Perennials for Container Gardening

Gardening season is in full swing, and designing annual containers is one of our favorite creative gardening endeavors! There are so many beautiful annuals to play with that we could fill hundreds of pages- but what about perennials that are great for containers? Using perennials for container gardening expands gardeners’ choices ever further, with the added bonus that they can be planted out into the yard later in the season.

Perennials We Love in Containers

Nepeta – Also known as catmint, this perennial is perfectly happy in a sunny container. Fluffy lavender blue flowers top silvery green foliage throughout summer and make great filler in mixed containers. A haircut mid-season will inspire even more blooming. Great drought tolerance and a delightful fragrance, too!

Sedum – Sedum is a bulletproof choice for hot, sunny, underwatered containers. Both upright and ground cover sedums do well in containers and are exceedingly easy to care for. Sedums are available in many colors and unique shapes and are excellent for incorporating into succulent bowls and mixed containers.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ Sedum

Lilies – Asiatic Lilies put on one heck of a show and smell great to boot. Try one of the shorter varieties on your deck or patio for a stunning centerpiece and then plant them out into the garden when the blooms have faded.

Pulmonaria – This handsome, low-growing shade perennial has extremely charming spotted or variegated foliage that is topped with pink, purple, or blue flowers in spring. The interesting foliage alone makes it a great addition to shade containers throughout the season!

Pulmonaria ‘Raspberry Splash’

Coral Bells – The beautiful leaf shapes, airy bell-shaped flowers, and colorful foliage make coral bells perfect perennials for container gardening. These plants are right at home in shade containers and some varieties will do wonderfully in sunny spots as well.

Sweet Woodruff – This charming woodland plant, aka Gallium odoratum, is a delightful filler in shady containers. The lush, lance-shaped leaves form a beautiful carpet- think moss but fluffier- after the white flowers of spring have faded. Undemanding and very easy to grow!

Gallium odoratum