Displaying Potted Plants on My Terrace
Potted plants bring life to any space - indoors and out.
I love container plants and whenever I am home I always like to keep a collection of interesting specimens in and around my Winter House where I can see them every day. Most of my potted plants are kept in my main greenhouse, so they can be monitored and maintained properly. Now that it is summertime, I have a beautiful selection of lemon cypress, Eugenia topiaries, and a variety of herbs displayed in the sunken terrace behind my kitchen.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I feel so fortunate to have such an amazing collection of extraordinary potted plants. Not only do they enhance the overall appearance of a space, but they’ve also been known to increase creativity, reduce stress, and eliminate air pollutants. I always have some plants displayed inside, but now I also have some right outside my home.
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- This is a ledge along one side of the sunken garden in my back courtyard terrace. I filled the entire area with a variety of pretty herbs and topiaries.
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- From the upper courtyard looking down, one can see the different forms, types of foliage, and colors of the plants displayed.
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- These are potted lemon cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa. The lemony fragrance and golden yellowy chartreuse color make it a lovely choice for display – and using multiples of the same plant is even prettier.
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- Lemon cypress has a narrow, columnar habit and needled evergreen foliage. It does best in direct light, so when selecting plants to display together, consider the plants’ light requirements and group those with similar needs together.
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- This is a small Eugenia topiary, or an Australian Brush Cherry tree, Syzygium paniculatum. The Brush Cherry is an evergreen tree or shrub with shiny dark green leaves native to Australia and New Zealand.
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- It is the same as these very large potted topiary Eugenias in the upper courtyard.
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- A display of pretty plants can be simple as well as functional. I have lots of potted herbs, such as this oregano. Oregano is a staple in Italian cooking and is often used in salsas, tacos, enchiladas, and braised meats.
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- Another attractive potted herb is rosemary. Like oregano, thyme, basil, and lavender, rosemary is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and is often used as a culinary condiment.
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- This is a curry plant with its silvery leaves and slightly spicy fragrance. The young leaves and shoots of the curry plant can be used to flavor meat, fish, and vegetables in Mediterranean dishes. The leaves are also a key ingredient in South Indian cooking, curries, chutneys, and other traditional recipes. Curry leaves are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients, and have a complex flavor with notes of cumin, menthol, popcorn, and grass.
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- And many will recognize the leaves of sage. Common sage, Salvia officinalis, leaves are often grayish-green, but can also be purple, silver, or variegated. They are pebbly, slightly fuzzy, and can grow up to five inches long.
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- This topiary is Santolina chamaecyparissus, commonly called lavender cotton or gray santolina, – a small, semi-woody, tender sub-shrub with aromatic, evergreen, silver-gray foliage.
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- Another tip for displaying groups of plants is to use a variety of plant heights such as these lavender topiaries – they look very interesting next to the shorter potted sage.
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- This is an olive tree, a slow-grower with leathery, gray-green leaves that remain all year-round. This also prefers full sun, or at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
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- I often underplant with sedum. Sedum is a drought-tolerant succulent that comes in many different shapes and styles. It grows well and makes a nice carpet of green under taller specimens.
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- One can also use pebble pea gravel to decorate the tops of pots. These stones come in an array of colors and are available in gardening supply shops.
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- And don’t forget to water! If you drink, so should your plants.
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- At the entrance to this sunken terrace, I have two potted ponytail palms flanking the gate. The ponytail palm is drought tolerant, slow-growing, and requires very little care. It’s also called Bottle palm, Elephant’s foot tree, Elephant’s foot palm, Flask lilia, and Nolina palm.
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- And these are the leaves of a potted Pittosporum, a tough, evergreen shrub.
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- Be sure to also place potted plants where they can be protected from strong winds and heavy summer rains. And consider the pots – one can add character and interest to a display by using pots with different shapes, textures, and materials.
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- Displaying a selection of healthy, attractive container plants outside is an easy and inexpensive way to decorate a terrace ledge, a porch, a deck table, or any place where they can be seen and enjoyed. Potted plants… they’re a good thing.
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