These are the plants in our nursery that do well in a pot rather than in the ground. Container growing changes what a plant needs: the root zone heats up and dries out faster, and drainage matters more than soil richness. Succulents and agaves suit that treatment because they are already adapted to fast draining ground, which is why so much of this list is rosette forming.
Mature height and width are on every product page, and they are worth reading before you choose a pot. A plant listed at three to four feet wide will need a container it can hold for years, not one it fills in a season. Smaller rosettes and trailing forms work in shallow bowls and wall pots; the larger agaves and palms want depth. Nothing here is sold as a houseplant, though the shade tolerant entries will hold on a covered patio.
Dónde suelen ir las plantas de esta página y qué ver después.
A shaded entryway pot
Bromeliads, ferns and other shade tolerant plants from this page make a lower maintenance pot for a covered entry that gets little direct sun through the day.
Topping a succulent pot with a thin layer of decorative gravel keeps splashing soil off leaves during watering and helps the surface dry faster between waterings.
Cómo elegir, qué revisar antes de ordenar y cómo se entregan los pedidos de plantas.
A container asks more of a plant than the ground does: soil in a pot swings in temperature and moisture faster, so drainage and root health matter more than how rich the mix is. This page groups plants from the nursery that hold up well long term in a pot, mostly agave, aloe and other succulents along with palms, bromeliads and a few cycads for a covered patio. Mature height and width are listed on every product page and matter more here than in a garden bed, since an oversized plant means moving up a pot, not pruning it back.
Matching plant size to pot size
Check the mature height and width on the product page before choosing a container, since the nursery pot a plant ships in is sized for growing, not for its final home. Rosette forming succulents such as agave and aloe suit pots well because they already grow in a shallow, fast draining root zone, the same trait that makes many of them work as full sun plants in the ground. A wide spreading variety still needs a container with real depth and width once it matures, not the pot it arrived in. Trailing and smaller rosette forms are the better fit for shallow bowls and wall pots, while larger agave and palms need a deep planter from the start.
Drainage and soil for potted succulents
Use a container with a drainage hole; a pot without one traps water around the roots
A fast draining cactus or succulent mix outperforms a rich garden soil in a pot
Terra cotta and unglazed pots let extra moisture evaporate through the sides
Raise pots slightly off a patio or deck so water can clear the drainage hole
Not every plant on this page needs direct sun: several aloe, most bromeliads, and the tropical foliage and cycads here are shade tolerant and do fine on a shaded porch or patio with bright, filtered light rather than open exposure. That is different from being a houseplant, since nothing here is sold for indoor use; shade tolerant on this page still means an outdoor setting. Check the sun rating on the product page before moving a plant between full sun and a shaded patio, since a sudden change in light either direction can stress a succulent that has adjusted to one level.
Agave and aloe are among the best plants for pots and containers because they are already adapted to a shallow, fast draining root zone, which matches how a container behaves better than garden soil does. Smaller rosette forms and trailing succulents suit shallow bowls, while larger agave and palms need a deep container with real room to grow. A container needs a drainage hole and a fast draining succulent mix, since a container root zone dries out and heats up faster than the same plant in the ground.
Choose a pot based on the plant's mature height and width listed on the product page, not the size of the nursery container it arrives in, since most succulents will eventually outgrow a pot sized to match their current root ball. A plant rated at three to four feet wide needs a container with room to match over time, while a compact rosette or trailing form can stay in a smaller bowl indefinitely. Moving up one pot size every couple of years keeps roots healthier.
Yes, container succulents need a pot with at least one drainage hole, since standing water around the roots is the most common way a potted succulent fails. A saucer under the pot is fine as long as it is emptied after watering rather than left to hold water against the drainage hole. Unglazed terra cotta helps extra moisture evaporate through the pot walls as well as the bottom, which is part of why it is a common choice for agave, aloe and other succulents kept in containers.
Some of the succulents and other plants sold for pots here are shade tolerant, including several aloe, most bromeliads and the tropical foliage and cycads on this page, and they do fine on a covered patio with bright, filtered light. That is different from a dim interior room, since nothing on this page is sold as a houseplant. A full sun succulent moved suddenly into deep shade, or a shade tolerant plant moved suddenly into full sun, can both struggle, so check the sun rating first.
Repot agave or aloe once roots start circling the bottom of the pot or pushing against its sides, which for a fast growing variety in a small pot can happen within a year or two and for a slow growing or large specimen may take several years. Move up one pot size rather than several at once, since a pot much larger than the root ball holds excess moisture the plant does not need. Spring, once frost risk has passed, is the easiest time to repot without stressing the plant.
Use a fast draining cactus or succulent mix for agave, aloe and other succulents, since a standard potting soil holds too much moisture around the roots in a container. Palms and tropical foliage in pots do better with a soil blended for more moisture retention, since their roots do not tolerate drying out completely between waterings the way succulents do. Matching the soil to the plant type, rather than using one mix for every pot, is the biggest difference between a container succulent bed that thrives and one that rots.
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Envíe la lista de plantas, los tamaños y su código postal y confirmamos la entrega y el precio antes de que ordene.
Container succulents lose the soil mass that protects an in-ground plant's roots from a hard frost, so the same agave or aloe that handles a freeze fine in open ground can suffer root damage in a pot during the same cold night. Moving pots against a house wall, under a roof overhang, or into a garage for the coldest nights protects roots without needing to cover the whole plant. Frost tender varieties in pots need this protection more than the cold hardy agave and yucca on this page, which tolerate a pot through a milder frost without extra care. Bringing a pot in only for the worst nights of the year, rather than all winter, is usually enough.
Succulents for pots outdoors in windy spots
Succulents for pots outdoors face a stability problem that in-ground plants do not: a tall, top-heavy agave or a mature palm in a narrow pot can tip over in wind that would never move the same plant rooted in soil. A wider, heavier base, whether that means a bigger pot or one made of concrete or heavy ceramic rather than lightweight plastic, keeps a tall specimen upright through normal gusts. Grouping several pots together also breaks up wind more than one pot standing alone in an open, exposed spot such as a rooftop or an unshielded patio corner.
Best pots for agave and other large succulents
Unglazed terra cotta breathes well but can crack if it holds water and then freezes
Glazed ceramic holds moisture longer, which suits a slightly thirstier plant better than a bone-dry succulent
Plastic and resin pots are lighter to move but can grow brittle after years of UV exposure
A heavier pot, glazed or unglazed, is the safer choice under a large or top-heavy agave
Whatever the material, the best pots for agave and other large succulents share a wide, stable base and at least one drainage hole, since neither material choice replaces good drainage.
Entrega y Recogida
Plants for Pots and Containers con Entrega en California y el Suroeste
Pida plants for pots and containers para recogida en nuestros depósitos del Valle Central o Antelope Valley, o entrega a granel en toda California — además de Nevada, Arizona y Colorado. Díganos su código postal y proyecto y le cotizaremos un precio con entrega.
