Mixed Perennial Container Inspiration – Sun and Shade

May 7, 2021

Containers are the best way to bring life to patios and porches, showcase favorites, or grow plants that don’t particularly like your soil. Use pots to highlight just one plant or mix and match for a dynamic display. Annuals normally dominate mixed container plantings, but it’s time for a change! Did you know there are perennials that grow well in mixed containers – and look incredible doing it? It can be intimidating to pick perennials that grow well in containers and look good together. Don’t worry; we’ll help you with both! Here are our favorite combinations for sun and shade containers.

Sun Container

This container contains some of our favorite sun-loving perennials: Uptick™ Gold & Bronze tickseed, yellow creeping Jenny, and ‘Bandwidth’ maiden grass. Their combination is packed full of color and texture. Uptick™ Gold & Bronze Tickseed looks cheery from summer to frost with cheery yellow and copper daisy-like blooms. While tickseed brings color when it blooms, yellow creeping Jenny boasts colorful foliage from spring to fall. The low-growing chartreuse foliage looks its best when it spills out of containers. Finishing it off with a grass adds height, texture, and movement!

Shade Container

We’ve been eyeing this combination in the greenhouse for a while! These shade-loving perennials all grow well together, in or out of containers. The cool blue tones of Shadowland® ‘Waterslide’ Hosta are a great compliment to the orange hues of Dolce® ‘Toffee Tart’ Coral Bells. ‘Brilliance’ Autumn Fern adds contrast and visual interest with lacy foliage that emerges with coppery tones. In early and mid-summer, the coral bells and hostas will bloom and attract pollinators! Since it thrives in the shade, this container works well on covered patios.

Written by: Miranda Niemiec, click here to read bio.

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