12 Best Native Plants For Pots – Grow Natives In Small Spaces

Container gardening with native plants is a great way to fit more into a small space or simply to squeeze more natives onto your patio. While these plants don’t naturally grow in confined spaces, many take well to containers.

Native potted plants require a little more care than those you put in a bed. Consider these important factors as you create a container garden for species native to your region:

Size the container to the plant type, about two to four times the size of the pot in which it arrives. In general, native plants need larger, deeper pots than the typical annuals you might normally use. For shrubs or small trees, choose 24 inch (61 cm) or larger containers.

Soil choice is more important in containers than garden beds. The soil in a pot will compact more quickly, resulting in poor drainage. Choose a high-quality potting soil or mix with additives like perlite for drainage.

Containers dry out much more quickly than garden beds. You can often neglect a native perennial in the garden for months with no issues if it rains regularly. Your potted perennials will need watering as soon as the top 2 inches (5 cm.) of soil have dried. Succulents need less frequent watering.

One of the benefits of native potted plants is that you can move them around for optimal sunlight. Understand the light and shade needs of the species you choose and experiment with pot location until you find what works best.

If you hope to attract butterflies and other pollinators to your container garden, use several plants of the same supportive species. It is harder for them to find individual small plants.

Your most important choice will be plant species. Start with natives from your region. Then consider which species are best suited to containers.