24 designer plant lists for beautiful container garden plantings & colorful mixed flower pots combinations. You will love these great patio design & backyard landscape ideas!
One of the most universally loved garden features is the container garden. Who does not love a planter overflowing with colorful flowers, happiness and exuberance?
I was gathering some beautiful container flower pot ideas, and just could not stop! I am going to share with you a plant list for each one of these gorgeous container plantings!
The best part is: we can recreate each of these stunning mixed flower pot designs. Get ready for some botanical Latin and let’s decode these magical container garden recipes!
* Some resources in article are affiliate links. Full disclosure here .
This is part 1of our container garden series, which focuses on plantings for sunny locations. Here is part 2: some amazing shade garden planters with plant lists!
1. Container garden planting design secrets.
There is a magic formula in almost all these beautiful container gardens and flower pot designs: Thriller + Filler + Spiller.
The ” thriller” is usually a big focal point plant in the center. The “fillers” are secondary plants that make the planting look full and vibrant. The “spillers” are plants that offer added dimension and interest by spilling over the containers.
Plant list 1: Canna ‘Australia’, Canna ‘Tropicanna Gold’, Infinity Orange New Guinea Impatiens, ‘Hot Shot’ Orange portulaca, Begonia boliviensis, ‘Orange Marmalade’ Crossandra, Sweet Caroline Bronze Sweet Potato Vine. ( Source The Graceful Gardener )
2. Colorful urn container garden ideas
Urns are beautiful planters in a patio garden design. Trailing plants are great for urn plantings.
Plant list 2: Dracaena or African Iris (center spike), Pink Geranium, Mixed color Trailing Petunias, green Sweet Potato Vine. (Source: Power Flowers)
3. Edible container garden ideas
Many edible plants have gorgeous and colorful foliage, plus delicious tastes!
Plant list 3: Red Swiss Chard, Helleborus ‘Sunmarble’, Heuchera, Fern (Source: Le Jardinet )
4. Beautiful vegetable garden mixed planter
Here are some great examples of how edibles can be mixed with ornamental plants in garden pots.
Plant list 4: Artichoke, Kale, Light pink Verbena, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, White Petunia. (Source: The Impatient Gardner )
You may also love: 15 Stunning hanging baskets with planting list for each!
5. A trailing plant perfect for tall planter pots
Talking about spilling over, Dichondra is an easy to grow plant that just spills, and spills, and spills…
Plant list 5: Mexican Feather grass, Orange Gazania, Dichondra repens, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ ( Source: Park Seed )
6. Mixed succulent container garden ideas
Plant list 6: Succulents- Kalanchoe ‘Fantastic’, Sedum ‘Little Missy’, Echeveria, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’. ( Source: The Graceful Gardener )
7. Mixed flower pot planting design in shades of yellow
A beautiful container garden does not have to have all the colors of a rainbow. Sometimes variations of one color, such as the yellows or burgundy colors below, can look drop-dead-gorgeous.
Plant list 7: Durango Dahlia, Great Balls of Fire White Ivy Leaf Geranium, Yellow Petunia, Bidens ferulifolia ‘Bidy Gonzales’ ( Source: HGTV )
8. Mixed flower pot plants ideas in showy burgundy colors
Plant list 8: Cordyline fruticosa ( Ti Plant ), Burgundy Petunia. ( Source: Costa Farms )
9. Tropical container garden plants
Bananas, Canna Lilies and Colocasias (Taro plants) are some of the easiest and most dramatic tropical plants to grow.
Plant list 9: Banana, Colues, Hibiscus, Asparagus Fern, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’, White Verbena, Purple Petunia ( Source: UBD Landscape )
10. Tropical container patio garden ideas
Some tropical plants grow well in water filled containers, which look great on a patio.
Plant list 10: Canna, Colocasia esculenta, Papyrus. ( Source: Blackgold )
You may also love: Easy DIY solar fountain with pond water plants!
11. Country garden planters and pots
A white Hydrangea bush in a pale blue pot is so simple and elegant.
Plant list 11: Hydrangea “Annabelle” ( Source: Pretty Pink Tulips )
12. White and green plant combinations
Plant list 12: Rosemary, Garlic Chives, Helichrysum petiolare ( Source: Decorah Silver )
Related post: 25 Gorgeous DIY Garden Paths
13. Mixed foliage planting designs
It is totally possible to create attractive planters without using flowers. This patio garden pot is planted with a beautiful mix of foliage plants!
Plant list 13: Colocasia, Croton, Coleus “Strawberry Drop”, Sweet Potato Vine ( Source: BHG )
14. Beautiful container garden ideas with easy care flowers
Plant list 14: Canna, Dahlia, Salvia, Ipomoea, Zinnia, Osteospermum, Verbena, Petunia, Calibrachoa. ( Source: Power Flowers )
15. Kitchen garden planter ideas
Rosemary makes a great evergreen plant just like classic boxwood in a garden design.
