Plants have a way of softening any room – both inside and out – to create a more relaxing, welcoming space. And while there are tons of plants to choose from when completing your patio this spring, don’t forget to consider your favorite houseplants in the mix too. The best part is, when the season is over, you can move them back inside to enjoy all year long.
Here, we introduce you to a couple of the many plants that can serve double-duty for both indoor and outdoor use, whether they’re standing beautifully on their own or adding height to your outdoor container designs. On the patio, one worships the sun, while the other works well for shade.
For Sun: Bird of Paradise
White bird of paradise is a handsome plant with tall, sturdy stems that end in broad, glossy, banner-like leaf blades. With its clean, upright form, it’s a contemporary choice for container designers looking for something a little different than the classic palm or hibiscus. Bird of paradise loves the sun, and its smooth, blue-green coloring plays well with other sun-loving tropical plants like croton. It also stands tall above bold, colorful annuals like sunpatiens, geraniums, bedding begonias, and coleus. In a part-sun area, it looks great with the saturated, glowing colors of New Guinea impatiens too. To complete the look, add a draping trailer to balance your bird’s height – Algerian ivy, calibrachoa, lysimachia, and bacopa are some popular choices.
Of course, with its simple lines and attractive foliage, bird of paradise is just as gorgeous standing alone in its own pot too.
For Shade: Sansevieria
As a houseplant, sansevierias are valued for their ability to handle low light, but they really thrive with the brighter light outside too. And just because sansevierias usually stand alone as a single specimen, doesn’t mean they can’t be a star player in a container arrangement as well. The bold, upright form of common varieties like Sansevieria zeylanica and S. laurentii makes a big statement in containers – even from a distance. Sansevierias also share the spotlight well with shade-loving annuals that prefer a little less moisture in their soil too. Great container partners could include New Guinea impatiens, begonias, and ivy.
And here’s the thing about a sansevieria. A new plant, fresh from the grower, is used to being outside where it’s bright and hot, so it can even thrive in direct sunlight too. Just remember, although sansevierias are famous for not needing a lot of water inside the house, the more light a plant gets, the more water it needs. So in lots of sun, sanseverias can get just as thirsty as any other tropical plant.
Tip: Leave It In the Grow-Pot
If you plan to bring your houseplant inside after patio season is done, but you’d first like to use it in an outdoor container design, go ahead and leave it in its original grow-pot. Then sink the grow-pot into the soil within the larger arrangement. This allows you to easily pull the plant out when it’s time to bring it back inside. In the case of a sansevieria, keeping the roots a little crowded also encourages healthier growth and a more attractive form.
When you set the potted plant into your arrangement, be sure the edge of the grow-pot is slightly above the surrounding soil level. This will keep excess soil from falling in around the stem and causing issues for your plant’s health. And when you water, check the soil around the potted houseplant too. If the soil in the grow-pot is still damp, you can skip watering that and just focus on the annuals around it.
If your bird or sansevieria will stand alone in an outdoor container, it’s still a good idea to leave it in its original grow-pot and simply set it into another decorative container. For one, repotting into a larger pot than the plant needs can lead to issues of root rot. It’ll also be easier to move when it’s time to bring it into the house. And last, maybe your patio space has a little different style than the interior of your home. Keeping the plant in its original grow-pot will give you more freedom to change how you display it.
Double-Duty Tropical Plants
If one beautiful plant can pull double-duty as a gorgeous patio tropical in the summer, then grace your home in the winter too, that’s a huge plus. Bird of paradise and sanseveria are just a couple of the many houseplants that work well for both uses. If you need help finding the perfect one, stop by the Greenhouse or give us a call. Or if you’d like, place an order at Mulhall’s To-Go for convenient drive-through pickup. Any way it happens, we’re excited to see great plants go home with great people each and every day.
