24 Stunning Container Garden Planting Ideas

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! For more, here are 52 Best landscaping ideas & designs for front & backyard garden.

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!

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. Vegetable container garden ideas

Many edible plants have gorgeous and colorful foliage, plus delicious tastes! Lots of vegetables are good for container plantings, and looks beautiful mixed with annuals and perennials..

For example, smaller vegetables such as lettuce, radishes, spinach, peas and herbs can thrive in small shallow pots. Bigger plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and root veggies such as carrots, beets and potatoes do well in deeper large pots.

Plant list 3: Red Swiss Chard, Helleborus ‘Sunmarble’, Heuchera, Fern (Source: Le Jardinet )

Here are our favorite 16 easiest vegetables to grow, all of them are great for vegetable container gardens!

4. Beautiful vegetable garden mixed planter

Here are some great examples of how edibles can be mixed with ornamental plants in garden pots. Plants such as artichokes, swiss chards, onions and chives have dramatic foliage that look great in 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

Aged stone planters and terra cotta pots are great for succulents, cacti, and other drought tolerant plants. Make sure to have drainage hole and soil mixed with gravel and sand as these plants do not like excess moisture.

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. These jade green ceramic pots are perfect for lush green tropical plants!

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. It’s a good idea to use glazed clay pots or plastic pots for larger shrubs that likes moisture in soil, especially if you live in a hot and dry climate.

Plant list 11: Hydrangea “Annabelle” ( Source: Pretty Pink Tulips )

12. Container garden with herbs

Even green herbs can look beautiful in a container garden. Mix different plants with different shades of greens such as deep green rosemary, silver green sage, teal green thyme, and bright green basil and parsley!

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. Support taller vines with a trellis and add more dimensions to a mixed pot.

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 planting! See you soon!