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Container Gardening Plants for Texas

I have tried my hand at gardening many times, with mixed results. We recently moved to Houston Texas and live in a townhouse with a deck aproximately 9'x12' . I would like to plant 2 or 3 large plants that would make this area feel more alive and possibly create some shade. The deck is an eastern exposure and gets the sun most of the afternoon. What could you recommend that would be easy maintenance and not prone to pest problems. I would also like to grow some indoor plants, low maintenance and not poisonous to my two siamese cats that love to chew on plants. Would geraniums grow indoors? I hope this is not an impossible request, and thank you for your help.
Catherine Burnside

No request is impossible, but if you move out of Texas, and get rid of your cats, I can give you a much longer list of plants.(Just kidding!!) The Texas sun is definately the limiting factor, but there are quite a few larger plants which can tolerate the full, hot sun.

Musa ensette... is a dwarf fruited banana, which will grow 6-8 feet tall with large 2-3 foot leaves. The flowers are nothing great, but its pretty cool when they produce fruit.(non edible)
Musa nana... produces edible bananas,,,basically the same characteristics, but it will grow considerably taller.
Palms....There are so many varieties, some needing semi shade, others full sun, check with a local nursery for the best one for you.
Franklinia...Naturally grows to 25 feet, but in a container, it will remain somewhat dwarfed. The fragrance of the blooms is awesome!!
Strelitzia...The Bird of Paradise,,You won't get any shade, but the flowers are great!
Citrus...How about growing your own lemonade?
Giant Donkey Tails...They're not big or showey, but they are my favorite hanging plant.(a succulent)If you can hang a couple of them over your deck, they will thrive in your conditions. You will love them too.
Cactus???...Nah, you live in Texas, probably see enough of them, but I like 'em.

These plants all do well in containers. As far as pests go,,if you buy from a good nursery,you should get nice clean, insect free plants. Just use care when you get any new plants,,,,most pests are brought into your home on another plant.

Geraniums will do OK as a houseplant if you can keep them reasonably cool.(under 70 in the winter)To keep them blooming their best, they should be restarted from cuttings every year or two.(easy!)

Do your kittys a favor and grow them their own catnip or catmint plant...Very easy to grow, if you can talk your cats into waiting for it to mature. If your cats like storebought catnip,,,wait till they try homegrown!

For a list of Toxic House Plants please go to http://thegardenhelper.com/toxichouse.htm

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