Many gardeners’ favorite annuals for landscaping are also popular container plants because they bloom longer and more brightly than other put-in-the-shade varieties. By no means should you avoid them because everyone grows them, but we’re always in favor of finding new or unusual cultivars that suit your own unique style.
But you don’t have to limit yourself to traditional flowering annuals. Many colorful vines, grasses, herbs and rarely blooming succulents look just as exciting when placed in the sun.
1. Petunia (Petunia spp.)
One of the most popular Annual flowers on the planet, Petunia Blooms profusely and comes in a variety of attractive new colors from orange and pistachio to realistically black. Petunia can also be lushly doubled, striped with dark veins or sprinkled with galaxies of “stars”. For best blooms, pinch off wilted flowers, and cut them in half if the plant is on the verge of exhaustion and retirement.
2. Lantana (Lantana spp.)
Lantana Tolerates dry air, can adapt to indoor conditions, and can even flower there. However, it blooms best outdoors during the summer, with small multicolored and often warm colored flowers. Avoid pampering this plant with too much food and water, which can reduce its blooms. If you move it indoors in the fall, don’t panic when it sheds most of its foliage. It is simply adjusting to changing light levels.
3. Purslane (Portulaca grandiflora)
Although portulaca, aka moss rose, resembles a rose in its double flowers, and a cactus in the glossy structure of its petals, those flowers appear on annual plants that are as easy to grow as marigolds. It was actually a morning bloomer that closed its petals around noon and on cloudy days, but if the sun is shining the new hybrid can stay bright until noon. When the plant is leggy, cut it back for new flowers.
4. Geranium (Pelargonium spp.)
annually Geranium Prefers slightly dry air to humid air, a characteristic that has made it excellent as a houseplant. It usually flowers profusely outdoors during the summer, however, where it can outshine other continuous bloomers. Although it prefers full sun in northern states, it suffers from heat in tropical climates where it can do better with only morning sun. Keep it slightly root-bound for the most non-stop bloom.
5. Stage (Pentas lanceolate)
Not as well known as an annual, the pentas plant (aka star cluster) produces 4-inch heads of starry flowers in colors ranging from white to pink, red and lavender. Extremely Attractive to butterflies And hummingbirds, they can make your container a must-visit for those nectar-nosers. Do not let the container get wet, as this plant is susceptible to root rot.
6. French Marigold (Tagetes poetic)
An old favorite with its short stature and flaming yellow, orange or red blooms, the French Marigold Can illuminate the container from early summer until the first frost. When watering the plant, aim to drip your can under its leaves, as persistently wet foliage can cause fungal problems. You want too Deadhead withered flowers To keep your marigolds blooming.
7. Sweet Potato Wine (Sweet potatoes)
Not all container plants need flowers. You will find the sweet potato vine, grown for its beautiful foliage, in a variety of colors from purple black to red, bronze or variegated. Those variegated leaves usually produce their most intense color in full sun. (Although plants can make morning glory-like peacocks, modern cultivars rarely do.) The leaves can be heart-shaped or deeply divided, and sweet potato vines can do double duty by serving as houseplants during the winter.
8. Agave (panacea spp.)
Also popular for its attractive foliage, outdoors Agave plant It may flower in its “old age” (10 to 25 years or more), but that bloom will kill the original plant—which may leave behind few offsets to continue. Therefore, it is commonly grown for its rosette of silvery, succulent and often spiny foliage. It can also be taken indoors during winters. Be sure to keep Agave plant in Cactus potting soil In containers with drainage holes to prevent rotting.
9. Kapfia (Kapfia spp.)
Although individual Cuphia blooms can be quite small, in large numbers they create an impressive show that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds as well as envious neighbors. Cuphea comes in a variety of colors as well as interesting shapes like cigars, bats, mice, candy corns and firecrackers. When it is young and needs to be pinched back a bit to keep it compact at the feet.
10. Fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.)
Like the fountain for which it is named, fountain grass adds an attractive, cooling presence to the landscape. With narrow leaves and fluffy flower plumes, it can be used on its own or with other annuals. Cultivars with purple or burgundy foliage are especially eye-catching. most like ornamental grassThe shower type is vigorous enough to be pushy, so you’ll want to give it its own container so it can vent in peace.
11. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
Where do you live? Rosemary Not hardy, try growing it in a container that you can move indoors during the winter. That way you can give it as good drainage as you like and place it near the kitchen door, handy for culinary sniping. You can also trim it into a topiary if you like. Always put the rosemary in the quick water potting soil Which is on the alkaline side rather than peat-based soil, which is too acidic for this plant.
12. Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Despite the ability to produce blooms of 4 inches or more in tropical areas Hibiscus A simple plant that adapts to being crowded in a pot with surprising equanimity. It also tolerates being brought indoors during the winter, where necessary, and thrives near a sunny window. Hibiscus outgrows containers quickly, so you’ll want to upgrade its digs often to keep it happy.
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