Plants for Narrow Planter Spaces | Garden Tips

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These plants solve the problem of those small narrow planter spaces! It’s often hard to find the right planbts to go in long rectangular pots or planter areas. Not only are the dimensions restrictive, but often times the root system also have limited space to get nutrients and water. Because of this, there are limited plants that are suitable for these kinds of planter beds. You also have to consider what the mature growth on the plants will be. You dont want plants that will outgrow the space and interfere with walkways, patios, driveways and other elements.

Maintenance also comes into play for small planters. You want to select plants that need minimal care to not create a maintenance problem for yourself.

These plants I have selected are fantastic for small areas where upright and slender growth is desirable.

More info on each of the selected plants:

Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
https://www.budgetplants.com/shrubs/accent/snake-plant-sansaveria-trifasciata-laurentii-

It’s a hardy plant and can thrive in a variety of conditions, including low light and neglect.

Known for its air-purifying qualities.

Native to tropical West Africa, Madagascar, and southern Asia.

Low Maintenance, great for beginners.

Propagation: Easily propagated by leaf cuttings or division of rhizomes.

Considered non-toxic to cats and dogs, but ingestion can still cause mild gastrointestinal upset.

Furcraea macdougallii (MacDougall’s Century Plant)
https://www.budgetplants.com/macdougall-s-century-plant

Furcraea macdougallii is native to mountainous regions in Mexico, where it grows in rocky areas and dry forests.

It produces tall flower spikes that can reach heights of over 10′.

Can take periods of drought.

It requires well-draining soil and full sun to thrive.

This plant can be propagated from offsets produced at the base of the rosette or from seeds.

Monocarpic, meaning it flowers once and then dies. However, it typically takes several years for the plant to reach maturity and bloom.

Ornamental. Leaf fibers can be used to make rope and other textiles.

Pedilanthus (specifically the macrocarpus species)

Upright slender stems with a segmented look to 3-4′.

The plant produces small, red-orange flowers that are clustered at the tips of the stems.

Tolerates extreme heat.

Grows in rocky or gravelly soils in desert regions, including arid areas of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico.

Prefers well-draining soil and full sun to partial shade.

Can be propagated from stem cuttings taken in spring or summer. The cuttings should be allowed to callus before being planted in well-draining soil.

Very low maintenance.

Contains a milky sap that can be irritating to the skin and toxic if ingested. Care should be taken when handling the plant.

Attracts pollinators!

Equisetum (Horsetail)
https://www.budgetplants.com/shrubs/accent/horsetail-equisetum-hyemale

Native to Wetlands of Europe and Asia, and US.

Upright spreading aggressivley by rhizomes.

Has some medicinal uses.

Great for low hedges, containers, small planters.

Can be propigated by dividing of rhizomes.

While not considered highly toxic, horsetail contains chemicals called thiaminase enzymes, which can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb thiamine (vitamin B1). Ingestion of large quantities may lead to thiamine deficiency. As such, it’s not typically used in culinary applications.

Podocarpus gracilior (Fern Pine)
https://www.budgetplants.com/trees/screening/fern-pine-podocarpus-gracilior

Evergreen with dense upright medium to light green foliage.

Adaptable to various soil types and can tolerate both full sun and partial shade.

Drought tolerant once established.

The tree provides cover and nesting sites for birds and other wildlife, contributing to local biodiversity.

Calliandra haematocephala (Pink Powder Puff)
https://www.budgetplants.com/vines/pink-powder-puff-calliandra-haematocephala

Most noted for it’s clusters of red puffy spherical flowers.

Attracts pollinators!

Can be espalliered to a wall or trellis.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Start
00:19 Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
01:50 Furcraea macdougallii
03:03 Pedilanthus (Slipper Plant)
04:14 Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail)
05:35 Podocarpus gracilior (Fern Pine)
07:04 Calliandra haematocephala (Pink Powder Puff)

