About Patio Designs
 

Selecting The Right Plants For Patio

Patio Plants

Trees, flowers and patio plants are the backbone of your landscape. They are used as screens, accents and backgrounds. Flowering shrubs provide long lasting and beautiful blooms which brightens any days.

Using right plants are easy and relatively inexpensive way to decorate your patio and establish an individual appearance. However, you may have limited space on your patio so you can’t just purchase a bunch of patio plants that look pretty. It is inevitable that you need to plan the space. If you decide to use decorative pots and planters, you need to consider the amount of time that you will need to spend caring for the plants before purchasing them. Here are some tips to help you decide on the right plants for your patio decor.

Decide on the purpose of the plant.

Before you shop for plants for your patio, decide on the purpose of those plants. Are you using them to create a view? Or are you using them to conceal your patio from outside view? Are the plants just going to be some decorative items or are they serving a function in the decor?

The purpose of the plants will determine what type of plants you get, which is why it is critical to know your purpose is before you shop. For example, if you are searching for plants that will be use to shield your patio from view, then you wouldn’t get normal size house plants. You need to purchase extra tall plants with thick foliage instead. So, know what purpose the plant is going to serve on the patio before you shop for them.

Determine the space on the patio before you buy patio plants and planters.

Filling up a large patio with plants or using plants in your decorating scheme are great ideas. However, if you have a smaller patio and you are using plants to define an area, remember to measure the available space on the patio before you shop for plants. Decorative boxes, plants and planters themselves do take up space. Some large planters can occupy more space than a table so it is important to measure the space where you will put the plants to ensure that you get a plant and a planter that will fit into the space.

One alternative that you can use to solve the space problem on your patio is to plant the plants around the patio. This can be done instead of having the plants in pots along the patio. On the contrary, if you like to change your patio decor frequently, this may be a problem because it will be difficult to change your patio plants once they are planted. Decorating a patio with plants is a very crafty and subtle art as you need to balance the available space with the desired effect of the plants that you are using.

One tactic to use plants to get the effect you want without taking up too much space is to plant some plants that can go with any kind of decor around the edges of the patio. Then, you can put plants that you bought specifically for one theme in planters or planting boxes on the patio.

There is a large range of plants that are ideal for your patio planters. Some can even be grown in hanging baskets. Some of the suitable patio plants are such as,

Rosemary Standard
Patio Olive
Bird of Paradise Plants
The Bat Plant
Hardy Cactus
Century Plants

Outdoor Patio Plants

There are hundreds of outdoor patio plants available but the list below are our recommended ones, unique and affordable. If you have other patio plants or trees that you would want us to feature, kindly email your recommendation to us and we shall put it up and share the information with patio lovers.

Windmill Palm Trees.

Windmill Palm Tree

Windmill Palm Trees are one of the most cold hardy and beautifully compact palms available. Astonishingly, it is well suited to grow in planters or containers. The Windmill Palm Tree has,

  • Deep green leaves that are arranged into symmetrical crown and can reach 3 feet in diameter.
  • The trunk is relatively slender that are usually thickly covered with a loose mat of coarse gray or brown fibers. Given time, it can grow to heights of 20 to 40 feet.

Elephant Ears.

Elephant Ears

Elephant Ears boast immense, spectacular foliage for planting in full sun to partial shade. It is a wonderful addition to the landscape or when planted in large containers. Certainly, Elephant Ears adds some tropics to your patio and garden and it is grown best in full sun.

Hardy Fan Palm.

Hardy Fan Palm

Hardy Fan Palm produces babies which grow into a multi-stem plant making it very bushy. It can generally grow to around 2 meters tall and it is ideal in a pot to grade your patio or deck. It can be a good architectural plant for your collection.

Dahlia Bishop.

Dahlia Bishop

You will be surprised that a single dahlia plant may produce up to a hundred blooms. Besides, dahlias have a sheer range of sizes and colours unmatched in the world of garden flowers. Dahlias provide colour when so many other flowers are past their best. An extremely accommodating plant, it does well even in the hottest, dry summers.

Trailing Rosemary.

Roamarinus

An absolute must in any herb garden for its aroma, taste and attractive presentation. It is preferable to put under full sun, or partial shade with free-draining soil or compost.

Hardy Chrysanthemums.

Hardy Chrysanthemums

This gloriously coloured mixture of Chrysanthemums are suitable for patios, gardens and containers. You can have a selection of different colors at the same time that add vibrant to your patio. They are also more or less the same height.

Hydrangea.

Hydrangea Patio Plants

Mopheads (Hydrangea macrophylla) are generally the most popular hydrangeas grown in landscapes and home gardens. Most mopheads grown today are blue or pink. A few varieties are white.

These trendy, popular plants are very eye-catching garden features. The bicolour flowers bring a summer sensation to the garden, patio or balcony. Extremely robust with long, abundant flowering.

Bougainvillea.

Bougainvillea Patio Plants

Generally, the most common colors of bougainvillea are magenta, purple, pink and red. It is an exotic waterfall of flowers. This plant is smothered with masses of tropical flowers and looks fabulous in a tub especiallly on your patio.

It needs to be protected from frost, but can be left outside in winter in warmer climates. Unless you have ample space to let it grow wild, bougainvillea will need periodic trimming. Don't be afraid to cut it way back.

Citrus Tree - Calamondin Orange.

Citrus Tree - Calamondin Orange

Calamondin Orange is not difficult to grow and require plenty of light. Fragrant white flowers open from red-tinted buds throughout the summer. A compact, large shrub is best grown in a pot where it can be placed in a frost-free place during winter.

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