The Best Container Plants for Your Garden
Our editors share their picks for the best container plants for colorful, long-lasting container gardens every year. Mix and match for pots that look great in both sun and shade. When you shop at the garden center each spring for the best container plants, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the rows and rows of options. Some of the blooming beauties you find there will last all summer, while others will fade quickly. And vice versa: Some plants may not be as showy in spring, but they’ll look better and better in fall. How do you know which ones are which? We’ll help you choose the best container plants for your garden every year!
1. New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens Hybrids)
It doesn’t get any easier than New Guinea Impatiens… plant them, water them, and enjoy the show until frost finally destroys them. Most New Guinea Impatiens are self-cleaning, meaning they drop their faded flowers without any deadheading from you. (Of course, if they’re in containers on your deck, you’ll need to rake up any fallen petals.)
Aside from shade, the most important thing to remember about New Guinea impatiens is to water them regularly—their succulent stems and leaves wilt when the soil dries out. While they’ll bounce back once they get more moisture, frequent overdrying will stress them out, resulting in fewer blooms and sparse foliage.
2. Geraniums (Pelargonium hybrids)
Geraniums love heat and don’t mind a little drying out, which makes them wonderful container plants. And they come in a wide range of flower colors. Look for geraniums with tulip, rosebud, or cactus flowers to give a twist to the traditional planting pattern. But don’t forget the leaves! Many geraniums have a “zone” marked in the center of each leaf.
3. Canna (Canna species and hybrids)
Cannas grow big and bold all summer long, and they’re economical choices for containers, as even a few rhizomes can make a big impact. If they’re hardy enough for you, you can leave them in pots year-round. If not, dig up the rhizomes after frost kills the leaves and store them in moist peat moss in the basement until spring, when you can replant them outside. The pretty flowers attract hummingbirds, but the large leaves are the real star. You can find varieties with green, burgundy, and multicolored leaves.
4. Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus and Cyperus incucrata)
There’s something about papyrus that wonderfully elevates a container. The planting should be a clump of leaves rising from ramrod-straight stems to give structure and dimension without stealing from the colorful elements. Suitable for height in a small container -- It stretches tall, but it's not a space hog and will be short in habit. You can even pot papyrus and move it indoors to save it for next year. It needs some light and may lose its leaves, but when spring comes, plant it outside and new shoots will sprout.
5. Fanflower (Scaevola aemula)
Like the Whirlwind® series above, this is a great annual to wrap around the edge of a mixed container, whether you prefer white, pink, or blue. The common name comes from the flower petals that are arranged like fans. The drought and heat-tolerance means this plant will survive if you occasionally forget to water it. There's no need to deadhead it. But to keep it neat, periodically pinch back a few stems a few inches to create a denser plant.
6. Rex Begonia (Begonia Rex)
Silver-leafed rex begonias, such as ‘Rum Painkiller,’ are a great choice for decorating a shady corner. While most cultivars have other colors mixed into their leaves, such as red, it’s the silver that makes them stand out. Keep these tender perennials out of direct sunlight, or the leaves will scorch. Moist, but not soggy, soil is best. And feed them with a half-strength, water-soluble organic fertilizer every two weeks.
7. Coleus (Plectranthus hybrids)
Colleus is very versatile! Its beautiful leaves make it interesting enough to grow as a single specimen or with a mass of annuals. It’s a fast-growing plant, so start with small plants. Is the plant getting too tall by the end of summer? Pinch it back. That’s it!
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