
#1 Clematis & Helianthemum
Clematis Bernadine combines well with many plants, but I think it’s particularly lovely with the spreading rock rose Helianthemum Lawrenson’s Pink. The colour combination is really eye catching.
The clematis flowers from May through to September and the rock rose from May to July but the rock rose is evergreen. So it provides a lovely backdrop of silvery leaves to the clematis even when it’s not in flower.
The Helianthemum is also lovely in the front of a border. So once it’s established, you can take softwood cuttings from it and dot them around the garden. You get lots of bang for your buck! Also, while all the advice is that the Helianthemum needs a sunny position, mine is in a lot of shade for much of the day, and it’s flourishing as you can see. The clematis’ flowers are a stronger colour too because it’s in a lot of shade. So this is a good patio pot planting idea to brighten a shady, dull corner.
#2 Foxgloves and Gaura
The foxglove Digitalis Glory of Roundway ticks lots of boxes for me. It is a perennial (so I don’t need to keep replacing it). It is long flowering with slender blooms that are a mix of strawberry pink, peach and then pale yellow in the middle. It looks very ‘cottage gardeny.’ I have planted three in this basket – which is my kids’ old dressing up basket (I lined it with thick polythene – with holes in).
I have another perennial in there too – Gaura. This grows about 75cm -1metre tall and has spires of frothy swirling butterfly-type flowers from July – October. I’ve popped in along side these plants Isotoma Axillaris Blue Star which is another perennial but lower growing – flowering from late Spring to Autumn. The effect is a long lasting jumble of colours, which works with the informality of the basket (I think). And this basket is an absolute bee magnet, which is wonderful.
#3 Hostas
If you have nothing but flowers on your patio it can all look a bit overwhleming and fussy; unless you are really disciplined about colour, which I’m not! So my next couple of patio pot planting ideas involve plants known more for their foliage than their flowers. Again these are plants which come back year after year.
If you haven’t already got a hosta in a pot, I’d recommend one. But choose your hosta and pot with care. For instance I think the acid leaves of the hosta Julie Morrs look fantastic with the mediterranean blue pot.
If you can spare a really big pot then you could try a seriously big hosta like Sum and Substance. He’s a giant! As a result I’d recommend keeping this bad boy sheltered away from the risk of wind.
I’ve literally just tucked mine into a corner, as a gust ripped off one of his leaves only yesterday – gah! You can see this in the top left of the picture below.
There are loads of hostas to choose from. If you don’t believe me checkout Mickfield Hostas which holds a national collection – almost half of which you can buy. Just incredible! As you will learn, I love hostas – I have over 20 somewhere in the garden!
Hostas require very little care but you do need to be vigilant about slugs who love nothing more than to munch them. To be honest, I don’t have much of a problem with them. I think it could be because we have so many birds in the garden.
#4 Heuchera
Heuchera are another plant group really known for their foilage. Again I think they are wonderful in pots or containers. I particularly like red varities like Heuchera Root Beer and Fire Chief
The leaves are scrumptious but that’s not to say they don’t have pretty flowers too. Indeed Root Beer has masses of creamy flowers on long stems from Spring right through to Autumn. I think it looks wonderful grouped with this ruby red clematis and ferns.
#5 Ferns
Ferns are another brilliant addition to any patio pot display. You can have them in large pots as a statement on their own. Alternatively you can put them in combination with other plants such as small grasses and trailing ivy. Whichever way you go, they add both a lovely shape and movement to a patio area.
I’m sorry I can’t recall the exact names of the ferns in these pictures as I’ve had them for years. Take a look at a the range at a garden centre and choose one you like and give it a go. They tend to like shade or semi shade, so bear that in mind.
#6 Achillea
A plant which you don’t see in a pot too often is Achillea, but as patio pot planting ideas go, I think it’s a good one. Achillea Moonshine has soft silvery foliage. This forms a sturdy clump with flowerheads of thirty or more yellow flowers from June-August. It’s wonderful, grows about 60cm tall and is again a complete magnet for insects. In the picture above I have it with Salvia Nemerosa Sensation White. I’ve also plugged the gaps with some purple trailing lobelia. The effect is deliberately rather garish, as the pot is positioned towards the end of the garden (on our septic tank) It needs to be seen from afar!!
The beauty of using plants like the Achillea is that once you’ve had enough of the combination, or the plant gets too big for the container, you can remove the plant and put it in your garden. So nothing is wasted. Indeed this year I’ve taken the Achillea out, divided it up into four and put it into a bed where I had gaps. You can see how I did that here
#7 Geraniums and Penstemon
My last patio pot planting suggestion is combining geraniums with penstemon. I have lots of different geraniums in pots. In this pot I have Geranium Orion which has gorgeous purple flowers from May to August. It is recommended for ground cover, but I find it’s very happy in a pot. It trails and clumps in a rather wonderful way.
I’ve combined it for the last couple of years with Penstemon Garnet which has crimson red tubular flowers from July to October. So this pot has colour for 6 months of the year.
Benefits
The beauty of using perennials for your patio pots and containers is value. They last year on year and you can take cuttings from them, to increase the stock of plants in your garden. Also, if you get bored with a plant, or it doesn’t thrive in the pot, you can simply put it out into your garden and do something different with the pot or container.
Plant Care
Obviously if your perennials are going to last in pots, you need to:
- Water them regularly, I check mine every day.
- Feed them weekly throughout the summer. I use tomato feed from the start of May right through to Autumn.
- Deal with it if they eventually outgrow the space
- Replenish/refresh the pots compost each year. I typically take the top few inches of compost off in early spring, taking care not to damage any roots, and replace it with new. Occasionally, I take the plants out of the pot and replace almost all of the compost.
- Lastly, check what care advice there is for the particular plant you are using, and follow it reasonably closely.
But that’s it. I think perennials and patio pots are a match made in heaven!
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