With these 30 Plant Combination Ideas for Container Gardens, you’ll have the best plant arrangements for spring, summer, fall, and winter!
1. Silver & Purple Container Garden
Perfect container garden arrangement for full or part sun. These plants can tolerate warm weather easily. In this arrangement, dusty miller is used as a thriller, petunia as filler and dichondra as spiller!
Ingredients: Dusty Miller, Purple Petunia, and Silver Falls Dichondra
2. Lush Cottage Charm
A great container arrangement for the spring and summer (year-round in warm climates). Keep the containers in full sun to part shade. In this arrangement, the queen mum agapanthus is used as a thriller, white lantana as filler, and rosemary as spiller!
Ingredients: Queen Mum Agapanthus, Weeping White Lantana, and Trailing Rosemary
3. Symmetrical Show
What a beautiful container planting recipe for shady space. You can keep these plants indoors or outdoors, in a spot that doesn’t receive direct intense sunlight all day long. In it, bird’s nest fern is used as a thriller, begonia as filler, and ivy as the spiller.
Ingredients: Japanese Bird Nest Fern, Begonia, and Ivy
4. Spring Porch Makeover
Awash with the warm, pastel shades of summer, this container garden is sure to make your guests feel special the moment they set foot in your home. After all, you can never go wrong with a combination of daffodils and hyacinths.
Ingredients: 30-35 picked daffodils, 30-40 clipped forsythia branches, 3 pots of hyacinths
5. Backyard Urn Planter
Sometimes the most successful plant combinations are the simplest of all. This one here features just two contrasting colors-pink and deep purple to jazz up old backyard urns in dire need of an update.
Ingredients: 3 Hybrid Petunia, 1 Purple Fountain Grass
6. Pretty Winter Container
You don’t have to water these! And you can place them anywhere in the landscape because light requirements do not matter. This one uses cuttings of dogwood, some holly and berries to exude a Christmasy feel.
Ingredients: False Cypress tree, Arborvitae, Red Dogwood, Winterberry Holly, Gold Winterberry
7. Tropical Majesty
Colocasia, with its boldly-variegated foliage, is a pretty showstopper in any container, either alone or mixed in with others. Here, it’s paired with moisture-loving Papyrus and soft trailing canna for an extra color boost. This arrangement is a must for creating tropical vibes.
Ingredients: Papyrus, Canna, Colocasia esculenta
8. Antique Bowl Turned Succulent Planter
Forgo flower power and harness the majesty of succulents and miniature palms with this surreal container garden that plays up cool textures to perfection. Add some decorative pebbles to the combination for the ultimate appeal.
Ingredients: Echeveria Contempo, Three Cacti, Portulaca mix, Sedum, Sempervivum, Echeveria ‘Gray Red,’ Echeveria ‘Violet Green,’ Agava striata
9. Colorful Foliage Planter
Some plants have leaves that are even more attractive than their flowers, just like Coleus. As a drought-tolerant, shade-loving houseplant, it’s a fantastic choice for plant combination ideas for container gardens. Mix different varieties and colors of coleus with German Ivy to match the colors of the new growth as temperatures dip.
Ingredients: Coleus Sedona, Coleus Kingswood Torch, Coleus Freckles, Dracena, German Ivy, Lotus Vine, Vinca Vine, Ipomoea Lime, Ipomoea Sweet Caroline, Ipomoea Emerald Lace.
10. Winter Window Baskets
Here is a great way to make your window baskets look pretty and festive during the holiday season, using stuff out of your own yard. Super easy to maintain and pretty to boot, this container gets bonus points for being extra roomy.
Ingredients: Red-Osier Dogwood, Winterberry Holly, Gold Winterberry, Arborvitae, False Cypress
11. Pink & Peach Flower Box
Apt for North or East-facing windows, this flower box has soft colors like pink and peach that can improve the resale value of your home! They are easy to maintain and last till autumn, as long as you give them a good dose of fertilizer and watch out for signs of powdery mildew now and then.
Ingredients: Peach-Colored Impatiens, Dragon Begonia, Coleus
12. Flower Pot for Shade
Pastel shades of pink, violet, and peach come together in this elegant container garden meant for dappled shade. The flowering plants will look great all the season, and don’t require much maintenance!
Ingredients: Upright Fuschia (White, Pink, or Red), Impatiens, Vinca minor, and Lobelia
13. Orange Surprise
This container combination is perfect if you want to plant something bold and warm following Thriller-Spiller-Filler technique. You can keep this pot in full sun or part sun.
Ingredients: Gazania, Dichondra, Mexican Feather Grass
14. Edible Beauty
If a simple container herb garden is too dull for your liking, take inspiration from this DIY. Mix up the green tones of herbs with striking colors of annuals such as pansies or petunias. Place the arrangement in a sunny spot to get these culinary herbs growing rapidly. Check out more Herb Garden Combinations.
Ingredients: Rosemary, Parsley, Pansies
15. La Tomatina
Taking the concept of edible container gardens to a whole new level with this recipe that combines tomatoes, herbs, and colorful flowers to create a beautiful interplay of colors that are sure to make your eyes glaze over. Place in partial shade and offer regular watering for success.
