3 Container Tricks Designers Use For Pots That Last All Summer – And Ask For Nothing in Return
These expert planting combinations that will take you right through to fall
If you find your summer container ideas peak too soon (or don't peak at all) try a planting recipe that will take you smoothly through to September with minimal intervention on your part. The idea behind summer container planting tricks is that you pick a mix that appeals, plant them up, then let them create the magic as they grow and produce flowers for a longer period of time than other summer displays.
With the best summer container planting tricks you plant once then let them do their own thing all summer long. The dream combo is a mix of one tall structural plant, one filler to add depth and body, and one trailing variety to blur and soften the edges. It's also fine to add a wildcard to the display if you want an even more original touch. These container gardening ideas take the guess work out of creating something beautiful and long-lasting.
Here are three of the best summer container planting tricks chosen by experts that blend flowers, foliage and structure in an eye-catching arrangement that will give you months of enjoyment on your deck or patio. Once you've tried the expert-approved planting method thrill, fill, and spill you'll never plant containers any other way.
1. Natural Textures
This eye-catching combo features an enticing mix of naturalistic planting including Astrantia major ‘Star of Billion’, Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac Beauty’, and Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’
This gorgeous creation caught my eye as I love summer container ideas that feel natural. My ideal is lots of loose and airy planting like this design by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi to create an unstructured look. I also prefer a neutral palette of pastel colors for summer containers as this is a better fit with the planting scheme in my own garden. I think the unusual shallow container with its scalloped edging really adds something too.
Structural Plant (thriller): Astrantia major ‘Star of Billion’ is an elegant addition to any summer container. This clump-forming perennial grows to around 30 inches tall, making it a great choice for a thriller plant. The branching stems bear lovely greenish-white pincushion flowers from June to September. I also love the 'Masterpiece' cultivar of Astrantia major available here from Nature Hills, which will work equally well.
Middle Plant (filler): Due to the wide dimensions of this container there are quite a few fillers in the mix here but my favorite of these is the lovely, airy Achillea millefolium ‘Lilac Beauty’. Best in the middle of the container, the many flat flowerheads offer landing pads for pollinators as well as adding lots of interest to the center of the planting scheme. Meanwhile the Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ adds an elegant evergreen note with its dark shapely leaves.
Trailing plant (spiller): I already have Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ in my garden and I love the idea of repeating the planting in containers. Also known as catmint, this lovely perennial blooms right through summer and into fall. It has fragrant leaves and lavender-blue flowers butterflies love, so it's a great choice for patio containers, where it can sprawl out to soften the edges of the display.
Dabrowska Design is a garden and landscape design studio specialising in high-end private residential gardens. Founded by Anna Dabrowska-Jaudi, the studio creates refined outdoor spaces shaped by structure, proportion and considered planting. Anna's work is grounded in the belief that a garden should feel both composed and alive, where architectural clarity is balanced by the movement and softness of nature.
2. Sunset Colors
The thriller in this 'sunset' container recipe is Echinacea Double Scoop™ 'Cranberry', which is paired with masses of orange-yellow Achillea 'Sassy Summer Sunset, and creeping red thyme
Choose a warm-toned, pollinator-friendly mix that will thrive in full sun and fill a container with sunset shades. There are plenty of plants in hot colors such as orange, red, yellow and pink that will work well in summer containers and these often turn out to be both drought-resistant and heat-loving, making them a great choice for patio planters.
Consider plants like Achillea, Echinacea (coneflower), Crocosmia, Helenium, and Kniphofia (red hot poker) in a mix of fiery hues.
One of our favorite summer container planting tricks is recommended by plant expert Kelly Funk. 'The three varieties I'm recommending all thrive in full sun and tolerate summer heat well, making them ideal for low-maintenance containers,' says Kelly.
'Coneflowers provide height and structure, achillea creates fullness and continuous blooms, and creeping thyme spills naturally over the edges to soften the arrangement. In addition to this the colors these flowers bring are beautiful for the summer season.'
Structural Plant (thriller): Coneflowers add upright structure, bold blooms, and strong pollinator appeal while thriving in summer heat. Their sturdy stems help anchor the container visually all season long. Kelly recommends choosing a stunning dark red variety like Echinacea Double Scoop™ Cranberry from Jackson & Perkins. This long-blooming, showy perennial offers early to late summer interest, and the warm cranberry hues saturate the lush double pompoms.
Middle Plant (filler): Achillea is an excellent filler plant for sunny containers. It produces clusters of blooms for months while adding soft texture and pollinator appeal. It’s drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and continues looking fresh through late summer with very little maintenance. Kelly recommends Achillea 'Sassy Summer Sunset' from Jackson & Perkins with its enticing flowerheads that begin a warm orange that matures to yellow.
Trailing Plant (spiller): Every container benefits from some soft trailing growth that spills gently over container edges while helping soften the arrangement visually. Kelly chooses Red Creeping Thyme from Jackson & Perkins for exactly this purpose. There is a lot to love about this plant. A low growing variety with fragrant foliage as well as beautiful blooms, it's such an easy spiller to add to containers.
Kelly is the president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins, the online nursery with roots dating back to 1872 and a reputation for cultivating exceptional roses. A passionate gardener herself, Kelly brings hands-on knowledge and a deep appreciation for plants to her leadership. Under her guidance, Jackson & Perkins continues to thrive as a trusted name for gardeners who value beauty, quality, and the joy of growing.
3. Dream Combination
The extra-special thriller in this container recipe is Thalictrum NIMBUS™ ‘White', and it's paired with the filler Agastache ‘Pink Pearl', and tumbling Heucherella ‘Plum Cascade from Terra Nova Nurseries'
One of the best summer container planting tricks is to choose a dream combination of show-stopping flowers, foliage and structure that translate into a beautiful mix you can enjoy for months. This idea by Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development with Terra Nova Nurseries, certainly ticks the box.
'I have chosen a combination of three very distinct plants with interest stemming from foliage, flowers and structure,' says Chuck. 'This mix will thrive in full sun. Thalictrum has fern-like foliage in the spring, then tall, dusky stems supporting clouds of fluffy flowers that pollinators go nuts for. Agastache is a real showstopper, and another pollinator magnet that blooms for months. Heucherella is a hybrid cross between Heuchera (coral bells) and Tiarella (foamflower). It echoes the dusky tones of the thalictrum, almost like a violet-foliaged hedera.'
Structural Plant (thriller): With white, cloud-like masses of flowers and fern-like leaves Thalictrum NIMBUS™ ‘White’ from Terra Nova Nurseries has an excellent, compact habit with multiple stems and huge flowers that last all summer.
Middle Plant (filler): Mid-sized Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’ from Terra Nova Nurseries forms a compact mound of large flower spikes in multiple shades of pink that beautifully fills out the middle section of the container. It has long-lasting large, dense blooms that cover the entire plant, and is one of Chuck's absolute favorites.
Trailing Plant (spiller): Elegant Heucherella ‘Plum Cascade’ also from Terra Nova Nurseries is an easy to grow trailing variety with lobed, purple-silver leaves. The plant is covered in small, light pink flowers on short stems that bloom all summer long.
Educated at Washington State University, Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development at Terra Nova Nurseries, has worked in the retail nursery business for 30 years. Chuck brings his passion for plants to Terra Nova and is responsible for new ideas as well as overseeing the breeding process and introducing new products to the global perennial market.
Now you know the best summer container planting tricks find out how to use container garden tricks to make small patios feel expensive and the best way to stagger plants in container planting so they don't peak too soon.
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