Trending Now: 10 Top New Outdoor Spaces That Win With Containers
A water garden bowl, succulent-filled wall boxes and meadow grass planters are just a few of the ideas to try
Gardens, decks, patios and balconies — no matter their size — always have room for a potted plant. The following 10 outdoor spaces, pulled from the most popular photos uploaded to Houzz since Jan. 1, show the multitude of ways potted plants and containers can enliven any outdoor space — and may even inspire your own outdoor space this spring.
2. Wall-mounted thriller. The designers of this side yard in Los Angeles took full advantage of every square inch, turning what’s normally a home’s thoroughfare into an outdoor destination, complete with ground and wall decking. Wall-mounted planter boxes filled to the brim with low-water plants and succulents soften and dramatize what could have been an otherwise wooden space.
3. Rooftop meadow. Container gardens can conjure visions of delicate flowering annuals, often seen flanking a front door or patio. This rooftop deck in Chicago takes a different approach, with planted containers featuring masses of oversize perennial grasses.
The grasses frame the outdoor kitchen, creating a natural sense of enclosure that’s sure to provide some privacy in this urban space — not to mention the beautiful rustling sound the grasses make in the breeze.
The grasses frame the outdoor kitchen, creating a natural sense of enclosure that’s sure to provide some privacy in this urban space — not to mention the beautiful rustling sound the grasses make in the breeze.
4. Playful outdoor retreat. This relaxed, fun-loving covered patio in New Orleans already has a lot going for it — with schoolhouse pendants, a hanging chair and a colorfully painted floor.
Hanging potted ferns and freestanding potted tropicals add lushness and a little privacy and add to the feeling that this patio is a fun, relaxing destination.
Hanging potted ferns and freestanding potted tropicals add lushness and a little privacy and add to the feeling that this patio is a fun, relaxing destination.
5. Tapestry of textures. Bands of foliage, black wall and wood paneling form a modern tapestry of color and texture on this outdoor wall in Madrid.
6. Boho beauty. This whimsical boho space in Gloucestershire, England, wins with its distressed furnishings and weeping plant forms. The hanging light fixture, branch and wall-mounted plants work together to create an overall romantic, forgotten quality. Placed right on the dining table is a potted pilea, one of our new favorite houseplants.
Rug: Urban Outfitters
Rug: Urban Outfitters
7. Lush urban lounge. This outdoor nook in New York City features a lot of inviting elements, with the sectional sofa, string lights and luxe pillows, but it’s really the potted plants — complete with their colorful containers — that make the scene.
Plants featuring a mix of textures and sizes are arranged close together in a cascading layout, creating the feeling of an overgrown garden — all on a concrete rooftop.
Plants featuring a mix of textures and sizes are arranged close together in a cascading layout, creating the feeling of an overgrown garden — all on a concrete rooftop.
8. Blended in. Some gardeners like to make their containers stand out, while the designers of this project concealed them by painting them to match the color of the house.
Instead, the contrasting colors and textures of the plants — golden grasses and green, gray and magenta shrubs — are highlighted in the design and pop against the beige backdrop.
Instead, the contrasting colors and textures of the plants — golden grasses and green, gray and magenta shrubs — are highlighted in the design and pop against the beige backdrop.
9. Sculptural accents. This contemporary design in Sydney is arranged just like a living room seating area — with a sectional bench, accent chair and pair of coffee tables. A row of potted grass-like plants injects some color and breaks up the expanse of the wood wall, almost like a row of potted houseplants would.
The clean lines of the plants, along with their modern containers, fit in with the overall style of the patio while still adding some life and an organic quality.
The clean lines of the plants, along with their modern containers, fit in with the overall style of the patio while still adding some life and an organic quality.
10. Feeling of fluorescence. This patio went for a punch of color with the turquoise patio furniture, lime table decor and fuchsia tabletop flowers. Potted annuals and chartreuse-foliaged plants bring that color story up another notch, while also creating an eye-catching backdrop for diners and a visual landing spot between the ground and the wall.
More
Size Matters: How to Choose the Right Plant Container
See more container gardening guides
Find a landscape professional on Houzz
Browse outdoor pots and planters
More
Size Matters: How to Choose the Right Plant Container
See more container gardening guides
Find a landscape professional on Houzz
Browse outdoor pots and planters
The freestanding weathered steel bowl adds a modern rustic aesthetic to the space and enables the patio to have both a water feature and a garden, without the need for excavation and construction.
Learn more about using weathering steel for containers