If you’re a gardening enthusiast residing in the sunshine state of Florida, you’re well aware of the distinctive challenges and options of gardening in this region. The hot and humid climate, combined with abundant sunlight, offers a perfect environment for various plants to flourish. Whether you have a spacious backyard or a cozy balcony, potted plants are a fantastic way to add beauty and greenery to your outdoor spaces. In this blog post, we’ll explore which plants do well in outdoor Florida pots, so you can create a vibrant and thriving garden right at your doorstep.
Florida’s hot and humid climate presents some unique challenges for container gardening While in-ground gardens thrive in many parts of the state, growing plants in pots is extremely popular for those with smaller yards or patios. With strategic plant selections, pots can overflow with beautiful flowers, foliage, and edibles.
As an avid Florida gardener, I’ve experimented with countless plants over the years to find which ones perform best in containers. After much trial and error, here are my top recommendations for stunning plants that flourish in pots around Florida.
Vibrant Tropical Flowers
No Florida container garden is complete without some flashy tropical blooms These flowering plants add gorgeous pops of color while tolerating heat, sun, and heavy rainfall.
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Lantana – This small evergreen shrub comes in a rainbow of colors like yellow, pink, and purple. Lantana needs full sun and regular watering. Provide good drainage.
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Bougainvillea – Available in hot pink, purple, red and more, bougainvillea cascades beautifully over pot edges. Needs well-drained soil.
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Mandevilla – Climbing mandevilla vines produce abundant pink, red or white blooms all summer and fall. Use trellises to showcase them.
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Pentas – These compact perennials flower continuously in red, pink, white and lavender. Excellent for small pots and resist drought.
Lush Tropical Foliage
Tropical foliage plants add vibrant greenery and striking textures. Their leaves come in diverse shapes, colors and patterns.
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Crotons – Crotons showcase stunning leaf colors like burgundy, orange, yellow, pink and purple. Provide filtered sun.
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Philodendrons – From climbing to shrubby types, philodendrons have fleshy, bright leaves. Heartleaf and Fiddle Leaf are popular.
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Elephant Ears – Elephant ears have huge, dramatic leaves up to 2 feet wide in black, green and burgundy shades.
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Bromeliads – With fascinating shapes and patterns, bromeliads are low maintenance and do well in bright shade.
Hardy Succulents
Succulents are ideal for Florida’s intense sun and periods of drought. Their thick leaves and stems retain moisture in dry conditions.
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Agave – Agaves lend a tropical vibe with blue-green spiky leaves. Use larger varieties as bold accents.
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Aloe – With medicinal qualities and pretty blooms, aloe thrives with minimal care. Choose dwarf types for containers.
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Ponytail Palm – These small “palms” actually have a round base and long, strappy leaves. A patio favorite!
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Hens & Chicks – Hens and chicks multiply easily to form mats of rosette-shaped leaves. Tolerates heat and drought.
Fragrant Flowering Favorites
Some flowering plants are prized for their heavenly fragrances as much as their beauty. Include them in pots near entries, patios and porches.
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Gardenia – Gardenias are treasured for their intoxicating white blooms and shiny leaves. Provide acidic fertilizer.
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Jasmine – Jasmine vines and shrubs flower in spring and summer with an incredibly sweet scent. Grow them on trellises.
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Plumeria – Their sweet frangipani fragrance matches their vibrant colors like pink, yellow, coral and white. Needs excellent drainage.
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Citrus Trees – Grow patio-sized citrus trees for fragrant flowers and fruits like Meyer lemons, limes and kumquats.
Edible Herbs, Fruits & Vegetables
It’s possible to grow fresh herbs, fruits, and veggies in small spaces using container gardens. Match plants to pot size.
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Herbs – Herbs like basil, oregano and cilantro are productive in pots. Use for cooking!
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Peppers – Grow ornamental or edible peppers in containers. Place by patios or entries.
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Tomatoes – Go for dwarf, container-friendly tomatoes like ‘Red Robin’ or ‘Tiny Tim’ in pots.
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Lettuce – Compact lettuce varieties like ‘Tom Thumb’ and ‘Salad Bowl’ thrive in pots and provide salads.
More Top Performers
Beyond tropicals, here are a few more tried and true container plants for Florida’s climate:
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Geraniums – Available in many colors, geraniums love heat and do well in pots with proper watering.
