Recommend me some perennial, container-suited plants for this specific purpose?!

[DuarPorte]

Wise MNers who are adept at gardening - please help!

I recently inherited a lovely selection of medium to medium-large planters off Freecycle and intend to use them to break the monotony of our large, rectangular patio. For this to work - the planters ideally need to hold things that will grow in height/spread. I am not fussed about what exactly the plants should be but they need to be -

1. Container-friendly
2. Perennial and hardy
3. Able to stay on a south-facing patio
4. Grow in height

We have small DC and a small dog - so avoiding poisonous berries and thorns might be wise. But otherwise really open to suggestions.

Ornamental grass that grows tall?

Anything will do - so please throw your ideas at me!

I was going to suggest a cordyline but see that they are toxic to dogs. A phormium has a similar architectural feel but is not toxic.

According to Monty Don (GW!) for containers you need a pillar, a filler and a spiller. Lavender and Rosemary might be a good starting point as both will love being south facing and both do well in containers - and smell lovely and will attract pollinators. You can get upright Rosemary or a prostrate form that will cascade over the edges. Other herbs that will like that kind of growing area are thyme (which will also cascade over the sides) and Sage - I've just acquired a lovely tricolour sage and popped in a pot with some thyme.

Penstemon, perennial Rudbeckia, Shasta daisies - all will look well in a large pot. I also have various pelargoniums on my patio - they will need winter protection but will flower for months and come in upright or trailing and with a little care will last for years.

Sage thyme and rosemary are excellent ideas - so they are in!

Would any ferns and ornamental grasses work?

Off to Google phormium

Do they need to be perenniel?

A few willow sticks and fresh sweetpea seeds every year will give you great coverage and in full sun (with watering) will give you a tonne of scented flowers to cut every all through the summer.

You can get everlasting sweetpeas that come back every year if perennial is a showstopper. They just are not as colourful or scented.

I think hydrangeas look lovely in pots - ive has some like this for over 15 years and just re-pot every five years or so.

I'd put lavender in them and penisetums if you are somewhere frost free. Or olive trees if frost free and not windy.

We are in the south east - so not the coldest of places generally - and just need something that gives fullness/height without too much care! Hence obsessively looking for grasses and ferns in the hope they may survive my amateur gardening skills!

Russian sage?

I put obelisks into pots and grow climbers .
Many types of clematis love being grown that way. Some roses will grow on an obelisk too.

Ferns are unlikely to be happy on a south-facing patio as most need damp, shaded conditions.

Hydrangeas are pretty robust, ime. South facing might be a bit hot though?

Nepeta (catmint) grows easily and gets big - think it would be fine in a container, like rosemary & lavender.

Alchemillia mollis (lady’s mantle) gets big and frothy and fine in full sun.

Grasses depends on depth of your containers, I’d say.

The main thing with lots of containers is remembering to water… make sure you get some moisture retaining pellet stuff (technical!) to pot in.

How about a lemon tree or other citrus?

I'd avoid grasses, they seed everywhere and look a mess at certain times of the year.

Rosa rugosa is a strong growing rose suitable for containers, will give you the height you are wanting. Plant in soil based compost and feed regularly in spring/summer.

agapanthus does well in a pot, loves the sun and has some height.
id have at least one super scented rose - maybe David Austin desdemona?

maybe a hellebore for winter/early spring

I’d reserve at least a couple for annuals and put cyclamen, pansies etc in over winter then switch out for whatever you like in spring.

I also have pots where I’ve rotated from tulips to dahlia. I lift the bulbs/tubers and switch them round…I restarted the dahlias in the greenhouse this year and transferred them after the tulips died back.