I do not like to buy a lot of annuals for the pots on my patio. What I have been doing is using tropicals and houseplants, cactus and succulents to fill the plant need on my patio.

I have a large patio it is 160' x 60' So it is the size of a suburban yard. I am looking for suggestions of perrennials I can use I have two large flower boxes that are 36" tall and 24" long.

What I have so far is I picked up two Smooth Touch rose bushes and I am going to put some Spring bulbs and oriental, Asiatic Summer bulbs.

Maybe I can put some Heuchera's in the pots for color when things are not blooming.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

This is the rose color. since it is pale any color should be good.

I know Snapshot Bob does well with Echinacea in containers , I would stick to the smaller kinds like Cheyenne Spirit.

How about Hylotelephium (AKA Sedum)? This are the tall ones and very hardy.

Phlox the tall ones

Bob I do not have luck growing Echinacea in my garden I think I will try some in the pots maybe they will do better. Santa Rosa have a good sale going on now. I will order some and see how they do in pots.

Thank you Julia, I forgot about the sedum and I have a lot of the tall ones I can split especially the ones with the color leaves. Plus it will give me some Fall flowers.

I lost a lot of my perennials in pots last winter. I love heucheras in pots.
Here is Creole Nights with Echinacea Lilliput


This pot needed to be replanted
Sedum Lineare,Hosta Nanna The campanula White Clips froze
I added 2 coleus

Jo Ann, you always have beautiful pots. I purchased a pretty succulent pot and sedum and sedum Lineare is the one that did not survive. It does not survive in my sedum garden either.

I do want to think of a good ground cover sedum in the Rose pots though. Maybe Sedum Angelina that one does well in my concrete pots that I have on either side of a walkway.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

So far I have four pots set up and started planting. I am using the roses as the bones in the middle of each. So the thriller is the roses. Using the theory of "Thriller, filler, spiller" I am thinking my fillers will be the sedum and heucheras. Need to figure out the spiller.

Two have the thornless roses, I have frost morn sedum, Heuchera Miracle,

Two have Blushing Knockout roses, Heuchera Caramel, Heuchera Melting Fire, Heuchera Kassandra

I have planted Asiatic bulbs in all of them.

Have you considered one of the small, mounding Clematis? Filigree and Sapphire Indigo come to mind as examples.

These froze out last winter but I have pix from 2013.
Astilbe Silvery Pink


Campanula Blue Falls



I like lilies in pots
Tiny Spider

Jo Ann, do you leave your lily bulbs in the pots over winter?

Yes, I admit I have been lucky but I lost some taller asiatics a year ago. I believe it depends where the pot sits all winter.
The pot with the Tiny Spiders is broken so I will plant the lilies in the garden for next year.

I have awesome results growing Asiatic lilies in pots. But I use styrofoam coolers decorated . They multiply so good in the styrofoam that I have to thin them out and put them in the garden.

The styrofoam and good soil is a perfect environment for them in my experience.

Debra, because the pots are so big I picked up to large clematis Nelly Moser that I am going to use. I will see how it works out.

Cinta : I can grow asiatics if the pots are in the backcorner of the deck where its close to the house.

ge1836 said:Cinta : I can grow asiatics if the pots are in the backcorner of the deck where its close to the house.

Yes it probably would be too cold if they are in regular pots. Since I use the styrofoam coolers with decorative rocks on them the pots are insulated and do not have to be close to the house.

This is one I made that I could even winter a Calla Lily that I cannot winter in ground but with the insulation of the cooler I can raise the zone.

Thanks, Cinta and Jo Ann. We have wet winters here, so I should place the pots under an evergreen tree or under the eaves of the house, so that it doesn't get too much moisture.

What did you use to adhere the rocks to the styrofoam?

lovemyhouse said:What did you use to adhere the rocks to the styrofoam?

The pot above I use window and door caulking. I had old aquarium gravel.

1. Spread the gravel on a carboard box or newpaper
2. I use a caulking gun and spread a thick coat of caulking on the cooler like icing a cake
3. Roll your box over the gravel and push down. The gravel will stick to the caulking
4. Turn and do the samething all the way around the box. If you see blank spots after it dries. Just put some caulking and with your hands you can fill in any blank spots with a few pieces of gravel.

I also made one with tiles purchased at a home thrift store that sell tiles cheap. I put all the instructions for that one here.

http://garden.org/ideas/view/C...

Thank you!

That is a great idea, thanks for the styroform cooler idea. I hate to throw out styrofoam and I always get a ham packed in a disposable cooler from my boss at thanksgiving. This will be a way to use last years cooler which is still in my garage.

photos when completed, please?