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Petunias – Drought-tolerant, spreading petunias cascade beautifully from hanging baskets in sun.
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Coleus – Grown for its colorful and patterned foliage, coleus thrives in shade containers.
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Impatiens – For shade pots, impatiens produce abundant blooms in white, pink, red, orange and purple.
Proper plant choices, drainage, and care will allow your container garden to thrive! Utilize trellises and vary heights for visual interest. Maintain pots with regular fertilizing, watering and grooming. Your flourishing pots will make any Florida yard pop!
Tips for Taking Care of Patio Plants
The best tip for taking good care of patio plants and keeping them healthy is to do your research. Make sure you find out about the variety you plan to grow so that you can choose a shady spot or place it in full sun as required.
Remember to pay attention to the weather, too. If you put your plants outside as soon as the temperature starts to rise, you may need to watch for impending frost, or simply bring your plant pot inside at night until temperatures become more consistent.
As with all plants, water as required: either too much or too little can cause problems. With container plants its particularly important to ensure good drainage so the roots dont end up sitting in waterlogged soil. Choose a plant pot with drainage holes in the bottom and, if necessary, add a layer of sand to improve drainage.
Whether you want to start out with one or two outdoor plants, or fill your deck or balcony with a wide range of colorful foliage and fragrant flowers, we hope that this article has given you some great ideas to help you choose the perfect plants for your sunny patio garden. Dont hesitate to get in touch with our friendly local landscaping experts at LawnMore Gainesville if youd like some more help.
Why grow potted plants?
There are lots of advantages to growing plants in pots and containers. For new gardeners, it can be a great way to get started. Potted plants are an excellent addition to any deck, patio, balcony or even windowsill, so even if you dont have the space – or the time – to maintain a big garden, you can still enjoy the benefits of plants.
Check out our list of the best patio plants to grow in Florida. All of our suggestions are low-maintenance plants that do well in our warm, humid climate.
Lantana is a small evergreen shrub that comes in a beautiful range of colors. Its a classic low-maintenance plant: all it needs is a sunny spot and, when planted in a container, regular watering. Lantanas clusters of gorgeous flowers will add a pop of color to any deck or patio.
Make sure to plant your lantana in a container with drainage holes. You can also improve drainage by adding some sand to the bottom of your container.
Marigolds, with their bronzed-orange blooms, are a favorite container plant to brighten up your outdoor spaces. Theyre easy to look after and are even said to repel insects, making them an excellent pick for your patio garden.
These drought-tolerant plants need plenty of direct sunlight. They do best in well-drained soil, so make sure to include drainage holes in your plant pot. Its important not to crowd marigolds, so just plant one if youre using a small pot; if youre sowing multiple seeds in a container, give them several inches of space.
Bamboo is a popular choice for a deck or patio as it makes an ideal privacy plant. You may want to plant it in the soil alongside the edge of your outdoor area, where this plants dense foliage will shade you from the sun.
If planting in the ground is not an option, bamboo can also be grown in a container. Make sure you choose one large enough for the bamboo to take root. It also needs to be stable so it wont blow over in strong winds.
Wilson Bros has some great tips for growing bamboo in a container.
Bird of Paradise, with its showy blooms that look like exotic birds, is a striking accent plant to take center stage in a deck garden, patio or balcony. In Central and Southern Florida, bird of paradise is suited to the warm climate and can be grown outdoors.
In cooler climates, it needs protecting from the cold, as the recognizable blooms can be damaged if exposed to below-freezing temperatures. Growing these beautiful plants in pots can be a great idea, as that makes it easy to move them indoors for a short time when cold temperatures strike.
The leaves of bird of paradise can be damaged by direct sunlight, so choose a shady spot on your balcony or patio when you add this beauty to your outdoor space.
Agave is a highly drought-tolerant plant that grows well in Zones 9-11, so its a perfect choice for your Florida deck or patio. There are over 200 species of agave plant to choose from, but one of the most popular is usually known by its common name, century plant.
Spineless century plant is a small variety of agave that works well as a patio plant. It grows from three to six feet wide and, as the name suggests, it does not have the sharp spines associated with some other cultivars. Its pretty white or yellow flowers bloom periodically for about ten years after planting.
