Potted outdoor plant

[ladypie21]

I'm looking for some inspiration to brighten up my front porch. It's a large open porch which is directly south facing and quite exposed (other than the porch roof). I'd love a nice potted plant to soften the entrance, maybe up to 1.5m high including pot. The house and front garden style would not really match a formal sculpture style box so I'm looking for something softer and a bit more "relaxed" . I'd love something that flowers and was thinking of a camellia but seemingly they don't like direct sun so I'd worry about it being south facing. Any ideas? Our native soil is chalky so I'd also like to the opportunity to have something potted that wouldn't necessarily thrive in the garden.

Fatsia Japonica look good in pots, but they don’t have flowers until the Autumn when they send up stalks with flowers that look like golf balls!

Fatsia don’t like to much sun. Most things in the japonica family prefer shade and a bit of shelter. But if you liked them they will grow in pretty much any soil so would do ok in a chalky garden.
Have you thought of maybe a citrus tree? No flowers but a lovely scent as you enter or leave.

Ooh, a citrus tree could be nice. I've not thought of a "tree" and was focused more on shrubs. Will head off to google options

Could you have some in rotation? So whatever is in flower/scent/leaf is in the porch, and something else is out back in waiting?

That's a good idea, although I was thinking of a nice big pot would be difficult to move. Probably a stupid question but can you swop plants/pots in rotation?

You can trundle them around on pot trolley things. You might need help lifting on and off!

Clematis? I've got two that twine together, one goes till may, the other from may to august.
Check out Taylors clematis on line.

If you want to go for a big pot and rotate what you have in it you could buy a pot that a plastic pot will sit inside.
Then you just lift out the plastic potted plantand replace with another plastic potted plant.
You could even swap out for tulips and dafs in the spring, tree lilies in the summer and a fir tree for Christmas. When out of season just store the pots behind the shed or greenhouse ready for next season.

Calibrachoa, also known as million bells, comes in about a million spectacular colors that range from pure white to different shades of pink to deep purple. Calibrachoa looks great in almost any container garden. The prolific blossoms attract hummingbirds and butterflies and will go strong all summer with regular feeding. Calibrachoas don't need deadheading but they do need consistent watering and good drainage, no soggy roots for these guys. ;)