Reader Mail!-
For Ivy,
I am getting ready to buy large plants for an outdoor patio. The patio gets
sun from around 9:00 to 3:00. I then want to be able to bring them indoors
for the winter. Any recommendations for types?
-Musing in Massachusetts
Dear Musing,
Congratulations, it sounds like you have a full sun patio! Lots of gardeners struggle with lack of sunlight. Full sun from 9am to 3pm is more than enough for lots of sun loving flowers and shrubs.
A few you can leave out in the summer, but bring in in the Winter are going to be tropical plants. They love the full sun and heat of the Summer, but need the shelter of the house in the Winter months. A great plant to keep in a large pot on the ground would be a ficus, like Ficus Benjamina. These beautiful tropical sun worshipers love to bask on patios. Just make sure to keep their humidity up by giving them gentle showers from a sprinkler and watering often.
This is my miniature ficus, it’s only about a foot tall. Notice the other plants that surround the base of the tree. You can buy varieties over 20 feet tall, but the price increases with the size.
Croton would love a spot on the patio, as well. The batik variety is streaked with red and yellow and provides some color that really stands out. They would be wonderful in containers on tables or retaining walls. Croton also likes high humidity so be sure to water almost everyday during the dog days of Summer.
Pothos can tolerate low light, but in full sun, the marble variety gets great white streaks all over the leaves. Put these in pots with th vines trailing down walls. They look great on stands and pillars. Try this trick: get a traditional strawberry jar and put pothos in the side divets, put a spider plant on top. Water well and often and bring these in in the winter. Turn the jar a quarter turn every week so the sun is evenly absorbed.
My favorite trick on patios is to put plants and landscaping on different levels to create dimension. Hang baskets from eaves and tree limbs. Put containers on the ground and along walls and steps. Place some on end tables.
There are many plants you can leave outside all year long. Hens and chicks, or Sempervium Tectorum, can be placed in a container outside all year and will faithfully return every Summer and multiply. Simply buy a container of them at a local greenhouse and leave them on your patio table. The rain in your area will be more than enough to sustain these dry natured succulents. Be careful not to over water!
There are many plants that you can make a one-time monetary and time investment in that will give you returns for many years while you sit back and enjoy them. (Provided you will weed them as needed). Be sure to check if the plant needs full sun. Bright, hot sun can prove to be too much of a good thing.
You can plant irises! One of my absolute favorite full sun plants! Irises are now bred in every color imaginable. You can get traditional blue or any color ranging from white to yellow to peach or purple. These plants are sturdy and will return for you every year with an impressive show of blooms in the Spring and early Summer. When the blooms fall away, they leave behind great blades of foliage.
Peonies are big, beautiful flowers, and Lavender will grow into a great ground cover. Lavender will gently scent your Summer garden parties. Black eyed Susan grows up strong and will make an eye popping display in late Summer. There are also my personal favorites, Bleeding Heart, and Creeping Jenny ;). Creeping Jenny, pictured below is a great ground cover. It likes lotsof water and looks great in containers, like here on my porch.
Stocking your patio with plants is one of the greatest joys of setting up a living space. You will find that it can become addictive. Give yourself one good month of raising plants and you will start learning things that you never knew possible! Once the roll starts, it is hard to stop.
Good luck with your patio and happy hunting!
Hey Ivy,
Thanks for the advice!!! I’m hoping to get many of the plants you mentioned next week as I’m traveling through the weekend. I also have a 59″ water feature being delivered, so i look forward to getting plants and fish for that as well. Herbs are in, as well as 5 beautiful rose bushes. Getting there! Oh …the plant that you gave 50% chance? I’m thinking you can raise that to 70%. thanks again!!!!!!!!!!