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Spectacular Annuals for Containers
Begonia, bird, Blossom, Butterflies, Calibrachoa, Canna, Featured Articles, Fern, Frost, Gardening on Patios, Geranium, Hanging basket, Holly, Hummingbird, Iris, Lantana, Lily, Mandevilla, Orange, Ottawa, Pet, Petunia, Porch, Potato, Saskatoon, Vines
Annuals for containers are great for novice gardeners or anyone who wants to add interest and colour to their porch or patio. The most eye-catching arrangements combine contrasting colours, textures and leaf sizes for optimal interest.
Here are my top 10 suggestions for plants to include in container arrangements or hanging baskets:
Mandevilla vine
Given a weekly drink of plant food, you’ll be rewarded with a strong flower show all summer long on wispy vines that trail down the pot or rise vertically on a trellis.
Credit: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Palms
This emerald beauty has leaves that spread upwards and out in a fan shape presenting a fern-like appearance. Often grown as house plants, these tropical superstars provide visual height and drama in outdoor containers.
Canna Lily
At 3’tall with tropical-like foliage and large flowers (red, orange, or yellow) that resemble irises, canna lilies are an ideal container centrepiece in a large pot.
Supertunia Bubblegum
A nonstop flowering, easy-growing pink petunia that never needs to be deadheaded. It’s gorgeous in a pot, delivering punches of color until fall frost.
“Supertunia Vista Bubblegum Petunia” by hollyjazzz362 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Begonia
Begonia explodes with prolific blooms that hummingbirds can’t resist. Colors hold best in afternoon shade, but some varieties tolerate full sun too. This is a ‘self-cleaning’ plant, meaning the flowers drop off as they fade so you never need to remove them.
Credit: Maciej Opaliński, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Lantana
A true showstopper with its unique vine-like sprawling appearance and opening flowers in rich tones of pink, orange, gold and purple that fade from hue to hue as the blossoms age. Flowers beckon butterflies and hummingbirds.
Credit: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Calibrachoa
Also known as million bells, this cutie resembles a mini-petunia, with varieties offering a rainbow of color combinations and patterns.
Geranium
A classic for containers and baskets, geraniums deliver strong color all season long. These plants love the heat but you’ll have to take a minute to remove any spent blossom heads to promote continuous blooming.
“Geranium bush on doorstep” by Leimenide is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Persian Shield
Uused for its shiny purple foliage (like Coleus), it makes a great contrast or backdrop for plants with bright-colored flowers (foliage color is best in part shade).
Credit Daryl_mitchell from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Sweet potato vine
This plant is loved for its unique chartreuse, purple or bronze foliage. It’s naturally trailing habit makes it the perfect ‘spill-over’ plant for hanging baskets.
Dave Whitinger, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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