by Nancy Heide
There are many shrubs to choose from that would grow in large patio pots. In general, avoid kinds with thick, fleshy roots. Whatever you choose, you must follow the same basic planting requirements, care, and feeding regimens for all.
A shrub with a mature height of 4 – 5 feet and spread of 3 – 4 feet will need a tub at least 2 ˝ feet wide and 1-˝ feet deep. Make sure the root ball is moist and the root system is in good condition before beginning. Be sure to have drainage holes at the bottom and begin filling the tub with a 1-˝ inch layer of drainage material like coarse sand or gravel. Mix potting soil with all-purpose fertilizer (about 4 tablespoons per bushel of soil) and fill the tub about half full, so that when the plant is placed on it, the base of the stem will be slightly below the rim of the tub. Fill the tub around the shrub with more potting soil/fertilizer mixture. Firm it down well, then add more soil to ˝ inch below the rim and water thoroughly. After letting the water soak in, water thoroughly once more.
Since your shrub will be confined to a tub and cannot seek water, you will need to water it well whenever the soil dries out. Fertilizer will need to be applied about a year after planting, whenever the leaves seem small and discolored or growth is not satisfactory. This could be a monthly chore if your choice is a heavy feeder. Some pruning, every four to six years, will be necessary to prevent your shrub from becoming pot-bound. In autumn or early spring, remove the shrub from its pot and trim about four inches of roots and soil from the root ball. Scrub the pot thoroughly and repot with new potting soil/fertilizer mix.
Deutzia grows in full sun or part shade. Remove the flowered stems in midsummer to prevent the shrub from being cluttered.
Forsythia grows in full sun or part shade. Encourage fresh new wood by cutting out poor-flowering old wood regularly after spring flowers fade.
Spirea does best in full sun and require that their flowering shoots be shortened every year. Cut away the section of the stem that has borne flowers. When the plant has become overgrown, renovate it by cutting back the old stems after the flowers have faded.
Weigela grows in full sun or part shade. If pruning becomes necessary, it should be done as soon as flowers fade, since blooms develop on short shoots from previous year’s growth.
Wisteria can be grown in full sun or part shade. To promote good flower clusters on this vine, cut back the fast-growing shoots in summer.
I've also seen tea roses and other non-hardy perennials growing in pots, to be moved to a cool spot indoors for winter. This allows gardeners in colder zones to grow tropicals and non-hardy species on patios and amongst other perennials.
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