Your Container Garden Deserves a Pretty Tree. Here Are 7 That Will Live Happily in a Pot.
Mix up your container garden with a showy tree, trimmed into a delicate topiary, or loose, lush, and full of color.
Thomas J. Story
A potted tree adds a little height and visual interest to a container garden.
Planting a tree in a container on your patio works like punctuation. The wrong shape and size is like a question mark, inspiring some head scratching bewilderment. But the right combination of color, structure, and foliage acts like an exclamation point. It adds a pop of visual interest, whether it’s long and lean, lacy and light, or fluffy and full. Shrubs and trees in pots can stand like sentries on either side of a door, create a privacy screen, or be substantive enough to anchor the corners of an outdoor living room. Container trees are also a labor of love for a plant nursery to create. (Fun fact: A topiary is typically 8 years old before it’s ready to sell at retail.)
Some quick tips from Georgia Clay, new plants manager at Monrovia (an Azusa, California-based plant nursery founded in 1926 with retail locations nationwide) before planting your own. Use the right potting mix: “It is important to use a planting mixture designed for containers as soil taken from your garden is much too dense in containers.” Choose a deep container with drainage holes: “Drainage holes are crucial in any container you choose. Without drainage your soil will likely become waterlogged and your plants will suffer.” Select dwarf varieties, or trees with a proven pot track record: “If longevity is your goal, pick dwarf varieties and assume that trees and most shrubs have a deeper root system and will need a deeper pot than annuals and perennials.”
And for a little extra oomph, don’t forget the “thrill, fill, and spill” formula that professional gardeners love.
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“I have always been told the key to a great container is a ‘thriller, filler, and spiller,'” says Clay, describing a well-known method for selecting companion plants for a single pot. “The tree in this case is your thriller,” she says, noting its “look-at-me” height. “Now it is up to you to find your ‘fillers’ and ‘spillers.’ Filler plants generally add mass, texture, and color to the container and spillers soften it by gently trailing out of the pot.” Choose varieties of plants that have similar water and light needs for best results.
Plumbago Royal Cape
More of a shrub than a tree, the sturdy vine-like stem can be coaxed into a tree-like shape. It provides show-stopping color with clusters of deep-blue flowers for most of the year.
Winged Phoenix Hardy Schefflera
Described as “vigorous” and “extremely hardy,” this guy adds full, green tropical flair and a little modern sculptural interest to a patio. Bonus: It thrives in partial-to-full sun (anywhere a little light peeks through) with weekly watering.
White Cape Plumbago
Dense, compact, and covered with clusters of white flowers for most of the year, White Cape Plumbago can also withstand intense California summers (with a little more water when temperatures soar). Outside of a container, it can be planted as a drought-tolerant and decorative ground cover.
Japanese Maple
Many varieties of Japanese maples do well in large pots, including dwarf Velvet Viking (pictured), Crimson Queen, and Bloodgood. They add structure and low, spreading branches if you’re looking for width. And nothing beats their vibrant color. It may look lacy and delicate, but these are surprisingly hardy trees—in any climate except for extreme heat. Red maples are happier in cooler zones.
Tangerine Lantana
Lantana is a different kind of super-spreader—growing quickly to provide drought- and heat-tolerant ground coverage—but did you know it also makes a mean topiary? Trained into a tall tree shape, lantana can live a long, pleasant life in a deep pot, with full to partial sun and weekly watering.
Little Ollie Dwarf Olive
With deep green and silver leaves, this non-fruiting olive tree can be coaxed into a hedge or this very proper looking topiary shape. There’s a reason why you see these all over the California coast, too: They’re drought-, heat-, and salt-tolerant.
Bonsai Blue Jacaranda
This super dwarf jacaranda is a tiny tree that packs a big punch, with those showy deep purple blooms that are typically strewn all over L.A. sidewalks every spring. The leaves are feathery and fern-like, but it’s nowhere near as temperamental. Place in the sunniest spot on your terrace and watch it go.
