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Looking for container garden ideas? We thought we’d take this opportunity to show you a few of our favorite container combos. Jessica’s are shady superstars, Niki’s include touchable textures, and Tara’s containers feature a combo of food and flowers. We’ve also included some links to even more inspiration for sun and shade.
But first, a couple of notes about choosing pots and filling them up with soil. Drainage holes are always a must. Most plants don’t like what is called “wet feet,” meaning wet roots. The combination of proper potting soil and sufficient drainage should allow your pots to dry out between watering. If you are trying to figure out which potting soil to use, check out these potting soil recipes.
Jessica’s container ideas
There is so much I love about this container planting! First, the container itself is pretty cool. I love the dark slate blue against the Pennsylvania fieldstone patio. The fleur-de-lis (French for “flower of the lily”) pattern on the pot complements the swirls of the ‘Escargot’ begonia foliage. It’s hard to believe there are only three plants in this container – a red dragon wing begonia, an ‘Escargot’ begonia, and a ZZ plant (also called a Zanzibar Gem – Zamioculcas zamiifolia). Some gardeners think it’s difficult to have a lot of texture and color in shade containers, but this is proof that growing gorgeous container plantings doesn’t require full sun.
I also love the bold, dark color palette in the planter below because it’s so different than what you normally see in summer containers. The color combination is wonderful! The contrast of the dark purple oxalis with the chartreuse coleus and trailing fuchsia really makes this container pop. This bold planter would be perfect on the front step or tucked into a shady corner in the garden. Another bonus? These plants can be be brought into the house in the fall and overwintered in a sunny window. The oxalis might go dormant and lose its foliage during the winter, but it will reappear in the spring, ready to go for another season.
Niki’s container ideas
This container was thrown together last May from leftover plants I hadn’t quite found a home for – hence the rather (ahem) simple fibre pot. That said, by mid-summer, those random bits grew together into a gorgeous combination that offered continuous colour, touchable texture and even soothing sound from the rustling of the Purple Fountain Grass. Beneath the grass, I tucked Supertunia Black Cherry, annual geraniums and mounding nasturtiums, which are hidden from view in this photo. The grass began to bloom by late July and continued into October, making this a three-season container. Gardeners know that it’s often the unexpected that proves to be the most beautiful and this container reminded me to never underestimate the power of ‘leftover plants’.
Tara’s container ideas
I really liked this colour combo that I put together for my urn a few years back – a mix of lime greens and pinks. It really popped from the street and thrived throughout the hot, dry summer.
The lime green hues were provided by the ‘Wasabi’ coleus tucked in the back on the right and the ‘Goldi’ creeping Jenny spilling over the front (by the end of the season, it was trailing over really nicely). The pink blooms included a gerbera daisy (you can only see the foliage on the left in this photo),pink dahlias and Lanai Twister Pink verbena, which was the most successful plant in this arrangement. The “cherry” on top is the height provided by a lemongrass plant. It thrived through the fall and was handy when I needed a sprig for a recipe.
If you’d like more ideas for great container garden designs, or advice on caring for container gardens, check out the book Container Gardening Complete by one of our Savvy Gardening contributors, Jessica Walliser.
I have ten whiskey barrels on my sunny deck. I would like to sow all the seeds to plant in them. I don’t want to purchase any. Do you have any suggestions to what seeds would create a spectacular container. Any help would be helpful. Perhaps you guys can have a challenge to design different types of containers from seeds!!
Hi Betty – Profusion Zinnias grow beautifully from seed and are the perfect height for containers. You could also include sweet alyssum, cosmos, bells of Ireland, love-in-a-mist, nasturtiums, and dwarf sunflower varieties such as ‘Double Dandy’ and ‘MicroSun’. All are easily grown from seed and perform very well in full-sun conditions. Let us know how they do!