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The Best Outdoor Plants for Containers
The Best Outdoor Plants for Containers. When it comes to planting outdoor containers, the sky is the limit. Pair bright bloomers with leafy green foliage, or include a few plants that will cascade over the side of your container or climb up a small trellis. Pick a single flower type or color, or mix it up with a variety of colors, sizes and...
When it comes to planting outdoor containers, the sky is the limit. Pair bright bloomers with leafy green foliage, or include a few plants that will cascade over the side of your container or climb up a small trellis. Pick a single flower type or color, or mix it up with a variety of colors, sizes and textures.
Annual Plants
Geranium is an easy-to-grow sun lover with big, bright blooms that make it a favorite container plant. Petunias are available in a variety of colors and sizes, including bushy plants or trailing varieties that will flow over the side of your container like a river of color. Nasturtiums are jewel-toned flowers that can trail, or can be trained to grow up a small trellis. Marigold will add bright sparks of orange, gold or yellow on upright stems, while the miniature blooms of colorful calibrachoa or white bacopa will provide cascading color.
Perennial Plants
Perennial plants do well in containers, but containerized perennials are sometimes treated as annuals, especially in cold climates. A miniature or dwarf rose is a good selection for a container. Pansies and violas will appear in late winter, while dwarf asters and rudbeckia will provide color in autumn. Verbena is a sweet-smelling summer bloomer. Sedum and salvia are good choices for warm climate containers.
Shade Plants
Many fern varieties will grow in moist, shady conditions, adding texture to your container with their lacy, green fronds. Hosta, which will suffer in hot sunlight, will thrive in your shady container. Begonias and impatiens are available in a variety of bright colors, and both will be happy with a couple of hours of morning sunlight. Fuschia is a favorite container plant, with good reason, as the attractive foliage and dangling flowers are at their best in cool weather and shade.
Foliage Plants
Coleus provides no blooms, but is valued for the vivid shades of its leaves. Dusty miller adds contrast with its pale, dusky green foliage. Ornamental grasses will add a dramatic touch to a container. Japanese blood grass, festuca or silky thread grass will top out at less than 2 feet. Tender fountain grass, which will reach heights of 2 to 3 feet at maturity, is a good choice for larger containers.
