best plants for patio deck

Hi there Greendumb, there are LOADS of options out there and it all depends on what effect you want? A green getaway? A terrace full to busting or just something to look at that doesnt take too much care?

Fatsia japonica is a good shrub for shade, dryness and is happy in a container - lush big leaves give a tropical effect. Clumping bamboos can do well if you want a bit of a screen, a shorter one is Sasa veitchii.(would run if not in a pot or trough!) For evergreens - all Euonymous grow well in pots and are shade tolerant, many have variegated leaves and can be small or large. Box and yew will do well and can be clipped to shape of you fancy some topiary! For flowers choose toughies like Persicaria affinis which flower all summer and come in red, pink or white, or choose fromm the thousands of Geraniums (hardy ones) in white, pink, blue or purple, Dicentra (bleeding hearts) are good, can be white, red or purple, and Vinca (periwinkle) is evergreen, flowers well and is v. tough. Get a framework of tough plants settled in and then you can experiment with adding others that are less tough, but may thrive in the shelter of the others, good luck!

I have a roof terrace as well mainly facing south. The thing to remember is that everything is going to dry out much quicker than you'd expect so get the biggest pots you can - and lightest. I use broken bits of polystyrene in mine instead of crocks. You don't say how much shelter you've got but a few tall shrubs as a windbreak will help. Most of the Pittosporums will do fine and tobira is scented as well. Bamboos are lovely but need a lot of watering. Roof terraces involve a lot more trial and error than other patio gardens but are immensely satisfying. I've found that most herbaceous perennials and bulbs will survive in pots as long as they don't grow too tall. It's the wind rather than the lack of sun that's the problem. Let us know how you get on.