For terrific spring and summercontainer gardens, you could’t go wrong with these plants.
They all get our green thumb rating and are happy in containers.
Some will continue flowering for months until the first frost.
Credit: Photo: Ralph Anderson, Window Box Design: Tracee Lund
Read on for inspiration on how to grow your own beautifulpotted flowers, vines, shrubs, and more.
The flower spikes don’t need staking, either, though this plant does require full sun.
We recommend this one for any gardener with a brown thumb and those with green thumbs, too.
Credit: Van Chaplin
Annual Vinca
‘Nirvana Cascade Pink Splash’ vinca is a tough,heat-loving annualloaded with blooms.
Its semi-trailing habit makes it a good choice for hanging baskets or as a filler in mixed containers.
Although it is typically grown as an annual,C.
roseusis hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11.
Caladium
Have a shady porch you want to dress up?
Pinch back leggy stems in the fall or allow coleus to sprout wands of tiny purple flowers thatattract hummingbirds.
Credit: Southern Living
This creeping Texas native isn’t bothered by extreme heat and can grow to 5 feet long.
Let it dangle where you’ve got the option to watch it stir in the breeze.
French Hydrangeas
French hydrangeas make a welcome Mother’s Day gift or host gift for Easter gatherings.
Credit: Ralph Anderson
In the South, hydrangeas prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, or filtered sunlight all day.
Manyzonal geraniumsdon’t thrive in extreme heatprovide light shade during the hottest part of the day.
As an added bonus, this pretty filler plant is winter hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9.
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Most do well in lightlyshaded gardens, though some develop better color with more sun.
Butterflies will flock to the multi-colored blooms that continue to appear well into fall.
Look for mounding or trailing varieties, as common lantana can grow into a tall shrub.
Mandevilla
Tropical mandevilla stands up to the heat and is loaded with blooms from summer until frost.
Vining varieties can grow to 20 feet, while mounding versions make a good choice for hanging baskets.
Plant it in a large pot beside a trellis, and watch it climb.
Million Bells
These trailing plants resemble miniature petunias, except no deadheading is required.
Keep them watered and they will bloom nonstop in the sun.
This throw in of impatiens can tolerate more sunlight (even full sun) in cooler climates.
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Plant in early spring or in fall and enjoy months of their cheerful, nodding faces.
Provide consistently moist but not soggy soil, and remove spent blooms and overly leggy stems.
Pentas
Sturdy, neatly mounding pentas is a drought-tolerant plant that won’t let you down.
Credit: Helen Norman
Provide plenty of sunshine and keep pruning to a minimum, as pentas blooms on new growth.
Scaevola’s sprawling stems look exceptional trailing from the edge of a container or hanging basket.
This great filler blooms from spring through fall in shades of blue, pink, or white.
Credit: Steve Bender
Although many are drought-tolerant, keep in mind that sedums may require more watering during the growing season.
Most species are quite cold hardy and can tolerate full or partial sun.
Look for contrasting foliage in lemon-lime, brilliant magenta, or nearly black.
Wave Petunia
What was that we said about deadheading petunias?
Fortunately, many of today’s petunia hybrids don’t need you to remove old blooms to keep flowering.
TryWave petunias, which have smaller blooms but are packed with flowers and spread fast.
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn
Fertilize every two weeks and pinch back stems that are too leggy for more flowers.
The waxy stems eventually top 18 inches, loaded with dainty crimson blooms.
This plant likesto growin moist soil during hot, humid summers.
Credit: Photo: Ralph Anderson
Zinnia
Looking for cheery blooms that will keep on chugging until a hard frost?
Look no further thanzinnias, which come in a rainbow of colors and types.
All these ask for is average soil, full sun, and occasional deadheading to encourage more flowers.
Credit: Steve Bender
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