Flower Planters for Sun and Shade

As the summer months approach, it’s the perfect time to plant flowers and get our outdoor spaces looking their best. In this article, we’ll share our favorite tips and tricks for creating beautiful, low-maintenance flower pots, including the best plants for full sun, partial shade, and full shade.

Every spring, my mom and I have a tradition of spending a day planting flowers and filling our container gardens, window boxes, and porch planters with vibrant blooms. My mom has a wealth of plant knowledge, and I’m grateful for her help and expertise. This year, we visited Chalet Nursery in Wilmette and found some stunning annuals to fill every inch of my front porch, back deck, and sunny yard.

Before we start planting, we always take the time to plan out our containers. We walk around the house, note the number of pots and planters we’re working with, and determine whether each spot gets full sun, partial shade, or full shade. We also choose a loose color scheme to tie everything together. This year, we opted for a bold palette of purples, oranges, and pinks.

My Mom’s Formula: Thriller, Filler, Spiller

My mom’s formula for creating beautiful container gardens is to use a combination of thriller, filler, and spiller plants. The thriller plant provides height and drama, the filler plant adds body and color, and the spiller plant cascades over the side of the pot. This formula creates a layered, lush look that’s perfect for containers.

Best Plants for Full Sun

For containers that get full sun, we recommend using plants like spike, angelonia, wave petunias, geraniums, calibrachoa, sweet potato vine, mezoo trailing red, and helichrysum ‘Lime’. These plants are perfect for window boxes, porch planters, and backyard pots.

Best Plants for Partial Shade

For containers that get partial shade, we recommend using plants like spike, geraniums, impatiens, diamond frost, mezoo trailing red, and vinca vine. These plants thrive in part shade or spots that get filtered morning light and afternoon shade.

Best Plants for Full Shade

For containers that get full shade, we recommend using plants like impatiens, jenny (lysimmachia), vinca vine, and mezoo trailing red. These plants are perfect for shady spots that don’t get much direct sun.