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    Home » Plants

    Favorite Annuals for Pots

    by Patti Estep · Apr 10, 2022

    Lime colored sweet potato vine in a pot.
    Blue lobelia annual growing in a pot.

    The best flowers for containers are often annuals. Enjoy this list of my favorite annuals that grow well in sun and some that can handle shade.

    Large container garden with annual flowers

    I love planting tons of flowers in containers in the spring. I typically head out to a couple of local nurseries and pick up several 4-inch pots of annuals to stuff my containers and hanging baskets. As time goes by I find myself selecting some of the same ones over and over again because I already know how they will grow and look. Every once in a while I'll try something new, but the standbys are still on my list and I thought I'd share a few of my favorite annual flowers with you.

    Best Annual Flowers in Containers

    Full Sun Annuals

    Salvia black and blue annual flower
    Salvia "Black and Blue"

    Salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue'

    Technically this is not an annual but since it is not hardy in the north and the nurseries charge the same amount as the annuals so I'm including it here. This particular flower is always the star or "thriller."

    You can see it in the middle of the planter at the top of this post. I always plant it first in the middle. Or, if I have a container that is placed next to the house I will sometimes plant it in the back. A great plant to attract bees, pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

    Purple wave petunia
    Lavender Wave Petunia

    Wave® Petunias

    I used to turn up my nose at petunias in the past. The old ones would get very leggy and needed constant dead-heading. Now they have so many fabulous ones, particularly "the wave" which grows like mad and doesn't need much of any maintenance.

    White verbena flowers planted with a white and pink variety.
    Trailing Verbena

    Verbena

    I almost always buy trailing verbena. Above is a planter with white and a white & pink combo.

    Pots of purple and dark red trailing verbena.

    Again in a pretty dark red and violet. Verbena comes in an upright habit too but I tend to like the trailing version. It's another pretty annual that comes in a wide range of colors.

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    Annuals for Shade

    Dark calibrachoa annual flower with a yellow center.
    dark almost black Calibrachoa

    Calibrachoa aka Million Bells

    Another spectacular filler and trailing plant that blooms all season is the calibrachoa or million bells. They are like mini petunias and come in so many different beautiful colors. From black to white and many colors in between. Some are solid and some are variegated. Million Bells loves the sun but can also grow well in areas of partial shade.

    Variegated calibrachoa in pink and white.
    Variegated Calibrachoa
    Fuchsia calibrachoa annual flower with a yellow center.

    I will often take 3 of one color and fill a basket like this one.

    Blue lobelia flowers in the edge of a container.
    Lobelia erinus

    Lobelia erinus aka Lobelia

    This pretty blue compact plant is always filled with flowers. It's a great filler but I often use it as a spiller over the edge of pots. You can find it in shades of blue, purple, rose, and white in the nursery. It grows well in sun but can also handle light shade.

    • Ipomoea Lime
    • Ipomoea Black Heart

    Ipomoea aka Sweet Potato Vine

    Another great annual for containers that trail really well and will grow in shade is the sweet potato vine.  In this case, it's the leaves that are the attraction. As you can see from the image above sweet potato vine comes in colors from chartreuse to almost black foliage.

    I often plant these on my front porch that gets some sun but also a good amount of shade. Don't be surprised if you find real sweet potatoes in the container at the end of the season. I'm not sure if they are edible but I suspect that they would not taste great.

    More Good Annuals for Planters

    • Sweet alyssum - good for sides and filler
    • Bacopa - will grow in part-shade
    • Impatiens - good for shady spots. Double impatiens look like small roses
    • Lantana - comes in warm shades of yellow and orange. Looks similar to verbena
    • Helichrysum White Licorice - a pretty silver trailing plant
    • Browallia 'Blue Bells' - a really pretty shade of blue
    • Geraniums - a good standby, come in upright and trailing varieties
    • Black-Eyed Susan Vine - Beautiful vining flowers in varieties of yellow, gold, peach, and pink.
    • Nasturtium - Colorful fragrant and edible. Add some of the flowers to your summer salad.
    • Fuchsia - Bright colors with tons of trailing flowers that grow well in shady areas.
    • Coleus - Another colorful foliage annual that grows well in shade.
    Annual flowers for containers including several varieties for sun and shade like this pot with Calibrachoa in a lavender color with yellow center and dark purple around the yellow.

    Planting flowers in containers is absolutely one of my favorite things to do in the spring. Often I start around Mother's Day even though there is still a warning of frost in my area. I do have to watch the weather, but if it gets cold at night I just cover the planters with a garbage bag or old sheet and that does the trick.

    Patti signature

    More Flower Garden Ideas

    • Planting Tips for Container Gardening
    • 5 Simple Tips To Create Beautiful Hanging Flower Containers
    • Plant Life Cycles: Annuals vs Perennials and More
    « Tinted Glass Jars for a Beautiful Centerpiece
    DIY Painted Rug with Craft Paints »

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debbie

      April 23, 2015 at 6:25 am

      Ooooh, your container are PRETTY! I've increased the amount annual flowers containers this year. I usually just stick with one flower type per container, but you've inspired me to mixed it up! Thanks Patti!

      Reply
      • Patti

        April 23, 2015 at 7:15 am

        Hi Debbie,

        I go back and forth with single vs multi but always have a couple of crazy groups because I just can't resist.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti.

        Reply
    2. Charlotte

      April 14, 2015 at 4:24 pm

      I love your choice of plants! I have used many of them myself. I find them reliable and lush - adding much beauty.

      Reply
      • Patti

        April 15, 2015 at 6:50 am

        You got it. Thanks Charlotte for stopping by.

        Reply
    3. Rosa

      April 14, 2015 at 1:54 pm

      Love hanging planters and would love to get all your tips and gardening ideas! Thanks in advance! Rosa

      Reply
      • Patti

        April 14, 2015 at 3:36 pm

        Thank you Rosa!

        Reply

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    Lime colored sweet potato vine in a pot.
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