Plants for Pots

How to choose plants for pots

Pick for the light the spot receives first, then check the plant's mature size against the container you can offer. The best plants for pots are naturally compact or slow: gardenias, dwarf citrus, Japanese box and rosemary at the small end, Little Gem magnolia and Teddy Bear magnolia at the large end. Teddy Bear is the denser and slower of the two, reaching about 4m, which makes it the better long term tub specimen. A dwarf grafted lemon stays near 2m and fruits close to year round.

Be wary of anything labelled fast growing. Speed in the ground means a rootbound pot within two seasons, more watering and an early repot. In a container, slow is an asset.

Where potted plants work

Pots earn their keep on balconies and courtyards, on decks and poolside, in rentals where planting in the ground is not an option, and either side of a front door, where a matched pair of clipped Japanese box reads as formal without effort. In cold districts, pots also let you grow frost tender plants and move them under cover for winter.

Pot sizes, mix and drainage

Give roots room, but not an ocean. Step up one or two pot sizes at each move, finishing around 300mm to 400mm wide for shrubs and herbs and 500mm to 700mm for small trees and screening plants. Always use a premium potting mix rather than garden soil, which slumps and sets hard in a container. Drainage holes are not negotiable, and pot feet help on sealed surfaces. Our pots and planters range runs from table top sizes to large tree planters.

Watering and feeding container plants

Pots dry from the sides inward and can need water daily in a hot summer. Water until it runs from the base, let the top few centimetres dry, then water again. Feed with a controlled release fertiliser each spring and refresh the top 5cm of mix once a year. Every two to three years, or when roots circle the base, move up a pot size, or root prune and return the plant to the same container with fresh mix.

Common questions

What size pot does a small tree need?

A tub 500mm to 700mm wide, holding 50 litres of mix or more, suits a magnolia, olive or citrus for years. Anything smaller dries out too fast in summer and blows over in wind.

Can I grow a lemon tree in a pot?

Yes. Choose a dwarf grafted variety, which stays near 2m, give it full sun and feed it in spring and late summer. A dwarf Eureka lemon crops close to year round.

Do plants stay smaller in pots?

A container does restrict size, usually to well under the plant's garden height, but it is not a bonsai dish. Choose something whose natural size sits close to what you want rather than fighting a forest tree in a tub.

Which fruit trees handle pots best?

Citrus are the standouts: lemons, limes, mandarins and oranges all crop well in large containers. Our citrus trees range covers the varieties worth growing this way.