Planting on the Patio

Flora is an essential part of making your patio/outdoor living space nirvana. We keep a couple of pots on our porch year-round and change the plants with each season.

Here is what was already planted:

We decided to bring the Elephant Ears back out for the summer months. These are perfect for any space that is sun-loving and they thrive on heat. From last season, we had an Amaryllis and some variegated ivy. As you can see the Amaryllis is about to bloom; they don’t require a lot of room to grow which makes them perfect to sit next to many other plants or in a narrow pot by themselves. The Variegated Ivy is great to fill in low and spill over the container. We also had already planted some Zinnias from seed that will offer continuous blooms with constant cutting.

Our second pot is under the roof of the porch so these plants are more shade-loving but still have to be able to endure the heat. From spring we had Sedums planted on either side of a Pencil Boxwood. Boxwoods are a shrub that stay green year-round that prefer partial shade (but can tolerate full sun). This made it the perfect plant to go in our smaller planter. It also provides a nice height. You want varied height in your planters to add a balanced dynamic to your space.

In both of these pots there is clear space for more plants. Which took us to our first step: Buying more plants! There are many great greenhouses in Lexington, and one of our personal favorites is Pemberton’s. While you’re there be sure to keep a lookout for kitties lounging in the greenery.

Once you’ve picked your plants it’s time to get those babies in the soil, but where you place them is key based upon sunlight. We picked out some Begonias, Shrimp Plants, 2 variants of Caladiums, and Sun-Patients. Most of these plants are sun loving and will be perfect for our porch. It’s good when you are choosing flora to have a healthy mix of greens and bright colors to provide a balance in each planter. We also chose our plants based on leaf-shape. The pattern we chose to reupholster our patio set is a relaxing yet fun tropical leaf print, so we wanted the plants we picked to be the real life version of the fabric. The Caladiums mixed with the Elephant Ears do this perfectly. P.S. Take note of the Split Leaf Philodendron nestled in the porch corner when you come to visit.

Now grab your gardening gloves, spade, and plant food and get digging!

1.) Remove some excess dirt so you can have space for your new plant to go in.

2.) Sprinkle some food.

3.) Gently pull the plant out of the greenhouse pot and break up the roots if the

plant is rootbound. This helps the roots grow into the new soil. It’s placed in thusly making it easier for the plant to get more nutrients.

4.) Place the plant in its new home and lightly pack some of the excess dirt on top.

5.) Add moss as desired. Moss is a great, natural mulch that helps soil stay in place while also adding a beautiful, woodsy finish to the look of your planter. Plus it can help deter pesky chipmunks from digging around your freshly planted pots.

6.) Water.

Now you’re done and can sit back, relax, and enjoy your plants, hopefully on your brand new re-upholstered patio set.