16 of the Best Low-Maintenance Outdoor Potted Plants to Transform Your Space

October Daphne (Hylotelephium sieboldii)

October Daphne is a super-hardy succulent ideal for filling in sunny spaces below other taller plants. It keeps weeds at bay and makes a pretty green carpet in a bigger pot.

This plant is closely related to sedum succulents, which contain more than 300 species with various leaf shapes. October Daphne need full sun or close to it (otherwise they'll get leggy), but they can withstand freezing temperatures, making them ideal for outdoor planting.

Rose (Rosa)

Roses make great container plants and they climb beautifully if trained. While you might think of roses as finicky and difficult to grow, newer cultivars and hybrid varieties sow that the plant's pickiness is much less a factor than it used to be.

Be sure to look for roses labeled "easy care." If you give these varieties plenty of sun and regular watering, you'll be surprised how little attention they need.

Clematis (Clematis viticella)

Clematis is a beautiful climbing option for a large pot, though it needs a trellis to cling to. This plant also offers a great way to get height in your outdoor space quickly without growing (or buying) a large tree.

There are many colors and varieties of clematis—they're easy to grow and produce plenty of flowers—but purple is a classic choice.

Don't confuse this plant with sweet autumn clematis (C. terniflora), a highly invasive noxious weed (it has small white flowers).

Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)

Once established, rosemary is so tough you'll barely need to think about it (except to trim it back when it grows out of its pot). It deals well with dry conditions and overwinters like a champ, even keeping its dark green color through the years.

Rosemary likes plenty of sun and gets leggy and sparse in shadier spots.

Hosta (hosta)

Hostas—with their pretty, giant leaves and hardy disposition—are ideal container plants. Keeping them in pots also prevents deer from eating them (deer love their hostas!).

These shade-loving plants do best in a covered patio or under a potted tree with wide boughs to protect them from the sun.

Winter Jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum)

Winter Jasmine is a tough little plant that doesn't look like much most of the year. Its pretty green leaves are small and glossy, and overall the plant is inoffensive and easy to overlook. But in late winter or early spring, depending on the climate, it blooms with the most decadent-smelling white flowers, which feel extra-special since not much else blooms when they do.

This plant is perfect for pots on the patio (put it next to the door and enjoy the scent as you come and go) and it overwinters well in zones 8a-11a. Don't prefer a strong-smelling flower? Consider a yellow-flower winter jasmine variety that doesn't have a scent.

Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

The Boston fern is another option for shadier outdoor spaces. While often hung under porch eaves, these plants grow nicely in planters.

In addition to minimal sun (some indirect light is great), Boston ferns need moisture, so keep their soil moist and give their leaves a regular mist. Other than that, this fern is an attractive, easy-to-care-for plant.

You'll have to bring Boston ferns inside in frigid climates, as they won't survive freezing or near-freezing temperatures.

These plants are native to Florida. When you plant them elsewhere, they tend to crowd other plants, so keep them in containers or pots.

String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)

Another option for the bottom of a planter or hanging basket, this type of succulent grows quickly and easily as long as it gets plenty of sun and is relatively protected and out of major winds, so the corner of a patio or deck is ideal.

The string of pearls is so unusual and such a nice compliment to broader-leafed plants that it deserves inclusion here.

Japanese Maple (Acer japonicum)

Yes, technically this is a tree, but it grows slowly enough that it's a popular container plant often seen on patios and decks in big pots.

The Japanese maple is an ideal larger plant for bigger pots and can hold its own as a statement plant. It can overwinter successfully outdoors in most climates, including those that freeze, but it will lose its leaves in winter, so keep that in mind if you use your patio in the winter months.

Be sure to opt for the Acer japonicum variety, as the Acer palmatum type of Japanese Maple is considered invasive in some Eastern U.S. states.

Azalea (Rhododendron)

Many azaleas are very cold-tolerant and make ideal low-maintenance container plants that can overwinter without much care in most places.

They bloom magnificently in the spring and come in a variety of colors, leaving behind pretty leaves for the rest of the season. Pick native azaleas for best results in your climate.

English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Lavender is hardy, grows slowly, and tolerates dry conditions once established. It does need full sun, but it overwinters well even in extremely cold conditions (be sure you get English lavender for the cold tolerance, as other lavender types don't deal with cold as well).

Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)

You'll often see hydrangeas in front of porches or along garden edges, but they take time to get big, so it makes sense to grow them up in a nice big pot before putting them in the ground. Alkaline soil causes pink flowers to develop while acidic soil creates blue flowers (soil pH is easier to control in a pot, another advantage), so keep that in mind.

Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides)

Coleus is another shade-loving plant with beautiful leaves, like hostas, and pairs well with them in containers.

It grows easily all summer and fall as long as it's well-watered. This one will die back in most places during colder weather except for the warmest climates.

Note that coleus is considered invasive in Hawaii.

Geraniums (Pelargonium)

Geraniums need full sun or they get leggy and don't bloom much, but other than that, they are easy to grow and both leaves and flowers are showy and attractive.

Drought-tolerant, geraniums bloom all summer and into fall. Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies also find their flowers very appealing.

Mock Orange (Philadelphus)

Mock orange blooms from spring to summer and can grow into a 12-foot by 12-foot bush, but can also be trimmed and kept in a large planter or used to make a screen in a container.

Its tiny blooms smell like orange blossoms, which is part of the plant's appeal, but it's also incredibly tough, tolerating dry conditions and over-pruning.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

Blueberry bushes are native to the U.S. and produce delicious fruit—but they also make a great foliage bush, turning reddish in the fall and sporting bell-shaped flowers in the spring. They will bring pollinators to your garden and do well in the ground, as a hedge, or in a container.