These sun-loving blooms will thrive in containers from late spring through summer.
Adding a colorfulcontainer gardento an entry is an easy way to spruce up your front porch.
Before picking your plants, though, think about how much sun your stoop gets throughout the day.
Credit: Ralph Anderson
Does yourentrancereceive six hours or more on a daily basis?
Here are 12 sun-loving blooms that will thrive in containers from late spring through summer.
If your porch is sunny during the hottest part of the day, no problem.
Credit: Hector M Sanchez
While many hydrangeas like to be sheltered from afternoon sun, panicle hydrangeas are especially sun-loving.
Choose a dwarf variety like ‘Little Lime,’ which grows 3 or 4 feet tall.
Give hydrangea plants a large enough container for their roots to grow and water frequently to prevent wilting.
Credit: Verbena
Lantanas
Lantana is a long-lasting, dependable bedding flower or small shrub that craves the summer sun.
In the hottest climates, it can bloom year-round.
Give lantana well-drained soil and water when dry.
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn
Verbenas
Easy-to-grow verbena bears showy clusters of red, pink, purple, or white tubular flowers.
With moderate water, this pollinator-friendly plant will survive through drought and heat.
Geraniums
Potted geraniums add striking summer color to front porches.
Credit: Photo: Ralph Anderson
Choose a heat-tolerant selection in the Americana, Eclipse, Maverick, or Orbit series.
Avoid this by giving your geraniums some afternoon shade.
Grow them in containers orwindow boxes, and give moderate to regular water.
Credit: Photo: Ralph Anderson
Pentas
Tropical pentas have bright clustered flower heads and thrive in full sun.
Be sure to give these flowers plenty of water; they won’t survive a drought.
Pentas also attract beneficial pollinators like hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
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Plant them in fertile soil with good drainage.
Scaevolas
This Australian flower isn’t afraid of heat.
Grow fan-shaped scaevolas in window boxes, containers, or hanging baskets in full sun.
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn
Blooms range in shades from lavender to blue and pink to white.
With moderate to regular water, scaevolas will bloom throughout summer until the first frost.
Cleome grows on a single stem, so group several together for dramatic effect.
Credit: Alison Miksch
These blooms are known for the long stamens that protrude from the blooming flowers.
Use a dwarf variety of this typically tall annual to avoid lanky flowers that could fall over.
Pinch spent blooms to keep it blooming until fall, and give cosmos full sun and moderate water.
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez
Zinnias
Zinnias are a hallmark of summer gardens.
Their bright, cheery blooms are great additions to cut arrangements.
Typically planted in the ground, zinnias will also grow well in containers.
Give theseannuals full sunand regular water, and they will continue blooming until first frost.
These pink and yellow zinnias are paired with a sun-loving spiller flower, calibrachoa.
SunPatiens
SunPatiens are a cross between the New Guinea hybrids and a wild species of impatiens.
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller; Location: Alys Beach, Florida
But unlike their relatives, SunPatiens were bred to grow in full sun and hot temperatures.
Find these annuals in warm colors ranging from orange to coral to red.
Water regularly to keep them blooming from mid-spring until fall.
Usually grown as annuals, they are winter-hardy in USDA Zone 10.
Succulents
Succulents were bred to withstand dry, arid climates and little water.
Grow sedum, echeveria, or sempervivum in your front-porch container.
Plant in fast-draining potting soil, and give full sun and moderate water.
Coneflowers will take regular water, but they can also tolerate drought.
Goldfinches and other birds snack on their seeds in fall.
The foliage will die back after a frost, when you might transfer it to the garden.
you’re free to plant annuals around your evergreens to add seasonal color.
Most succulents require little care or watering when grown on a porch.
