Ideas please for patio pot plants

[SweetPeaPods]

We have recently moved into a new build. Garden is currently laid to lawn with a small patio. We won’t be digging up any borders etc yet, want to get a feel for the garden first. However I would like some colour for the summer so thinking of getting some plants tomorrow to pop into some pots on the patio, and maybe a couple at the front door. Question 1 - is it still too early?
Secondly, DH has requested a dahlia but apart from that I really don’t know what to buy. Any suggestions or personal favourites?

Perlagoniums are pretty foolproof and will survive a lot of sun and neglect. They will overwinter if you keep them out of the frost and can go on for years.

I have a beautiful Acer in a larger pot, which provides year round interest.

Dahlias are end of summer/early Autumn flowers. Very pretty but I think probably only the miniature varieties would be happy in a pot.

Unless you live in the north or Scotland I think you can be fairly confident about putting annual plants in now.

No it’s not too early for tender stuff. There’s a such a massive range it’s hard to know where to start but I love standard marguerites in a lovely pot either side of the front door. Maybe some lavender which you can plant out later? Or some of those ready mixed bedding collections, they’re generally lovely. Or nicotania which is scented later on. Too much choice!

Thanks, very helpful.
Aldi has Acer’s in this week but they seemed pretty big. Definitely one to plant when we do a border though, the colour was lovely.

I love agapanthus, I have mine in flared terracotta pots and they look great.

Geraniums! Cheap, cheerful, robust, come in lots of colours and slugs don't eat them. Petunias are good also and you can get upright or trailing so can crest a pleasing effect.

Pots of herbs are good. Mint grows prolifically (so is best contained in a pot) and has lots of uses. Or you could do a mixed herb trough - can be very useful and pretty (put some chives in and you'll get lovely purple flowers).

A Cordeline or tall grasses would look good - give some height and structure and difficult to kill.

I'm also a fan of succulents - an old sink or wide shallow planter is good for displaying them. The houseleek for example comes in some lovely shapes.

I have a large pot of pansies, bought a tray before Christmas and didn't plant them until a few weeks ago, they are winter flowering ones but have grown a lot since I planted them, lots of colour. Have just bought another tray to fill another pot. Also petunias and 'common' daisies which are cute little bobbly ones, they last well too.

I always have lavender in pots, lots of them, and rosemary. If you cut them right back after flowering they don't get too 'leggy'. My objective is to feed the bees although do have some potted shrubs which have been going strong for about 25 years, and some small Acers in pots.

All of the above and Begonias, they have large showy flowers in bright colours. They also last throughout the summer.
I grow Dahlias in large planters, they’re only just starting to develop, so now flowers until June onwards.

I’d just say get the biggest pots you can. Much less watering. Look on Sarah raven for ideas of plants that go together. Get a big pot, put dahlia tubers in and some stuff from the garden centre that’s flowering no2 and that will kee0 you going...

I like calla lilies and cannas in pots as well, they’re so bright and exotic looking. Also eucommis.

Oh yes, agree with calla lillies. I picked some up in Wilko last year really cheaply. They look magnificent.

After years of container gardening I do find it's easier and looks more striking to have large pots of a single type of plant with colour and height rather than have several types of plant in one pot.

I always plant plants that I want to transfer to a border. It gives them a chance to get going.
Lupins, dahlias, peonies, roses, foxgloves, iris, delphiniums ( not giants😂) they all do very well in good sized pots.

You can enjoy them this year, and when you dig the border next year, you have some good sized plants.

And agree with PP, it’s too early for planting tender stuff.

I left some dahlias in my car overnight a few weeks ago and they got frost burnt!

They have started to regrow though.

bibbety do you have any advice about Acers? We have two but neither have done well. We put them in shadier more sheltered part of garden as thought it would get too much sun in main part of north facing garden.

I was going to suggest an acer too. You can get tiny varieties as well as ones that grow into trees, and if you choose the right kind, they give colour all year round and are so beautiful.
Then maybe some scented plants?
Nemesia smells of vanilla - gorgeous. And lavender. Some herbs like rosemary, sage, mint etc and some bright flowers - I agree with your DH that potted dahlias are stunning; geraniums, lobelia, petunias etc all have lovely colours and are good for seasonal pots.

If you're going for summer colour then I'd stick with the annual bedding plants, dahlia's are good and will keep for the following years too.

Pick a colour scheme and then visit your local diy/garden store and they will usually have the bedding plants in the same area; go for some uprights and trailing varieties in colours that blend or contrast, or a single colour if you prefer. Pelargoniums are pretty hardy, but as long as they are watered, deadheaded and fed all patio plants are pretty easy.

The sooner they are planted the sooner they'll establish, but protect with some fleece if frost is an issue.

Lovely thank you. Just got to convince the dc to come with me!

Definitely herbs - thyme is pretty, as is rosemary. Lavender smells lovely & has silvery green leaves & will attract pollinating insects. Alyssum smells wonderful, like honey, it's mostly available in white but you can get other colours, it will self seed if you let it (all over the place!) Sweet peas are another one, most will need canes, trellis or a fence to climb up, but you can get some bush or trailing varieties that will grow happily in a pot or hanging basket.

If you have a semi shady area a hydrangea in a pot will look good.
In more sunny spots I have patio roses, dahlia, mixed bedding like viola, marigolds, verbena and loads of different types of geraniums.
I also have lilies in pots, standard fushia, succulents and alpines, dianthus and carnations.
I have quite a large garden and large patio and love my pots dotted about.

Given that you will at some point be planting in the ground, I would go with things that will transfer. So you get the benefit of them in the pot, but also don't then need to buy again.

I would get a few different hydrangeas. They will flower for ages and then you can transfer them whenever you're ready. Choose pink, green, blue or white flowering. Mop heads or cone heads. The white Runaway Bride was last year's plant of the year at RHS Chelsea, and it flowers all along the stem (hydrangeas otherwise flower at the end of the stem), so amazing in a pot. Little Lime is little and lime coloured, as the name suggests.

An acer would be gorgeous. Seasons long interest. There are some fantastic smaller ones with lovely pink foliage , turning to red/orange in autumn. They are really beautiful.

Summer colour - buddleia buzz will stay small, you can get them in indigo, purple, pink etc. the indigo one is my favourite.

A fuschia, maybe, for summer colour. They're not all fuschia coloured, you can get hardy white ones (Hawkshead) or mauve/white (Delta's Sara).

Patio rose, oleander, liriope all great in pots. Salvias (Hot Lips will flower for ages and grows to a decent size in the first year) too.

If you're looking for summer bedding, you won't go wrong with geraniums, verbena, bacopa, dianthus, petunias etc.

Nemesia do really well in pots and can be transplanted easily, plus they smell delicious and are hardy. I've got two or three that are years old and still gorgeous. Lavenders too, especially hidcote. Both bee friendly.

A small hydrangea in a good pot will transplant really well next year as long as you leave the dead flowers on it to protect the stems from frost over winter.

Fuschia are very good in pots and the ground, come in lots of different colours now.

Geraniums are fairly bomb proof. They tend to like the drought and drown method, so water heavily and then neglect for a bit till it's dry and then water etc

And you can't beat a pot of pansies or viola for instant colour all year round.

For cheap and cheerful colour I love petunias. They flower all summer long.