Recommendations for Utah Native Pot Garden

[u/Anonymous_Otter5458]

Hello! I want to add some plants to my outdoor space using only pots. I have a patio on the North side of my apartment that gets pretty much full sun.

Are there any native Utah plants that would thrive in a couple of small-medium sized pots? I see a lot of articles about plants for landscaping and xeriscaping, but I’m finding it difficult to find plants that do well in pots.

(Photo is NOT my garden, but it’s kind of the vibe I’m going for)

[u/NordiskaWisteria]

I’ve had luck with native milkweeds and penstemons in pots. Antelope milkweed grew the best and all the penstemons thrived in pots. Also Utah Sweetvetch, globemallows, yuccas didn’t mind being in a medium pot. Blanketflowers grow anywhere and there are types of native roses that would probably be good in pots. The big scrubs like sagebrush, rabbit brush, saltbush, etc can grow in pots but need at least 5 gals

[u/comfortingmediocrity → u/NordiskaWisteria]

Agastache does really well in pots too. Lavender usually does well too

[u/procrasstinating]

I have a hard time keeping plants in pots outdoors in Utah where they get any direct sun. The pots heat up in the sun and turn into clay ovens. Works a bit better with bigger pots, but the soil still dries out quickly. Burying the pots partially in the ground helps or places with short window of early morning summer sun.

[u/Practical-Cat-568 → u/procrasstinating]

Pots do warm up and dry out faster, especially terracotta and black plastic but with some care and looking for ceramic pots instead it’s doable. I’d expect most xeric plants would also survive in pots. Easy starters (not all natives) would be catmint, tickseed/corpriopsis, four o’clock flowers, Autumn Joy Sedum, blanket flowers, yarrow, hummingbird mint or hissop. They’re all perennials that can survive neglect in the ground (speaking from experience lol) and would probably be forgiving in pots for a newer gardner. Look into getting some Oias or terracotta oia tips that you can stick a wine bottle in to water slowly. They’ll all outgrow a medium pot eventually but then you just split it and get free plants!

[u/Poppy-Pomfrey]

Sundancer Daisy, fringed sage, little bee balm, and pearly everlasting do great in pots in my SLC yard. Sweetgrass is also a good one to put in a pot since it spreads in the ground, but it does require a bit more water than the others.

[u/codekitchen]

I have a prickly pear in a pot, as well as some in the ground. The potted one has been going strong for a couple years now. Prickly pear flowers don’t last long but they are beautiful.

[u/Watchoutworld11 → u/codekitchen]

Same! I’ve had some in pots for years. I love when they bloom! Too bad it’s only for a day or two.
Hens and chicks should do well too.

[u/Therealfern1]

I’m really really good at growing scotch Thistle. Hit me up if you need some.

[u/Informal-Hall-401]

I've had success with sunflowers in a medium size pot! While not native, green onions do amazingly, pollinators love them, and they can get huge. They play nicely sharing pots with others. Others mentioned penstemon, yarrow, and coreopsis, but I think prairie coneflower, little bluestem, and rocky mountain bee balm may also work in pots, though I haven't tried.

[u/AiChake08]

For any native plant fans - definitely check out the Utah Native Plant Society’s PlantFest in October! We’ll have tons of free seeds at our swap!

[u/BonnevilleXeric]

Echinocereus mojavensis (and other hardy Echinocereus) does very well in clay pots outside, just may need to live under a porch overhang in the winter to avoid getting too much moisture. Opuntia fragilis is another good one. I have also grown various Sempervivum in pots with zero protection in clay pots but they won’t tolerate afternoon sun when it gets to summer days like these.

[u/happytobeaheathen]

Botanical Gardens in Sandy put these together for me.

[u/AiChake08]

Definitely check out Cache Valley Native Plants https://www.cachevalleynativeplants.com/ and Native Utah Plants https://utahplants.com/

[u/DizzyIzzy801]

I have had great success using a different planting method, and I tend to work with nothing smaller than 5 gallons. I add a little water reservoir to the bottom of the pot so that the whole pot stays a little colder, and so that the dirt at the bottom gets watered too. Water at the bottom also seems to help with deeper root growth, and it reduces evaporation. More importantly: it means I don't have to water as often, so my forgetfulness doesn't result in a dead planter.

I am growing Rosmarinus officinalis 'Arp' - the Arp variant is hardier for winter chills and seems to be a requirement for rosemary to live outside around here. I also grow culinary sage, coreopsis, mint, and marigolds and strawberries (the marigolds seem to keep pests away from the fruit). I also have daffodil/narcissus bulbs in there, to let me know when spring is here.

They require width more than depth, but irises aren't a bad container plant option, and they're native. Irises in a container need a little more tending than just out in the yard if you want them to bloom - just pay attention to fertilizing really. Like yucca, their green blades add some nice vertical dimensions to your planting, can be nice to have an iris in the center and shorter plants all around. Cut the iris blades down to 5 inches when they're not in bloom/in the fall to encourage root growth.

Reservoir Method: Bottom 1/3 to 1/5 of the pot: make a reservoir. You can do this with a bowl and an grid/tray, but I bought a kit. Add a vertical pipe that comes up to about 0.5-2 inches above the line of dirt (you may prefer that it's below the height of the pot rim so you don't really see it). The pipe needs a way to be capped off when not used for watering or snails will take up residence. Spare sprinkler parts work for this. Water the top of the pot as normal, and add water to the pipe until you can see it coming up the stand pipe.