Pot plants can be joy for the home. They add colour and natural calm to any space. The best pot plants enhance the feel of an entertaining area and even if you only have a small area or garden, there will always be a plant and pot, to suit your taste and needs.
If you’ve wondered what are the best pot plants and flowering plants for containers around the home, garden, or office then we’ve got the solution.
We have put together a comprehensive list on the following pages, with information and photos of some of the best plants for pots.
You can use all sorts of containers for growing plants, some people use ceramic pots, other people use plastic pots. You can also use containers such as old steel wash basins, wheelbarrows and tubs.
There are a few simple rules for growing good house plants, they are:
- Use a good and appropriate potting mix
- Maintain soil moisture (you can buy self-watering pots if you like)
- Place your plants in the appropriate light conditions
- Use liquid fertilisers or slow release fertilisers
- Prune plants when required.
If you follow the above information you can have beautiful house plants to enhance your home. Many house pot plants will also last for many years, so eventually they will become part of the family.
Have a browse through these pages and we’re confident that you’ll find a house plant or flowering pot plant suitable for your home, office, patio or garden.
And if you haven’t read it already, we suggest you start with our introductory post: Smart Tips for Growing Healthy Pot Plants at Home
Flowering Dipladenia plants for pots
Opening our rundown of the best pot plants we have the Dipladenia.
Some of the newer varieties of Dipladenia make excellent potted flowering container plants. In most temperate climates these plants will flower most of the year. In tropical climates these plants will flower though out the year. Some varieties are compact and bushy like shrubs. Other varieties grow into vines.
One popular variety that is great for pots, is Dipladenia sanderi rosea “Red Riding Hood”. Many Dipladenia varieties have recently had their genus names changed to Mandevilla.
Care of Dipladenia “Red Riding Hood” pot plants:
Dipladenia “Red Riding Hood” pot plants grow best in full sun and in these conditions tend to stay more compact. Dipladena plants will also grow in semi-shade, in which case they tend to start climbing like a vine. They grow best in a well drained potting mix.
You may also like to use a saucer with your pots to maintain good moisture or get purchase a self-watering pot (with a water reserve built in). Fertilise monthly with seaweed based NPK liquid fertiliser.
If you want to get someone a great house warming present then a flowering Dipladenia is a good choice. It is one of the best pot plants in terms of being low maintenance. Pruning may be required a couple of times a year to maintain a neat shape.
Big flowers – Hydrangea potted shade plants
Many people know that Hydrangea plants are great flowering plants in the garden, but they also make excellent flowering potted plants for patios and verandas around the home. Because Hydrangea pot plants are deciduous, you grow them in the warmer months and then you can just store them away in the winter months (ie. back of the shed).
Hydrangea plants tend to be grown in shade positions in temperate climates. If you live in a cool climate zone Hydrangea plants can be grown in full sun. So, have a good think about your climate and find the best spot for your Hydrangea plants. Finding a position with the right light levels is the secret to growing great Hydrangea flowers.
When growing your Hydrangea plants in pots use a pot saucer. Self-watering pots are also excellent, these are very handy and you may only need to water once a fortnight.
Care of Hydrangea pot plants:
Flowers are what Hydrangea plants are all about and what makes them one of the best pot plants. The flowers are enormous and they can be used in cut flowers arrangements around the house. With these older varieties you can change the colour of the flowers by changing soil pH, using various types of fertilisers, so talk to your local nursery person about this.
The newer varieties of Hydrangea plants have been developed to maintain a flower of a selected colour and can not be changed by altering soil pH.
To maintain new growth use a liquid NPK fertiliser throughout the growing season. You may need to remove old flower heads after each flush of flowers . Flowers develop throughout the summer and into autumn. Hydrangea plants drop leaf in winter.
Prune shrubs hard in winter ready for new growth in spring.
Flowering daisy bush in pot – a great house plant
Daisy plants are very easy to look after and so are one of the best pot plants as they generally flower on and off for around 9 months of the year. They are best suited to warm temperate, temperate and Mediterranean climates and have many different flower colours, whites, pinks, yellows and other variations. Plants tend to live for many years even in a pot.
Not only do they flower well, the flowers can be used for cut flowers in the house.
Care of Daisy pot plants:
The best place to grow your potted Daisy plants is in full sun. Use a good quality potting mix if possible and slow release fertiliser. Fertilise with any general purpose liquid fertiliser, once a month to improve growth.
Prune your Daisy plants after each flush of flowers, this will improve future flower development.
Fuchsia – a great flowering house plants for pots
Fuchsia plants make very attractive potted plants and we tend to think they do better in pots than growing in the ground. The great thing about Fuchsia plants is that if you are growing them in area with mild winters they will flower for most of the year.
The flowers are very intricate, delicate and interesting. There are heaps of flower colours, reds, whites, pinks and variations usually with some of purple colours as well. Try growing them and we’re sure you’ll agree they are one of the best pot plants if you want a riot of delicate flowers.
Care of Fuchsia pot plants:
Fuchsia potted plants grow best in semi-shade situations, so are very well suited to growing on a veranda or shaped patio.
Hydrangea plants can grow on for many years in pots, you just have to know a few tricks:
1. Make sure you use a well drained potting mix, azalea/camellia mix is good as it is also slightly acidic, which Fuchsia plants like.
2. Water regularly (they don’t like to dry out) but don’t over water
3. Maintain nutrients, this is the big one, as people forget to fertilise their fuchsia plant. Fertilise once every two weeks during the growing season with a liquid seaweed based NPK fertiliser.
4. Tip prune your Fuchsia plants for improved flower development.
This is the first part in our series on the best pot plants for the home, whether indoor or out. To read part two, please click here and to read part three click here.
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