Container planting
Eight container recipes from our own benches
A great pot isn't luck, it's a formula: thriller, filler, spiller — one plant for height, a few to mound out the middle, and something to pour over the rim. Below are eight combinations we'd build ourselves, using plants we actually grow. Bring this list to the bench and we'll pull them for you.
The Shady Porch
Full shade to part shade- ThrillerDracaena spikevertical bronze structure
- FillerNonstop Begoniadinner-plate doubles, nonstop
- FillerPolka Dot Plantpink freckles at the base
- SpillerWire Vinefine trailing texture over the rim
The one we build most. Everything here is happy out of the sun, and it holds together from May to frost with nothing but water.
Hummingbird Alley
Full sun- ThrillerSalvia 'Black & Blue'the single best hummingbird plant we grow
- FillerCupheafirecracker blooms, loves heat
- FillerLantana 'Passion Fruit'butterflies queue for it
- SpillerVerbenatrailing bloom clusters
Put this on a deck rail and watch. Every plant in it is a nectar station, and the whole thing shrugs off August.
Butter & Bronze
Full sun- ThrillerPurple Fountain Grassarching burgundy plumes
- FillerMarigold 'Taishan Gold'dense gold, no deadheading
- FillerAngeloniaupright spikes, heat-proof
- SpillerSweet Potato Vine (bronze)pours over the edge
Reads gold-and-bronze all summer, then looks like it planned for fall the whole time. Add a mum in September and it's a new pot.
The Deer Detour
Full sun- ThrillerDusty Millersilver felt \u2014 wool in a deer's mouth
- FillerLantanapungent and skipped
- FillerZinnia (Zesty)sandpaper stems, papery blooms
- SpillerBidensgolden trailer they leave alone
For the yard with hoofprints. Nothing is deer-proof, but every plant here is on the seldom-bothered list \u2014 see our deer guide for the full rundown.
Kitchen Doorstep
Full sun- ThrillerRosemary 'Tuscan Blue'upright, aromatic, brings inside for winter
- FillerBasil 'Spicy Globe'tidy mound, endless pesto
- FillerParsley (flat leaf)and swallowtail caterpillars, if you're lucky
- SpillerCreeping Thymefragrant mat over the edge
Put it three steps from the kitchen and you'll actually use it. Chemical-free, so everything goes straight in the pan.
Cool Customer
Sun to part sun \u00b7 spring & fall- ThrillerSnapdragoncottage spikes in the cool months
- FillerOsteospermumAfrican daisies that love cool sun
- FillerNemesiafragrant little blooms
- SpillerBacopawhite curtain over the rim
The pot for April and October \u2014 all four of these do their best work when nights are chilly and everything else is sulking.
Fireworks
Full sun- ThrillerCannabold tropical leaves and hot blooms
- FillerCelosia 'Fresh Look Red'flame plumes
- FillerGomphrenaclover buttons that laugh at heat
- SpillerCalibrachoaa waterfall of mini-petunias
Maximum volume. This is the pot people stop and photograph, and it peaks exactly when Minnesota gets hot.
Moody Blues
Sun to part sun- ThrillerPersian Shieldmetallic purple foliage, lit from within
- FillerAngelonia (purple)upright spikes
- FillerFeliciatrue-blue daisies, genuinely rare
- SpillerLobeliacascading cobalt
Blues and purples read cool and expensive. Keep it out of the hottest afternoon spot and the lobelia will run all season.
Three rules that make any of these work
Match the light, not the look. Every plant in a pot has to want the same amount of sun — that's why these recipes are labeled by light first. A shade plant in a sun pot is a slow-motion failure.
Crowd it. Containers aren't beds; plant them tighter than feels right and they fill in fast. A pot planted "correctly spaced" looks sparse until August, by which point you've stopped enjoying it.
Feed them. Container plants live on what you give them — every week or two through summer, no exceptions. That, plus deep watering when the top inch is dry, is the whole job.