Ingredients: Tomato, Basil, Marigold, Variegated Thyme
16. Classic Spring Palette
Soft, feminine shades of pink, purple and white enhance the appeal of this beautiful plant arrangement in a pot that is meant for dappled shade. The caladiums are incredibly easy to grow, while the begonia plants are sure to put up their brightest show for you during the warm weather.
Ingredients: White Queen Caladiums, Variegated Creeping Fig, Whopper Begonia
17. Colorful Shade Container Garden
This mesmerizing explosion of colors is a must for anyone looking to add visual interest and variety to the garden, and this recipe has everything–A Rose Bush, Dracaena, and Campanula.
Ingredients: Rose, Dracaena, Campanula, Variegated Ivy
18. Spring Centerpiece
When it comes to color and texture, it’s impossible to beat a combination of petunias, angelonia, and creeping jenny. This stylish medley is further accentuated by the soft, violet shades of scaveloa. Just one downside though: These annuals don’t last beyond October, so make the most of them while they are there!
Ingredients: Creeping Jenny, Petunia, Scaveloa, Angelonia, and Rudbeckia
19. Fern ‘n’ Flowers
This idea embodies the whole “stuff and shove” concept! Visually compatible plants of similar texture and contrasting colors are packed together to put up an eye-catchy display. Your only motto is to ensure you fill all the empty spots even if you end up shoving!
Ingredients: Boston Fern, Hydrangea, Hyacinth, Begonia, Ivy, Fittonia, Tulips, Maiden Hair Fern
20. Oversized Magic
Bright, showy sedums and Joey come together to create an alluring tapestry of textures and colors in this gigantic centerpiece that doubles as a living bouquet. This arrangement requires full sunlight and regular watering to maintain its appeal.
Ingredients: Tricolor Sedum, Joey, Lemon Ball Sedum
21. Fiery Orange Veggies
This one here features large and luscious peppers that offer an ornamental look. Complementing the fiery red tones further is the creeping Jenny that cascades over the sides of the pot, giving the arrangement a softer look.
Ingredients: Peppers, Angelonia, Celosia, Creeping Jenny
22. Stylish Shade Garden
This multi-colored container garden has Hostas and the stylish spikes that add dimension to the arrangement. Heuchera, Spikes, and Hostas will look great in fall, while the Torenia may wither due to temperature drop, you can always pop it out and add pumpkins or gourds for a festive look.
Ingredients: Variegated Spike, Autumn Frost Hosta, Blackberry Ice Heuchera, Violet Torenia
23. Butterfly Magnet Container Garden
This oversized container garden-cum-bouquet is an excellent addition to your sun-deprived back patio. Bronze-colored grasses like Toffee Twist Carex rub shoulders with plum-colored Oxalis foliage to exude a metallic appeal, while Snow Princess cascades down gracefully along the sides, adding dimension and character to the pot.
Ingredients: Toffee Twist Carex, Whee Hotsa, Oxalis, Snow Princess Alyssum
24. Elegant Fall Icon
Capture the many moods and colors of fall with this festive-looking planter. It has kale, gourds and ornamental peppers for fall, while Carex, aster, and pansies make for a showy display that lasts till the first flush of frost.
Ingredients: Carex buchananii, Garden Mums, Aster, Kale, Peppers, Dusty Miller, Calluna, Calocephalus, Ivy, Gourds, and Pansies.
25. DIY Outdoor Decor
Want to add some visual appeal and character to your barren front doorsteps that receive partial sun? How about this assortment of Alyssum, Begonia, and Lamiums! Take the texture game higher with English Ivy as the spiller.
Ingredients: Begonia, asparagus fern, Alyssum, Lamium, English Ivy
26. DIY Simple Fall Container Garden
An intelligent choice of fall-favorite blooms and edibles, this container garden has a soft corner for cool weather and lasts until early winter. The cool textures of kale blend well with the striking hues of pansies and snapdragons, while ornamental cabbage does justice as the focus plant.
Ingredients: Pansies, Snapdragons, Cabbage, and Kale
27. Butterfly Magnet Pot
Invite butterflies to your outdoor space, pack the container to the brim with bright, colorful flowering plants that steal the show. Don’t forget to use a galvanized planter to house the combination!
Ingredients: White Calibrachoa, Verbena, Butterfly Bush
28. Box of Herbs
Give a new life to an old wooden crate by stuffing it with eye-catchy herbs such as tricolor sage and alpine strawberries. Place it in a spot where it’s easy to snip off a few and watch them grow before your eyes!
Ingredients: 3 Tricolor Sage, 4 Alpine Strawberries.
29. Washtub of Herbs
Use an old washtub or a sink to copy this herb garden idea. Place it on a plant stand to keep off the four-legged critters in a spot that receives the right amount of sunlight.
Ingredients: Cilantro, Oregano, Lamb’s ears, Spearmint, Thyme, Parsley, Prostrate or Trailing Rosemary.
30. Fall Shade Planter
This container combination is perfect for fall and can easily hold itself during mild winter. It looks impressive even when your garden bed starts to appear boring. Coleus contrasts the glossy green foliage of Hakonechloa wonderfully, while Purple Cabbage negates the need for decorative fall picks. Chrysanthemums add a hint of summer vibe while the loosely placed willow branches lend a shabby chic charm to this plant arrangement.
Ingredients: Rheum, Purple Cabbage, Hakenochloa, Coleus, ‘Scarlet Curls’ Willow Branches, Mum