Agave requires at least six hours per day of direct sunlight. Well-drained soil is another important requirement – otherwise root rot could become a problem. However, when these needs are taken into account, this variety of agave should thrive in a container for many years.
Like agave, string of pearls is a succulent that thrives on plenty of direct sunlight. This beautiful plant has a very distinctive appearance, with trailing stems of spherical, bead-like leaves. It looks stunning all year round trailing from a hanging basket or over the side of a tall container. When it blooms, its white flowers make it even more striking.
String of pearls should be planted in well-draining soil. Although it likes sun, it can also tolerate partial shade. This tropical plant is very easy to propagate from cuttings – Succulents Box has some tips here. Although an individual plant will only live for around five years, if you keep propagating, string of pearls will last indefinitely.
Although many cacti prefer dry climates, there are several species which can thrive in Floridas more humid conditions. Prickly pear, with its bright blooms, is a popular variety.
Container growing is ideal for Christmas cactus, which also sports beautiful blooms, but needs to be brought indoors if temperatures drop lower than the 40s.
Cacti require plenty of full sun and minimal watering with long breaks in between. They make an excellent choice for low maintenance deck plants.
As long as they are planted at the right time of year, after the frost has finished but before temperatures get too hot in the summer, cherry tomatoes make excellent outdoor patio plants.
These edible plants are easy to grow and, once they are established, youll be able to enjoy the delicious fruits throughout Floridas hot summer. The green leaves and bright red fruits, along with the pleasant scent, make cherry tomatoes an excellent patio plant.
Cherry tomatoes require plenty of sun for four to six hours each day and need frequent watering.
The majority of culinary herbs will grow happily in containers or plant pots and, with their variety of leaf shapes and range of distinctive scents, help to make your deck or patio a pleasant space.
Many species of herbs have a rapid rate of growth, so they can be ideal plants for growing with children as they give a speedy return. Their beautiful leaves are another draw for little ones, who can enjoy smelling and even tasting the herbs.
Some varieties to start with include rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and mint. Go for whatever you think youll use in the kitchen!
20 Great Perennials to Grow in Containers
FAQ
What potted plants are good for Florida heat?
- Angelonia.
- Lantana.
- Passionflowers.
- Plumbago.
What plants like full sun and heat in pots?
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These bright, cheerful flowers love the sun and can withstand heat. They are also known to repel pests.
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Zinnias come in a wide variety of colors and bloom prolifically in full sun. They are also a great choice for attracting butterflies and bees.
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Petunias are a classic choice for pots and hanging baskets, offering a vibrant display of blooms in full sun and heat.
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Lantana is a heat-tolerant plant that attracts butterflies and other pollinators. It also comes in a variety of colors and flower forms.
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Salvia is a popular choice for attracting hummingbirds and other pollinators. It also comes in a variety of colors and bloom shapes.
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Geraniums are a classic choice for pots and containers, offering a long-lasting display of blooms in full sun and heat.
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Coneflowers are known for their drought and heat tolerance, and their vibrant blooms attract pollinators.
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Stonecrop is a drought-tolerant plant that thrives in hot, sunny conditions.
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Pentas are a heat-tolerant plant with star-shaped blooms that attract pollinators.
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Verbena is a vibrant, low-maintenance plant that thrives in full sun and heat.
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Also known as Million Bells, calibrachoa are heat-tolerant annuals that bloom continuously throughout the summer.
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Angelonia is a heat-tolerant annual with linear leaves and multiple large flowers, making it a good choice for containers.
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Cosmos is a sun-loving plant that thrives in full sun and heat.
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Coral bells are known for their colorful foliage and ability to tolerate full sun.
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Begonias are versatile plants that can tolerate full sun, shade, and heat.
What plants bloom all year round in Florida?
Hibiscus. Adding hibiscus to your property in Florida is an excellent choice. Hibiscus blooms all year, with vibrant colors like red, pink, yellow, and white. These low-maintenance flowers can be planted in gardens or pots, adding a tropical touch to the landscape.
What are the best low-maintenance potted plants?
A plant can be called low-maintenance if it has excellent climate tolerance, soil adaptability, and minimal care needs. Some of the most popular low-maintenance outdoor potted plants are purple fountain grass, rose, rosemary, garden sage, winter jasmine, fuchsia, Japanese maple, and thyme.