SOURCE: NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION http://www.garden.org/

You can grow these container garden plants yourself from seed, as I usually do (my next article will tell you how to do this and how to care for them as they grow) or you can buy them as young established plants from the garden centre, DIY store, market stall etc. Got that? Good! Now let me tell you about my favourite bedding plants to use in container garden, these are my favourite for a reason; easy to grow and care for, and quite showy.

Most of the flowers that I use for my containers are commonly known as bedding plants – in the broadest term most bedding plants are half-hardy annual (HHA). For a brief explanation; an ‘annual’ plant is one that grows from seed to flower and then (after producing its own seed) dies all within the same year, ie. ‘annual’. If the plant is ‘hardy’ then this means that it can withstand some difficult weather conditions (heavy rain, frost, etc) without any detrimental effect. If however the plant is ‘half-hardy’ then it can withstand the difficult weather mentioned but only once it is established, so seed germination and propagation of the young seedlings requires some protection from the weather, but once established they are fine. So ‘half-hardy annual is a plant that needs protection to germinate and for the seedlings to grow and produce good roots, it will then be fine outside with no protection and will continue to grow and produce flowers, but will produce seed and eventually die within the same year (often a year is known as a ‘season’ in gardening terms).

Lobelia. Small pretty flowers in shades of white, pinks, blues, and purples and a must for every container garden; wouldn’t be without a few varieties of lobelia, I use them every year. Very easy to grow from seed and care for. Both seed and young plants are reasonably priced and widely available. Lots of varieties; I recommend ‘string of pearls’ – wonderful small bushy plants in mixed shades, ‘crystal palace’ – deep violet/mauve and bushy growth, ‘Cambridge blue’ – another bush lobelia (the name says it all), for your hanging baskets try ‘cascade mixed’ – delightful trailing habit in mixed colours.

Alyssum. Another great little very easy flower for your container garden; I use alyssum ‘carpet of snow’ – wonderful little white scented flowers, and although they are meant to be bushy if you use them around the edge of your containers and hanging baskets they will trail over the edge – which is exactly how I use them for my container garden.

Impatiens. Often known as ‘busy lizzie’, lots of varieties available, all of which are easy to care for but sometimes the germination can be a little erratic, but only rarely and it often depends on the variety and method of propagation. In a good range of colours from white through pinks to reds and purples, there is also some bi-colour flower varieties around also. These beauties can very quickly produce a mass of delightful flowers with little help. My personal favourite container garden flower, but I do tend to purchase these as young plants rather than trying to grow the seed, not that it’s difficult to grow from seed but I have personally not had much luck that way (any advise would be most welcome, please email me). Either way I would feel rather upset if one year I had no Busy Lizzies in my containers.

Geranium. Bringing a warm Mediterranean feel to your container garden planting, these delightful plants (also known as ‘pelargonium‘), often with a dark underside to the large two-tone leafs, and big stems of flower balls in white, pinks and red in lots of varieties. Very easy to grow from seed and care for, and although the geranium is actually half-hardy perennial it is often treated as an annual. Another ‘wouldn’t be without’ to my collection. Plant just a single geranium in a good sized plant pot and use as a stand alone (centre of the patio table for example), or plant about 3 red ones in a container and surround them with ‘cineraria silver leaf’, beautiful sight!

Cineraria. Not exactly a flower but one I feel I must include here. The silver leaf of this stunning plant gives it it’s attraction. Another half-hardy perennial usually treated as annual, this plant can and often is used to great effect with red or blue flowered plants, or plants with dark foliage. Goes well with ‘salvia blaze of fire’.

Salvia. I always use ‘blaze of fire’ – wonderful scarlet flower spikes, but there are other gorgeous varieties available. I plant these in my container garden with ‘cineraria silver leaf’ to create a great contrast. Very easy to grow from seed and reasonably priced.

Dahlia. Another great and easy to grow half-hardy perennial often used as annual. Big single or double flowers with dark foliage, in every colour but blue. These I think are best used alone, by this I don’t mean singularly; I suggest a few or several in one tub with no other type of plants – dahlias are so showy they don’t need anything else. Even if started from seed these plants will produce a tuber (swollen root system) by the end of the season which can then be lifted and stored to use again the following spring. I recommend the many dwarf varieties for your container garden.

That concludes my suggestions for now. There are many other flowers and non-flowering plants available to use in your containers, but the above big 7 are my own personal favourites that I use every year, along with other plants that I vary from year to year.

If you would like more information or suggestions, or to reserve your copy of my new ebook ‘The Shoestring Garden’ coming soon, then please drop me an email, I look forward to hearing from you.