Designing ContainersCreate gorgeous planters full of flowers, veggies and more
Nearly every gardener has experienced the trouble of too much spook , which can cause plant to become too leggy or fail to boom . Whether it ’s a wooded suburban luck or a Frederick North - facing flat balcony , down in the mouth light stand for more growing challenges . Rather than being problematic , these dark areas can be see as an chance . Adding containers to shady spots is a hard-nosed way to optimize these spaces .
Add additional coloration with brightly colored or shiny metallic element pots combined with lighter or contrasting hues of foliage and flowers . Decorative arrangements can clear up up even the darkest corner of a porch , pack of cards , or entryway .
SHADE PLANTS FOR POTS
Surefire ® Rose begonia . pic by Proven Winners .
BEGONIA
Zones:8 - 11 , grown as an yearly in most regionsExposure : fond sun to shadeHabit : Mounding , shaggy-haired , or unsloped habitHeight / Spread:6 to 36 inches magniloquent , 6 to 12 inch wide
This versatile annual is develop for its exceptionally long bloom time and all-embracing scope of flower color and leafage patterns . apply as a “ makeweight ” element in a mixed container arrangement alongside tail vinca and vertical flame nettle . Use to brighten up window boxes and hang up field goal in challenging shade areas .
Learn begonia .
project : Surefire ® get up begoniafrom Proven winner
Sprinter ® boxwood . Photo by : Proven Winners .
BOXWOOD
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : Part sunlight to mottled shadeHabit : Mounding or upright habitHeight / Spread:1 to 20 animal foot marvellous , 2 to 8 foot wide
Widely used in formal landscape painting , boxwood shrubs add social organisation and twelvemonth - round colour . Shape into sculpturesque topiaries and place in definitive urn on either side of a porch or entranceway for an graceful first impression . Learn Turkish boxwood .
Pictured : Sprinter ® boxwoodfrom Proven success
' Jack Frost ' Asarum virginicum brunnera . photograph by : Proven Winners .
BRUNNERA , SIBERIAN BUGLOSS
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeHabit : clunking habitHeight / Spread:8 to 18 in improbable , 18 to 30 column inch wide
Known for its large , silvern leaves and block - me - not – like puritanical bloom in spring , brunnera convey sonant colour and sheer foliage to shady container . strain varieties like ‘ Jack Frost ’ for a luminous effect in part to full shade . Learn brunnera .
Pictured:‘Jack Frost ' brunnerafrom Proven success
' Evergold ' sedge . Photo by : Proven Winners .
CAREX , SEDGE
Zones:3 - 9 , reckon on the varietyExposure : Partial to full shadeHabit : Compact , good , arc habitHeight / Spread:6 to 36 inches tall , 12 to 36 in wide , look on the mixed bag
This grass - like perennial sum up fine grain and motion to shade off containers . Varieties with gilded , bronze , or variegate foliage offer excise line to bold - riff companions like hosta or heuchera . Learn sedge .
ColorBlaze ® Dipt in Wine coleus . exposure by Proven Winners .
COLEUS
Zones:10 - 11 , grown as an annual in most regionsExposure : fond sun to shadow ; protect from spicy afternoon sunHabit : Mounding , just , or trailing habitHeight / Spread:6 to 26 inch improbable and wide
Coleus is a staple of summertime garden , grown for its nearly dateless pallet of leaf colors from purple to chartreuse , and stained looking glass shape that add bold exuberance to any landscape painting . utilize upright class as a “ thriller ” element , mounding types as a “ filler ” , or trailers as a “ spiller ” in a container . Learn flame nettle .
Pictured : ColorBlaze ® Dipt in Wine coleusfrom Proven Winners
Maidenhair fern . Photo by Janet Loughrey .
FERN
Zones:3 - 11Exposure : Partial sun to shadeHabit : Varies according to genus and speciesHeight / Spread : vary according to genus and mintage
Add a established woodland force to your landscape painting with the plushy feel of ferns . Many are faithfully hardy and do well in container , such as Japanese painted fern , maidenhair fern , wood fern , and lady fern . Plant as a stand - alone component in a stately container or hanging basketful . Combine as a “ filler ” with coleus , creeping Jenny , vinca , caladium , or coral bells . Learn character of ferns .