Plant list 15: Rosemary, Lobelia ( Source: Deborah Silver )
16. Water garden / mini pond in tub planter
This easy DIY solar fountain or patio pond with water garden plants is such a delight! And you can make it in one hour!
See DIY solar fountain tutorial here for plant list!
17. Colorful garden pot ideas
Glazed pots come in so many vibrant colors. Use them creatively to complement your container plantings!
Plant list 17: Hydrangea, Lobelia (Source: Hometalk )
18. Colorful flower pots on porch
Plant list 18: Mixed color Snapdragon, Salvia argentea, pink Petunia, Sedum ( Source: DecoFeelings )
19. Farmhouse patio garden ideas
Hydrangeas, roses, and boxwoods are all timeless farmhouse garden classics.
Plant list 19: Hydrangea, Rose, Boxwood ( Original image source lost. Please let me know if you find it! )
20. Cottage garden flowers in pots
Plant list 20: Pelargonium ( Geraniums) , Petunia, Lobelia. ( Source: Flicker )
21. Flower pots on garden columns
Use a bowl shaped planter on top of a garden wall or column as a design focal point.
Plant list 21: Red Mandevilla, Pink Calibrachoa, Sweet Potato Vine ( Source: Charlottesville Home )
22. Colorful pink and red flower planters
These hot colors really stand out, perfect for those who love colorful vibrant garden designs.
Plant list 22: Red Mandevilla, Orange Calibrachoa, Variegated Pelargonium ( Geraniums) , Pink Petunia. ( Source: Botanical Blitz )
23. Purple and yellow container garden plants
Use shades of lavender, chartreuse and yellow to create a soft and dreamy garden flower pot.
Plant list 23: Fountain Grass, ‘Phloxy Lady Purple Sky’ Phlox, ‘Electric Lime’ Coleus, Petunia, Lysimachia ‘Goldilocks’ ( Source: Fine Gardening )
24. Flower and succulent mixed planter pots
Succulents often have interesting colors and textures, which look beautiful mixed with flower plantings.
Plant list 24: Snake Plant, Yellow Snapdragon. ( Source: Costa Farms )
You may also love: 16 colorful planters for shade, with plant list for each!
and Beautiful DIY Raised Bed Gardens
Happy growing!!
Hi Ananda! Superb blog! Your beautiful ideas and container design are awesome. Thanks and keep blogging!
I grow my own sweet potato vines they are beatiful & you can eat them
Fabulous and stunning! How do you get the spillers to grow that much. I live in Canada, the warm weather lasts roughly from June to Aug and I have never been able to get my potato vines or creeping jenny to do so well….”never” meaning in the last 3 years since I decided to try gardening LOL. Should I start with a lot? I use potting mix
hi deb, i have been to towns on the canadian border and they had amazing container gardens! i would start with bigger plants from nursery, and water regularly with liquid fertilizer! =)
Do bear in mind that lilies can kill cats! The pollen and water that had lilies in it, al parts of the plants can kill cats!
Beautiful container combinations.
I am interested in mediterranean plant combinations similar to the one with rosemary and lobellia. Maybe, Salvia officinalis with Helichrysum petiolare or Pelargonium graveolens with Thymus vulgaris.
أعمال رائعة ونتمنى أن تكون هناك طريقة شرح مبسطة حتي يستفيد الجميع. مع خالص إعجابي
Thank you for sharing these lovely container ideas. Thay are both beautiful and inspirational. Some of my most beautiful creations are things that are left over, and put in unusual or extra containers. I do have to say, that since my discovery of “potato vines” I put them everywhere, and find they just make a window box or container. When I pull them out in the fall, I have potatos on them. Does anyone else ?? Are they edible?? Thanks again!!
sweet potato vines are related to the edible kinds, but i read they do not taste very good! skip them! =)
Yes you can eat sweet potato vine. They are very nutritious and rich in vitamin B. Boil them in hot water, drain and dress with sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and roasted sesame. Enjoy.
I love these colorful floral arrangements plus the recipes for creating them! I’m going to take the info along to several nurseries to fulfill the beautiful arrangements you have posted! Thank you soooooo much!
have a great time at the nurseries judy!! =)
I saw thei dea of planting vegetables among the flowers at the Arboretum at PSU last summer. I love it!
Happy New Year Ananda.
OMG! LOVE. LOVE, LOVE these containers.
I can’t decide which one to start with. But love the mix of herbs and flowers. I’ve not tried this before. Will plant some now.
Thank you for this treat. xx
I am pinning this for spring. Way too cold and snowy here now, but I always sturggle to make them look balanced.
Ahh, this is making me want spring and summer so bad!! Gorgeous!
beautifullll. I live in an apartment so I need to get creative with my gardening.