Container-Suitable Native Plants

Container gardening can be a great way to get started with growing plants. If a balcony, deck, or doorstep is the only outdoors space you have, container gardening allows you to bring a spot of nature close to your home. Containers can also increase the number of plants you can grow, allowing you to bridge the gap between your home and garden.

Sunny day in southern California where a pool has five large pots lining it.
A California homeowner is replanting the large planters with native species to attract birds, butterflies, and bees.
A forested edge with several empty pots or dead plants that will be added.
In Ontario, a garden awaits new natives as the growing season approaches.
Empty back concrete steps on a home.
A back porch where pots will be added with native plants.

Native Plants by Region

Click your region/state/province to view container-suitable native plants. Save or print these documents for your future use.

United States

Canada

Tips and Tricks for Container-Suitable Native Plants

  • Containers may dry out more quickly than garden plots. Even drought-tolerant species may appreciate some extra water in dry years.
  • In northern latitudes, container-grown plants are more vulnerable to extremely low temperatures. In winter, consider extra insulation around and on top of containers using leaves, straw, or snow.
  • The risks of drought and freezing can be reduced in larger containers: these spaces contain more soil and moisture than small containers, providing more of a buffer to the outside air temperature.

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