By Olivia Johnson from Plantscraze

Container gardening is a fantastic method to brighten up your front porch, add color to shaded areas, or deal with poor soil in your yard. Many plants can be grown in containers.

Most of the time, plants cultivated in containers have fewer disease issues than plants grown in soil. Fewer pests to worry about: Plants on a balcony, veranda, or deck are less likely to be attacked by insects that migrate from one plant to the next in the garden.

Plants cultivated in pots provide homeowners with great flexibility, whether they’re houseplants indoors or vibrant annuals on an outside patio. If sunshine or temperature does not encourage plant growth, planting plants in containers allows a gardener to relocate them. So, planting in containers can be beneficial for house and garden plants.

According to most experts, don’t put a lot of plants in one container–no more than four. Make sure there’s a hole in the bottom of your pot, so they don’t drown, and find out which plants bode well in your specific conditions, such as full sun or shade, from the tag or by speaking with the nursery.

Consider these other vivid plants and newer cultivars that will provide long-lasting beauty in any container, including petunias and marigolds, which are traditional old standbys in pots.

Begonia

Begonias tend to come in a wide range of leaf forms, colors, and flower shapes, including white to vivid orange. “Many kinds flourish beautifully in containers,” says the horticulture information manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden, Glenn Kopp, in St. Louis. Plant them alone or with other plants in a hanging basket or a mixed container. If you care for them well enough, they can grow to be an excellent addition to your container plants’ collection.

Coral Bells

This perennial blossom with fluffy tiny flowers arches over mounded greenery in early summer. Its leaves range from peach to deepest burgundy in hue and come in various shades. These are one of my favorite plants to use in hundreds of planters. They perform best in pots in some areas, especially if you have a lot of hungry animals like voles in your yard.

Angelonia

Angelonia, also known as summer snapdragon, does not require deadheading (have spent blooms removed) to keep flowering all season. They come in pinks, mauves, dark purples, purple-blues, whites, and other hues. For an attractive planting combination, combine them with trailing herbs.

Euphorbia

This somewhat lesser-known plant appears frilly but is as hardy as nails in various circumstances, including heat and drought. Its delicate baby’s breath-like appearance and airy, fluffy blooms add a beguiling effect to mixed containers.

Coleus

Coleus has seen an increase in new hues in the last few years. It’s drought-tolerant and includes trailing, mound-forming, and upright cultivars in too many shades to count. A benefit is that their delicate blooms are a significant pollinator attractant for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Ornamental Pepper

These bushy shrubs are delightful in pots with their ever-changing hues, textures, and stunning fruit. The tiny fruits generally mature from black to red. Although ornamental peppers are considered edible, most are extremely hot, so keep them out of reach of children and dogs.

Nemesia

These cheerful flowers are available in a rainbow of brilliant colors on upright stems, including purple, pink, cranberry, bright yellow, pale yellow, orange, and white. The plant may blossom in colder regions in winter but is generally regarded as an annual. As part of a mixed container, it makes a beautiful vertical accent.

Pansies and Violas

A plethora of single and multi-color flowers adorn these blooms, which are popular in the spring and fall gardens. Some types endure well into the first frost, even rebounding in the spring. Plant them in one hue for a striking effect, or combine them with various other late-blooming plants for year-round appeal.

Hydrangea

Surprise! Flowering shrubs may also be grown in containers, especially dwarf varieties with heights of less than two or three feet. An increased number of new hydrangea cultivars have emerged in the last decade, ensuring that you’ll discover one you like.

Hydrangeas come in a wide array of colors and patterns, although most bloom white or whitish-pink before turning to various hues of pink, purple, lime green, or even combinations of shades. Dry blooms beautifully for use as an indoor floral arrangement throughout the winter.

Roses

Pots are a great way to grow shrubs in your yard, whether growing them for beauty or as an ornamental hedge. Many shrub types perform well in pots, according to Wise. Because newer cultivars are more disease resistant than old-fashioned roses, they don’t require as much care and maintenance. These plants are beautiful specimens that would look great in a decorative planter on your deck or patio.

Finally, container gardens can be kept weed-free with little effort, and if you utilize a high-quality planting mix, you should have comparable success to a raised bed. On the other hand, Container plants dry out much quicker, necessitating more frequent watering attention. So, start planting these plants in a container in your house right now.