Shadow Dancers ® ' Marcia ' fuchsia . picture by : Proven Winners .
FUCHSIA
Zones:6 - 11 depending on variety ; most are treated as yearbook in cold regionsExposure : Partial sun to shade ; most take protective cover from hot afternoon sunHabit : Upright , bushy , or trailing habitHeight / Spread:6 to 72 inches marvelous and 6 to 48 inches encompassing
Fuchsias get along in a dizzying array of blossom colors , with prolific bloom of youth through much of the growing season . One of the most popular hanging basket plants , trailing varieties are also suited to windowpane boxes . Use an erect build such as ‘ Gartenmeister ’ as a “ thriller ” in a container by itself or in combination with other tad lover . Learn fuchsia flush .
fancy : Shadow Dancers ® ' Marcia ' fuchsiafrom Proven Winners
Honeymoon ® Paris in Pink . Photo by : Proven Winners .
false hellebore
Zones:4 - 9 ; evergreen plant in 6 - 9Exposure : fond sun to partial shadeHabit : Mounding or upright habitHeight / Spread:8 to 48 inches tall and 12 to 36 inch full
Winter - flowering hellebores are prized for their evergreen foliage and range of bloom colors at a time when little else is in bloom of youth . These problematic carefree perennials do well in container by themselves or with other wintertime bloomers such as humble witch hazels and early bulb including crocus and snowdrop . Learn hellebore .
see : Honeymoon ® Paris in Pinkfrom Proven Winners
Primo ® ‘ Pretty Pistachio ’ , Primo ® ‘ Mahogany Monster ’ , and Primo ® ‘ Black Pearl ’ . Photo by : Proven Winners .
HEUCHERA , CORAL BELLS
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : fond Sunday to fond shadeHabit : mound or spreading habitHeight / Spread:6 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 30 inches full
One of the most versatile perennials , coral Bell are valued for their range of foliage shapes and colors , ease of rise and tolerance of a wide stove of weak and grunge conditions . Color co-ordinate as a “ makeweight ” in a cheerful ceramic container alongside flame nettle , small ornamental grasses , astilbe , or hosta . get a line coral bells .
Pictured:(top to bottom)Primo ® ' Pretty Pistachio’,Primo ® ' Mahogany Monster',Primo ® ' Black Pearl’from Proven winner
Shadowland ® ' Autumn Frost ' . Photo by : Proven Winners .
HOSTA
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Partial sun to full shadeHabit : Mounding circulate habitHeight / Spread:6 to 48 column inch magniloquent and 14 to 72 inches wide
have it away as queen of the shade border , hosta is grown for its attractive foliation in an array of colors , rule and sizes . This wanton - guardianship perennial can be used as a resist - alone speech pattern in a container or combined with ferns , astilbe , bleeding heart , lungwort , Epimedium grandiflorum , or spring bulb . Learn Hosta .
fancy : Shadowland ® ' Autumn Frost’from Proven Winners
Little Quick Fire ® hydrangea . picture by : Proven Winners .
HYDRANGEA
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : fond Dominicus to full shadeHabit : Mounding or upright bushy habitHeight / Spread:3 to 15 feet improbable and 3 to 12 feet wide
A favourite summer - blooming shrub , withdwarf varietiessuch as Little Quick Fire ® or Invincibelle Wee White ® performing well in containers . Long - survive flowers in an array of colors are optic - catching by themselves or when underplanted with impatiens , begonias , ferns , or lady ’s mantelpiece . larn hydrangea .
Pictured : Little Quick Fire ® from Proven Winners
Rockapulco ® Rose impatiens . picture by Proven Winners .
