Thank you so much!

i will take a look at the Michelia Alba & Figo.

i have often read of plants that actually grow better in a pot or 'restricted' - i am trying to put a list together so i have each plant in the ideal situation.

"i have often read of plants that actually grow better in a pot or 'restricted'"

This is pretty much a gardening myth :-) These same plants growing in their natural environment (in the ground) will expand their roots as much as they need and are able to. Plants simply do not live up to their potential if restricted to a very limited container unless one is dedicated to the need for frequent repotting, root pruning and refreshing the container media. This is really what is known as 'bonsai' and is not a preferred situation but merely one that can be adapted to.

That is good to know, Thank you!

i imagined it was a to do with drainage or possibly a plant might flower more if it wasn't busy growing.

The locals here believe carnations should only be in pots - but i guess nature know best.

Many cacti and succulents grow well in pots, as do herbs.

If you have large containers you can grow dwarf citrus and other small trees.

What kind of horizontal room to you have? That is, can you accommodate
spreading plants like potted citrus, or potted bay tree or myrtle, or do you need to stay with plants that are themselves compact? Are you working with an apartment windowsill, a balcony, or a full terrace? Or will these be indoors? That will be important in decision making.

Many succulents will flourish for years in pots, as they store moisture in their fleshy leaves and stems. Most prefer a gritty fast-draining soil, and a terracotta pot that "breathes". Many are not freeze-tolerant but many can survive a very light frost. A surprising number of succulents prefer bright shade and will burn in full summer sun, even cacti.

Culinary herbs grow in very similar conditions: well-drained soil, breathable pot. Most prefer a half-day or more of sun, and most do fine through mild winters and light frosts, or go dormant then come back after a hard freeze. In truth, most are Mediterranean natives and may be growing wild outside your door. Exception among herbs is basil, native to tropical India, which likes a rich moist soil, and cannot endure frost, and mints, which tend to like rich moist soil and can endure light frosts and will come back from its roots after a hard freeze.

Look at the Latin binomial name of any plant you are interested in and do a web search on its origins, the climate of that place, and tips on growing it. Search with both Latin words within quotation marks to make sure you are reading about the right species within a genus. If you don't know what that means, don't worry; just make sure you put both words within a single set of quotation marks for your search. For example "Mentha spicata" (spearmint) or "Mentha x piperita" (peppermint).

Good luck finding what is right for you. Potted plants go a long way toward making a house into a home.

Thank you

I have some terracotta pots waiting, so i am planning to fill them.

The pots will be outside in the sun all day long, so i can only think of planting bougainvilleas

There are herbs, jasmines, plumbago, pomegranate, oleanders & grape vines in the ground.

"i have often read of plants that actually grow better in a pot or 'restricted' - i am trying to put a list together so i have each plant in the ideal situation."

It depends on what you mean by "better". Root restricting can put stress on them and a lot of plants have evolved to flower more when under stress. Since in nature, stress usually means they will die soon, they've evolved to reproduce more at that point. (I believe this is the reason some people have had success with the "nail in the trunk" thing for some fruiting trees.)

Michelia Alba is one of the most difficult plants to grow in Hot, Dry, climate. Worse to impossible to grow it in terracotta pots sitting in the sun all day.

Unless you are a professional with unlimited buget, don't try it.

Thanks

i will take it off the list ;-)

"Michelia Alba is one of the most difficult plants to grow in Hot, Dry, climate. Worse to impossible to grow it in terracotta pots sitting in the sun all day.

Unless you are a professional with unlimited buget, don't try it."

I haven't had to do anything special with mine. I'm also pretty far from a professional :) I'd say it's less picky than some plants that I've seen others grow on these forums (like Plumeria for example).

I have to keep the Alba out of too much sun in the summer, but that's true for a lot of other plants. It's also possible I got lucky and did something that the plant liked, and they are genuinely tough to grow around climates like this.

i will certainly give it some thought.

Hi iandyaz shoot me a msg when you're on pls. I have a question about your Manzano banana! I couldn't send a direct msg

You can ask me here. I'm not sure there are direct message on houzz. I could be wrong.

I thought I had seen it at once point, maybe I'm just seeing things LOL

anyway I just saw the one photo of the fruit and bud. Is it planted in the ground? also how tall did yours get? oh you're in AZ glad to see you can still get bananas!

Matt

Yeah, I have 4 banana plants and they're all in the ground. I give them a lot of water and they're pretty high maintenance to keep them looking nice so I only recommend them to people who really like to garden :)

My Blue Java (Ice Cream banana) stalks get pretty tall, I believe around 18 feet. The Manzano bananas don't get as tall, maybe about 10-12 feet. One of my blue java plants are fruiting right now: