Plants add natural beauty and ambiance to your patio. A couple of potted plants on your end tables accentuate the sofa nicely, and hanging baskets help frame the space. Keeping plants on the deck also gives you more control over soil quality and the amount of water the plants receive. While many plants can live in pots, the following are some of the best plants for your patio.

Salvia

Salvia is a perennial herb in the mint family, which means it grows back year after year. Salvia has tall purple flowers and long leaves, which look attractive in large pots. Deer and rabbits will leave salvia alone, but butterflies are attracted to it.

Salvia requires well-drained soil, so put some gravel in the bottoms of your pots before filling them with potting mix. These flowers will thrive in full or partial sun so you can keep them just about anywhere on the patio.

Milkweed Plants for Your Patio

Milkweed will attract lots of gorgeous butterflies to your patio. Its flowers are tiny, but they appear in large clusters.

Milkweed is one of the best plants for your patio because it’s a very hardy and tolerant. It will survive a drought if you forget to water it for a few days, and it does fine in the shade. Give the plants plenty of space to spread out in a large pot.

Passionflower

Passionflower is a vining plant, so plant it in a large pot with a trellis set in the center. The flowers themselves are large and colorful with brown centers.

Passionflower does best in full sun, but it can tolerate some shade. As a perennial, your passionflower will come back every year.

New Guinea Impatiens

If you want bright flowers for your patio, New Guinea impatiens are the best plant for your patio. These flowers come in pink, yellow, orange, purple, and white. They have soft, rounded edges, and the plant’s foliage is a deep green with a waxy finish.

New Guinea impatiens do best in sunlight, so put them along the edge of a covered patio. They also need lots of moisture, so water them daily.

Strawberries are Great Edible Plants for Your Patio

Planting strawberries on your patio gives you both ambiance and a snack. Varieties that thrive in pots include Alpine and Roman. Both are drought-tolerant and shade-tolerant.

Plant your strawberries in big pots, and put plenty of gravel in the bottoms for drainage. Once they are established, you should only need to water them twice a week. When the berries are ripe, cover the plants with netting to keep birds away.

Liven up your outdoor living space with these plants. Find some planters you love, then select the best flowers to fill them. Before long you’ll be relaxing outdoors, surrounded by the best plants for your patio.

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