Do Plants Still Grow Well In Outdoor Benches?

If you have a favorite spot to sit in the yard, then having fragrant flowers nearby will help create a tranquil atmosphere where you can relax. If space is at a premium, a planter bench could be the ideal solution, and you can either buy them or find simple plans (often free) to DIY your own.

There's also a whole bunch of Mediterranean herbs you can grow in containers, so why not put a planter bench outside the back door? That way the aromatic herbs are easy to reach for cooking, and the seat is handy when you want to take a break.

Both sound like great ideas, but some people wonder whether plants still grow well in outdoor benches. The answer is yes. However, as any experienced gardener will tell you, it's all about having the right plants in the right place and giving them the conditions they need to thrive. If you're making your own outdoor bench, there are decisions you'll want to make at the planning stage. Where you want to position the bench will also have an impact. So let's look at some dos and don'ts in detail.

There are lots of ways to make a DIY garden bench, and with a little ingenuity, you can add planters to the design. How they are incorporated is key in helping plants grow well. Perhaps the easiest approach is to use pre-made planters and conceal them within the bench structure. You could build a wooden box of some kind around them, for example. This is a good idea because wooden planters on their own, even if treated with preservative, will eventually begin to rot when in constant contact with soil or compost. The actual planter doesn't have to be the full depth of the bench; you could hide a shelf inside to support it.

You then need to discover which plants are suitable for your planter size. There are many flowers and herbs that will grow well in shallow soil, but if you want larger plants, particularly to attract pollinators, you'll need greater soil depth. It's also important to choose the right type. Butterfly bush and lantana both grow well in containers. Dwarf varieties might only grow a couple of feet, but others can be much taller.

It's not difficult to choose flower and plant combinations to create a dynamic container garden in your bench, but it's worth investigating which plants grow well together. For example, there's no point trying to mix plants that love arid conditions with others that need a lot of moisture.

All kinds of containers can be used in outdoor benches, but proper drainage is absolutely vital. Even plants that like plenty of moisture can die if their roots are constantly waterlogged so make sure the planter has holes in the bottom to let excess water out. Of course, under watering is equally bad. Cactuses and other succulents are often thought of as desert plants, but they still appreciate regular watering in the summer. As with any container gardening, plants in outdoor benches need a consistent care plan to do well.

Where the bench is positioned is also important. There are some stunning plants that will thrive in containers in full sun, such as verbenas and California golden poppies. But beauties like fuchsias and those with richly colored leaves like coleus need some shade. As you would expect, the majority of Mediterranean herbs like plenty of sunlight, but others, like cilantro, mint, and parsley, do not.

It's not difficult to have plants grow well in outdoor benches. In fact it has little to do with the bench, which is really just a framework for the plant containers. The key issues are choosing the right plants for the container size and providing them with what they need to thrive.