Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Low maintenance container shrubs for patio

squirral87k4-WvGwTsquirral87k4-WvGwT Posts: 167
in Plants
I have a large bare patio I would like to fill with some evergreen shrubs/plants/trees that can grow in pots and are relatively drought-tolerant (I’m happy to water but given the weather pattern I think less high-maintenance is the way to go). 

Any suggestions welcome

thanks.

Posts

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    We need pictures size of pots NSEW?
  • squirral87k4-WvGwTsquirral87k4-WvGwT Posts: 167
    edited April 2021
    Pot sizes are around 40-50l, north-facing wall. I can buy bigger pots. 
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    edited April 2021
    The bigger the pot the longer it will take to dry out. You may be surprised by my answer: Roses. Our second home is in Brazil, where it is often very hot and frequently dry. I have been amazed at how well roses do. If you want something for early season - Spring-flowering clematis. A lot of stuff will not flower N-facing. Good luck!
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • PeggyTXPeggyTX Posts: 556
    edited April 2021
    I've had two Buxus 'Green Velvet' in large 21" pots (outdoors) for around 3 years now and they do beautifully in pots.  These two are in a mostly shady spot, too.  They are tough little plants.  They came through the recent Texas Ice/Snowpocalypse (-16ºC) without bringing them indoors or covering them.  I do nothing to them but see that they get water 2x weekly by my sprinkler system.  I may have fertilized with general fertilizer 2-3 times in as many years.  My kind of low-maintenance plant. :)    
    My low-carb recipe site: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    Choisya ‘White Dazzler’ would work well, and could be combined with silver-leaved things to good effect, like Convolvulus cneorum. Try also the yellow flowered Halimium libanotis. Lavender are often used in tubs but in my experience they seem to struggle after the first few years. You could also try, in a larger tub, Pittosporum tobira ‘Variegata’, Rhaphiolepis umbellata or Griselina littoralis. Another fun thing that I really loved in a tub was Prostanthera. These are all a bit out of the ordinary, but it’s fun to experiment!
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Euonymous is evergreen and can be grown in a pot, there are variegated varieties too. 

    The RHS has several suggestions, some need ericaceous compost for acid loving plants. They would be best watered with
    rainwater. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/articles/graham-rice/shrubs-and-climbers/10-agm-shrubs-for-containers
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Sign In or Register to comment.