Choosing Plants for Containers

Almost any plant can grow in a container, but some plants grow better than others.

Annual flowers are a good choice for container growing. They bloom quickly and for months at a time. Annuals are smaller than most perennials and shrubs; they require smaller containers that are easily moved from place to place for the best effect. Annuals are seasonal, so cool-weather annuals planted in spring must be replaced with warm-weather annuals by early summer.

Perennial flowering plants and small shrubs are a good choice for containers where larger plants are needed. Perennials and shrubs commonly stay in the garden year-round; in containers, perennials and shrubs will be in place for two or more years.

Table of Contents

Best plant choices for containers

A good container plant should have the following characteristics:
Foliage is attractive.
Blooms that last a long time, at least several weeks.
Roots that do not mind being crowded.
A form that complements other plants in the container and the container itself. Consider a plant’s size at maturity, height, and breadth. Is it upright or trailing?
Moderate drought tolerance. It should be able to survive a missed watering.

Choose healthy plants

Healthy, robust plants are key to successful container gardening. When choosing plants for a container, look for the following:
Look for healthy roots. Tip the plant out of its pot and check to be sure it is not rootbound. Look for white and cream-colored roots; roots that are brown or dry indicate the plant is rootbound. Roots that form a tight mesh are pot bound and will take longer to establish in their new container.
Look for signs of insects or grubs. Check the undersides of leaves. Avoid plants that have speckled leaves or leaves with holes; these are signs of insect feeding. Avoid plants with yellowed or mottled leaves; these plants could be diseased.
Choose a small healthy-looking plant over a larger plant that is weak or leggy looking. Weak and leggy plants may have been growing in low light; these plants will be prone to fungal disease.

Solo plants or plant combinations

A single plant in a container can have a strong effect as long as it is full and healthy. A solo plant should be to scale for its location and for its container.
When combining plants in a container, follow this formula: plant at least three different plants, one tall and spiky, one low and trailing, and one medium-height as filler. Follow this formula as you add additional plants to the original three.
Follow a color scheme. Consider how plants will complement one another when they are in bloom. Look at a color wheel. Colors adjacent to one another are complementary; choose plants with blooms that are complementary. Colors directly opposite one another on the color wheel are also good choices; they contrast each other, helping the other to stand out.
Consider foliage color when choosing plants; there are different shades of green. Some leaves have shiny surfaces, some have hairy and mute surfaces. Consider leaf size, shape, and texture as well.
Combine plants with the same growing needs. Plant full-sun plants with other full-sun plants, shade plants with shade plants, drought-tolerant plants with others that are drought-tolerant, plants that want wetness with others that prefer moist soil.

Tall, spiky flowers for containers

Common Name	Botanical Name
Bells of Ireland	Moluccella laevis
Celosia	Celosia spp.
Canna	Canna hybrids
Delphinium	Delphinium elatum
Flax, New Zealand	Phormium spp.
Flowering tobacco	Nicotiana spp.
Salvia, annual blue	Salvia farinacea
Snapdragon	Antirrhinum majus
Spider flower	Cleome hassleriana

Medium height flowers for containers

Common Name	Botanical Name
Ageratum	Ageratum houstonianum
Begonia, various	Begonia spp.
Dusty miller	Senecio cineraria
Flowering cabbage, kale	Brassica oleracea
Geranium, upright types	Pelargonium spp.
Globe amaranth	Gomphrena globosa
Grasses	Various
Heliotrope	Heliotropium arborescens
Impatiens	Impatiens spp.
Marigold	Tagetes spp.
Pansy	Viola spp.
Tuberous begonia	Begonia x tuberhybrida
Vinca, annual	Catharanthus roseus
Wishbone, flower	Torenia fournieri
Zinnia	Zinnia spp.

Low, trailing flowers for containers

Common Name	Botanical Name
Dahlberg, daisy	Thymophylla tenuiloba
Edging lobelia	Lobelia erinus
Fan flower	Scaveola aemula
Fuchsia	Fuchsia spp.
Geranium, ivy type	Pelargonium spp.
Ivy	Various
Lantana	Lantana camara
Licorice plant	Helichrysum petiolare
Nasturtium	Trapaeolum majus
Petunia	Petunia spp.
Swan River daisy	Brachycome iberidifolia
Sweet alyssum	Lobularia maritima
Sweet pea	Lathyrus odoratus
Sweet potato vine	Ipomea batatas
Verbena, trailing forms	Verbena spp.

Drought-tolerant plants for containers

Common Name	Botanical Name
Agapanthus	Agapanthus spp.
Artemisia	Artemisia spp.
Cactus	Various
Dusty miller	Senecio cineraria
Geranium, annual	Pelargonium spp.
Flax, New Zealand	Phormium spp.
Hens and chicks	Sempervivum spp.
Kalanchoe	Kalanchoe
Lantana	Lantana spp.
Licorice plant	Helichrysum petiolare
Moss rose	Portulaca spp.
Salvia, annual blue	Salvia farinacea
Sedum, various	Sedum spp.
Thyme	Thymus spp.
Verbena	Verbena spp.
Yucca	Yucca filamentosa