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MUSIC CREDITS

Intro Music
Dominic Masiello

Hiphopping
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Switchback
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Falls
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Olive Sampler
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Doesn’t Matter
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Goated
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today we are chatting about plants that fit beautifully in those narrow Planters let’s [Music] go all right the first one we are looking at is sanaria commonly known as snake plant it’s got a beautiful form with long slender leaves the leaf almost looks sword likee it’s upright and rigid with a pointed end now that pointed end does not have a sharp terminal spine so you don’t have to worry about it like some other plants like agave and things like that this plant can actually reach up to about 4T but is generally seen a little bit shorter about 2 to 3 ft somewhere in there and it does easily fit in those very narrow Planters it stays upright and slender this is actually an incredibly popular plant to grow indoors but it can also be grown outdoors in USDA zones 9- 11 this plant is incredibly adaptable to different light conditions it can go in full sun in more mild and Sea Coast climates but it can also do nearly full shade it does like to be protected from hot afternoon sun in those warmer climates now there are several different cultivars of the snake plant and most have some kind of variegation to the leaves the most commonly found one is sanavia trifasciata vagata and that generally has a dark green leaf with a variegated margin although the watering needs are considered medium it is actually fairly drought tolerant once it’s established just make sure to give it a well drained soil especially if you’re putting it in a pot and as far as maintenance goes it is a very very low maintenance plant all right awesome plant number two that is for Kaya MC Douglie it’s actually a succulent and it’s very drought tolerant once established it could go right along with other succulents and cacti and just creates a beautiful upright dramatic accent these can get fairly tall up to about 15 to 20 ft tall in its natural habitat now I’ve never seen them that tall but just note that they can get that tall so give them the vertical space that they need they can still be kept very slender and narrow for those tight planter areas make sure to plant it in full sun and give it well- drained soil now in terms of Maintenance you just want to pull the leaves off the base as it matures and that trunk will become exposed and that does give you the ability to plant smaller perennials or succulents below it as an understory plant now this plant will Bloom but it’s going to take a long time to do it it’s not going to bloom generally until the trunk reaches about 7 to 10 ft so that’ll be quite a while but this plant is really used for its dramatic upright foliage next Plant we are looking at is pedilanthus commonly named slipper [Music] plant this is another gorgeous showstopping succulent it’s going to get about 5 ft tall and if left alone it can get about 5 ft wide because the branches sort of arch over and create sort of a vase like shape but you can trim those up so stays nice and neat and slender the stems are beautiful tall and cylindrical and they don’t get really dense it’s more of an open Airy kind of feeling and one of the things I love most about this plant is the gorgeous red orange bloom it produces it’s a very unique and intricate flowering structure it’s incredibly drought tolerant once it’s established and it’s very heat tolerant also which is fantastic for those Inland climates plant other cacti succulents with it to create a beautiful contrast and again very low maintenance on this one one of its best features all you have to do is trim off some of those branches that start to flop over and look leggy to maintain that nice slender [Music] look the very next Plant we are looking at is equisetum commonly known as horsetail I have done a video of this before I’m going to put the link right above here you can check that out for a little bit more information this plant does incredible in narrow spaces it’s got beautiful tall slender herbaceous stems with beautiful contrasting black rings creating a sectional look now these plants can get up to about 4 to 5 ft tall or a little bit more but they’re generally trimmed on top to create a very clean look and because of that super crisp clean look that they create they go really well in modern landscapes I’ve seen them complement colorful walls really well I’ve seen them used on many occasions in front of Office Buildings or corporate settings and even outside dining areas it’s incredibly versatile it can thrive in full sun or full shade and it’s also used as a bog plant it can grow in standing water and it can go in those very narrow planter spaces just note this plant can become pretty invasive it can spread by spores and underground ryom so you have to be very conscious of where this plant is going to be planted because it will naturalize an area now if you are looking for a taller screening plant you can use poto carpus gilar commonly known as Fern Pine this can grow up into a full-size tree but if kept pruned it can actually create a really nice screening element in a narrow planter the foliage is a beautiful medium to light Limey green and can get dense enough to hide a background or a wall in terms of Maintenance you do have to sheare it every so often to maintain that nice form but generally it’s still considered a moderate to low-maintenance plant plant putal carpus in full sun toart shade and it is relatively drought tolerant once it’s established now because this is taller growing you definitely want to give it that vertical space don’t plant it under house Eaves or the canopy of another tree where it could become problematic it makes a fantastic privacy screen or a Windbreak I’m telling you this is a wonderful solution for a Property Line Screening situation where you only have a narrow planter space the root system it’s fairly non-invasive it’s nowhere near as bad as let’s say a ficus for instance but you still want to be conscious of how close you’re planting it to an adjacent Hardscape surface podocarpus is so much less problematic than Ficus and many other plants now as an honorable mention I do want to throw out a Vine for you guys I really like colandra if you have a situation where you have a very narrow planter bed and a wall adjacent to it you can install a steel cable on the wall to help attach the vine so it can grow vertically and it’ll just visually soften that wall and create a beautiful green element rather than just having a blank concrete or stuck wall so that is it thank you guys for joining me on yet another video please like subscribe and just Crush that Bell notification so you know when the next video comes out thanks for hanging with me today I’ll see you guys on the next one and as always happy planting [Music]