Chances are, you’re ready to start potting up your container plants for this growing season. Although it’s too early to stick the plants outside in Colorado, now is a good time to buy plants so you can begin hardening them off before putting them on display in your yard.
Let’s say you have a spot that gets hot, blazing sun all day long. Which container plants will withstand that kind of environment?
Garden magazines and blogs publish articles with all sorts of gorgeous specimens. I’ve learned not to put too much stock in those articles, however. I have, for example, tried growing recommended Lobelia and Angelonia in sunny locations, only to be disappointed.
So I’m here to share what I’ve personally grown in pots that have really stood up to extreme sunlight in Colorado, where we’re closer to the sun than many of you in other parts of the country. The flowering plants mentioned here bloom throughout the growing season and require little, if any, deadheading. As for the grasses and sedges, they always look good.
These stellar performers include:
Blue Avena Grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens). Perennial. This stalwart grows about 2.5 feet high and wide, excluding the feathery plumes which shoot up in late spring. The plumes add another foot or so to height. You won’t likely keep blue avena grass in a pot more than a season or two before it will outgrow the pot. Then you can plant it in the ground.
Peruvian Petunia (Calibrachoa, Million Bells). Annual. If I have a container that holds only one plant, Peruvian petunia is my go-to plant because it fluffs up about eight inches and trails over the edge of the pot. The colors are sensational. One of my favorites is purple with a neon yellow throat.
Cordyline (Cordyline australis). Annual. Native to New Zealand, this purplish spike can serve as a thriller (as opposed to filler or spiller) in pots.
Lantana. Annual. This broad-leaved stunner with verbena-like, multi-colored flowers is relatively compact, although there are larger, shrub-like cultivars (some of which are invasive weeds in Hawaii, Florida, Texas and other areas). Photographs generally make lantana look garish; they’re more attractive in person.
Nemesia (Nemesia caerulea). Annual. This hard-working plant is a member of the snapdragon family. It comes in just about any color except green and also includes some two-toned cultivars. I’ve grown the trailing variety. It didn’t turn scraggly on me, but in case it does, just cut it back so it’ll be lush again.
Pentas (Pentas lanceolata). Annual. I discovered this darling at the Colorado State University Trial Gardens. Its bright green leaves and showy star-cluster blooms make it a solid standout. Pentas has a dome-shaped growth habit, which contrasts nicely to the other plants mentioned here.
Prince Tut dwarf Egyptian papyrus (Cyperus papyrus). Annual. What a showpiece this sedge is! It grew about 18 inches high in my pot, towering over fillers and spillers. Prince Tut’s father, King Tut, grows about twice as tall.
Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas). Annual. A long-time favorite, sweet potato vine comes in various shades of purple or chartreuse. I prefer chartreuse because it blends well with so many colors. You usually have to snap them up at garden centers because they sell so quickly. Mine grew about two feet long.
Zonal Geranium (Pelargonium). Annual. Another long-time favorite, zonal geranium features large, flashy blooms against dark green leaves. Blooms can be red, pink, white, orange, purple, or bi-colored.
There are other plants that I think would do well in containers in sunny Colorado, but I haven’t actually tried them. Some of them are:
Angelina Stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’). Perennial.
Bunny Tail Grass (Lagurus ovatus). Annual.
Color Guard Yucca (Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’). Perennial.
Choosing the right varieties or cultivars for the right location will go a long way in helping you enjoy your container plants.
Blossoms & Blueprints 