Goof-Proof Container Garden Flower Combinations

One container can grow several different flower varieties, if the flower combinations have the same light and water needs. One container planted with a combination of tall, bushy and trailing flowers and vines will make a dramatic statement. The key to successfully growing different flowers in the same container is in the mix. These flower combinations mix perfectly for a goof-proof container garden in sun, shade or partially shaded areas.

Chose flower combinations for a container garden from the category that best suits the outdoor light in the location where the container will be placed.

Full Sun

Tall flowers that grow best in full sun are: Amaranth, cordyline, cracksman, dracaena, flax, libertia, ornamental millet and star clusters.

Sun loving bushy flowers are: Black-eyed Susan, catmint, dusty miller, geranium, marigold, petunia and daisy.

Trailing flowers will creep over the container and trail down producing blooms all the way: Biden, climbing snapdragon, creeping zinnias, parrot beak, portulaca, sweet potato vine and verbena.

Shade Lovers

These plants love the shade and will produce colorful, textured foliage and some flowers:

Tall shade lovers are: Astilbe, abutilon, bleeding heart, caladium, foxglove, fern, fuchsia and forest grass.

Bushy varieties of shade lovers: Begonia, coleus, gardenia, hosta, impatiens, lily of the valley, lungwort and oxalis.

Trailing plants that love shade are: Campanula, creeping fig, ivy, mint, periwinkle, piggy-back plant and star jasmine.

Partial Shade

These flowers enjoy a little bit of both sun and shade and will grow best in a location that receives morning sun, then shade from the hot afternoon sun.

Tall plants: Bamboo, heliotrope, hellebore, dracaena, dwarf spruce, elephant’s ear and taro.

Bushy plants for partial shade include: Amethyst, begonia, blue fescue, candytuft, coleus, cuphea, fuchsia, nasturtium, pansy, perilla, polka-dot plant and sedum.

Trailers for the partial shade container garden include: Campanula, creeping Charlie, creeping Jenny, lobelia, oregano, diacia, dichondra, sweet woodruff and wandering Jew.

Choose the lighting category of flowers, then depending on the size of the container, choose as many flowers from the category that the container can comfortably grow and sustain. A large 20 inch container can sustain one tall flower planted in the middle of the container, 2-4 bushy flowers planted at the base of the tall flower and 2-4 trailing plants tucked in around the container’s perimeter.

The flowers and plants in each lighting category have the same water needs for goof-proof container garden flower combinations. A daily watering in the morning hours is usually sufficient for the full sun and partial shade flowers, with a misting of cool water bi-weekly during times of sparse rainfall. Water the shade lovers every other day.