IMPATIENS
Zones:10 - 12 , grown as an annual in most regionsExposure : fond sun to full shadeHabit : Mounding spreading habitHeight / Spread:6 to 36 inches tall and 1 to 3 pes wide
For nonstop blossom all summertime long , nothing beats impatiens for brightening up deeply shaded arena . With a wide kitchen range of bloom colors , impatiens are most commonly used as a bedding industrial plant , though they thrive in container as well . peck in a color bowl or expend as a “ filler ” in shaded window boxes and hanging hoop . Learn impatiens .
fancy : Rockapulco ® Rosefrom Proven winner
' Spot On ' lungwort . Photo by Proven Winners .
PULMONARIA , LUNGWORT
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeHabit : Mounding clumpHeight / Spread:8 to 18 inches tall , 12 to 24 column inch wide
Speckled or silverish foliation brighten suspect corner , while early spring blooms offer a pop music of vividness and attract pollinators . Compact and clumping , lungwort pull in a lush filler in cool - season container combination . Learn lungwort .
Pictured:‘Spot On ' lungwortfrom Proven achiever
Catalina ® Midnight Blue wishing bone flower . Photo by : Proven Winners
TORENIA , WISHBONE FLOWER
Zones:10 - 11 , grown as an yearly in most regionsExposure : Partial Lord’s Day to shadeHabit : mound or trailing habitHeight / Spread:8 to 16 inches tall , 8 to 12 inches spacious , chase after up to 36 inches long
This underutilized annual blooms prolifically all summertime long with snapdragon - similar flowers in a range of colors that brighten up deeply shaded orbit . Mass in a colour bowl or mix with small fern , hosta , astilbe , or coral Melville Bell . instruct wishbone flower .
Pictured : Catalina ® Midnight Blue wishbone flowerfrom Proven Winners
feature in : Garden Design ’s Top 10 Garden Trends for 2022(“Maximizing Balconies & Porches " )
TIPS FOR CHOOSING SHADE PLANTS FOR POTS
CONTAINER IDEAS FOR SHADE
wad in this shaded entry garden are group together for greater impact . Phyllostachys nigra(black bamboo ) , offers structure and elevation . Other industrial plant include ‘ Kong ’ , ‘ Sedona ’ and ‘ Chocolate Mint ’ coleus , ‘ Mardi Gras ’ and ‘ Margarita ’ cherubic potato vines , and ‘ Bonfire ’ begonia . pic by : Janet Loughrey . conception by : JJ De Sousa .
For shade container , Vina Winters choose a foliage specimen such asHypoestes(polka dot plant ) and pairs it with a likewise hued blossom such as tuberous begonia . Soft cuticle and maidenhair ferns provide counterpoint grain and form . Photo by : Janet Loughrey . Design by : Vina Winters .
A stump is smartly recycled as the base for a shallow logarithm container that meld dead with the landscape painting . The stress is on timber foliage , with hart ’s tongue and deer fern , moss , and aboriginal sedums . A pocket-sized hellebore andHosta‘Tiny black eye ’ nail this tranquil compounding . picture by : Janet Loughrey . Design by : Vina Winters .
A compass north - facing wall is softened by this hanging planter of pinkish impatiens and fuchsias flank by ‘ Kingswood Torch ' coleus . Asarina(climbing snapdragon ) adds height , while ‘ Margarita ’ sweet tater vine drag gracefully over the side . Photo by : Janet Loughrey . Design by : Lucy Hardiman .
The crimson hue of mophead hydrangea is echoed by violent tuberous begonias plant in a bluish green , ceramic pot . Coleus ‘ Wizard Sport ’ , black mondo grass , and crawl Jenny make a layered effect . Photo by : Janet Loughrey . Design by : Vina Winters .
This secluded riverside retreat is decorate with million bells , impatiens , and ferns . ‘ Religious Radish ’ coleus and ‘ balefire ’ begonia in a pot alongside the judiciary ply a striking burst of colouration . picture by : Janet Loughrey . designing by : Cheryl Borden .
OPTIMIZE GROWING CONDITIONS
Get pep up with moreshade container formula from Proven Winners .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Loughrey is a seasoned garden author and photographer with over 25 years of experience , give to major publication like Garden Design , Better Homes and Gardens , and Sunset . A former Master Gardener , she brings manpower - on expertise from gardening in a wide range of a function of climates , from upstate New York to the Pacific Northwest .
