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California Gardening

What should I plant in these pots in my front porch?

13 years ago

I am in the Bay area peninsula. The containers are about a foot and a half cube. The patio gets good heat in the summer, but no sun whatsoever. I am hoping to plant something in there that is fairly low maintenance, I can connect it with my container drip irrigation kit. I dont care if it is blooming plant or if it is for its pretty foliage or structure. Would love it if it were a little on the taller side versus being a low bush.

Suggestions will be so so useful.

{{gwi:510506}}

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Comments (10)

CA Kate z9
13 years ago
Sorry to be negative, but..... three thoughts:
1 very few, if any, attractive live plants will survive in this little-light location;
2 do you really want anything this close to people using this door;
3 Black Widow Spiders would LOVE a plant (or anything comfy) in this location.
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
13 years ago
I have a similar front door area. Mine actually faces west/southwest but since it's a fairly deep alcove, it doesn't get much sun. So, I usually put either Cyclamen or Impatiens in my pots to give my front door a little color. Here's how it looks right now:
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When my cyclamen are done, I just pull them out and plop them in some other area of my yard and plant Impatiens. And I don't hav any issues with Black Widows lurking in or around the pots, but then I put down poison around my entry for just that reason. Probably the rare non-organic thing I do, but way back, when I was raising my kids, I had a Black Widow scurry right across my sleeping daughter one evening. After that, I made sure I made it a deadly experience for any spider to lurk around doorways. I'm going to also replace my fountain with a 1/2 wall fountain, as I'm tired of looking at an ugly cord cover and plug. Just need to find a very shallow one as we don't have much width in our little entry area.

Patty S.
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hosenemesis
13 years ago
Cast iron plant will live.
kelpmermaid
13 years ago
What about clivias? They're not tall, but the will do shade and produce flowers.
kittymoonbeam
13 years ago
I have green climbing ivy on small trellises in just such a spot. They look great all year, you can dress them up for the holidays. You choose the trellis size and just keep the plants clipped. I prefer the smaller leafed ivy. If you want, you can train them on moss covered wire forms and they will look like shrubs. Any shape you want! Ivy looks so dignified when its clipped and it does well without much sun.
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
13 years ago
Clivia. Some of them can be fairly tall--the species other than C. miniata and some of the inter-species hybrids can be waist high. They will grow and bloom in very dark areas.

Cast Iron plant would be another good idea. I have Pothos (the indoor plant vine) in my baskets by the front door and they drape downward. It looks good. I bring them in for the winter and enjoy them indoors then take them out for the summer.
bahia
13 years ago
Asparagus densiflorus 'Meyers' or Blechnum gibbum.
anchita
13 years ago
How about Turk's Cap? There's a variegated type that has attractive foliage as well as small red flowers in late summer/fall. I had a couple in bright shade (though in TX) that did okay, but I'm not sure *how* low of a light situation yours is...
rwsacto
13 years ago
Buy two more identical containers and put them in a sunnier location. Plant the same thing (or different things) and switch them from porch to sun every few weeks. You will have a lot more plant options.
sonaliagrawal
Original Author
13 years ago
rwsacto - love ur suggestion. I think I will just do that!

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