Container gardening is an excellent way to add pops of color and life to patios, porches, and small outdoor spaces. When selecting plants for container gardens, it’s important to choose varieties that will continue blooming through the hottest days of summer Perennial flowers that bloom continuously from early summer into fall are ideal choices for pots and planters They provide ongoing beauty without having to be replanted every year.
This article will talk about some of the best perennial flowers that can be grown in pots and give them color all summer. We’ll look at things like how well it handles heat and drought, how long it blooms, how it grows, and more. If you choose the right plants, you can have beautiful pots full of flowers from the start of summer until the cool fall days.
Choosing the Best Perennial Flowers for Pots
When picking perennials for nonstop summer blooms in containers keep these factors in mind
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Hardiness: Choose varieties that can handle the heat of summer in your area. Check the USDA Hardiness Zone rating.
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Bloom time – Look for flowers that bloom continuously without deadheading. Many perennials bloom heavily in spring or fall but less midsummer.
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Growth habit – Compact, mounding perennials are best suited for pots. Avoid large, sprawling varieties that require frequent pruning.
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Sun exposure – Make sure to match the plant’s light needs with the container’s location Most summer-blooming perennials need full sun
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How much water they need—Drought-tolerant types do better when pots aren’t watered often. But most perennials need consistent moisture.
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Maintenance – Lower maintenance perennials simplify container care. Avoid fussy plants that need frequent intervention.
By selecting perennials with these factors in mind, you can create stunning containers that shine all season long.
Top Perennial Flowers for Summer-Long Color
These perennial flowers will bloom nonstop in patio pots and planters from the beginning of summer to the end of fall:
Sedums
Sedums are popular succulent perennials that thrive in containers. Their thick, fleshy leaves need minimal watering once established. Sedums bloom reliably through hot, dry conditions that make other plants wilt. There are many great varieties including:
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Autumn Joy – Large pink flower heads transitioning to coppery bronze. Grows 18-24 inches.
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Brilliant – Trailing stems with bright pink blooms. Perfect for hanging pots.
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Angelina – Chartreuse foliage with yellow flowers. Grows 6-8 inches tall.
Verbena
Verbenas are heat loving perennials that produce colorful clusters of tiny blooms all season. The taller varieties add vibrant color and fragrance to containers. Good options include:
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Homestead Purple – Rich purple blossoms on 10-12 inch plants.
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Quartz Scarlet – Bright red blooms on 14-16 inch stems.
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Superbena Whiteout – Pure white flowers on compact 12 inch plants.
Geranium
Also called hardy geraniums or cranesbill, these mounding perennials give months of cheery color in containers. Popular varieties include:
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Rozanne – Vivid violet-blue blooms with white centers. Spreads 18-24 inches wide.
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Biokovo – White flowers with pink veins and fuzzy foliage. Grows 12 inches tall.
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Jolly Jewel Lilac – Lavender blooms on low 10-12 inch wide plants.
Lavender
Compact English lavender varieties flourish with fragrant purple flower spikes and attractive gray-green foliage. They make great additions to patio pots.
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Munstead – Lavender-blue blooms on tidy 10-12 inch plants.
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Hidcote – Deep violet blossoms on compact 10-14 inch plants.
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Thumbelina Leigh – Dwarf variety under 6 inches tall with violet flowers.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis produce cheerful, daisy-like blooms in sunset shades of yellow, gold, red and bi-colors. Deadheading prolongs bloom time. Good upright varieties for containers include:
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Moonbeam – Pale yellow flowers on 18 inch plants.
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Early Sunrise – Vibrant golden yellow blooms reach 15 inches tall.
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Mercury Rising – Red and yellow bicolor blooms on 15 inch stems.
Dianthus
Commonly called Pinks, dianthus produce frilly, colorful blooms in white, pink, red, and purple hues. The short, compact varieties are ideal for pot culture.
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Firestar – Bright crimson red flowers on 6-8 inch plants.
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Neon Star – Vivid neon pink blooms on 8-10 inch stems.
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Starry Eyes – White blooms with deep pink centers on 6-8 inch plants.
Yarrow
Yarrow handles heat and drought while pumping out flat-topped clusters of tiny flowers on lacy foliage. It adds texture and color to containers all season. Popular varieties include:
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‘Paprika’ – Smoky orange-red blooms with ferny gray foliage. Grows 18-24 inches tall.
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‘Moonshine’ – Luminous yellow blossoms with chartreuse leaves. Reaches 24 inches tall.
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses like maiden grass, fountain grass, and Japanese blood grass provide graceful movement and texture contrast to pots. Many also produce plume-like blooms or seed heads by mid to late summer.
Gaillardia
Also called blanket flowers, Gaillardia produce bold, daisy-like blooms from early summer into fall. The short varieties work well in containers.
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‘Fanfare’ – Fluted golden yellow petals. Grows 14 inches tall.
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‘Arizona Sun’ – Yellow flowers with red rings. Stays under 12 inches tall.
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‘Commotion Frenzy’ – Rusty-red petals tipped in yellow on 18 inch plants.
Veronica
Also called speedwell, veronica offers graceful tapered flower spikes in blue, purple and pink hues from early summer until frost. Good container types include:
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‘Sunny Border Blue’ – Vibrant blue blooms on 18 inch stems.
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‘Whitewater’ – Elegant white plumes on 15 inch tall plants.
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‘Red Fox’ – Rosy-pink flower spikes on 24 inch tall plants.
With the right selections, perennial flowers will keep patio pots and planters brimming with blossoms from early summer through the autumn chill. Just be sure to match plants to site conditions and provide basic care like sun exposure, adequate water and good drainage.
Caring for Perennial Container Gardens
Perennials thrive over many gardening seasons but need a little care and attention in containers. Here are some tips for success:
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Use a quality potting mix made for perennials. This ensures proper drainage.
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Include slow release fertilizer at planting for steady nutrients all season.
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Group plants with similar needs like sun exposure and watering requirements.
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Combine early, mid and late season bloomers for nonstop color.
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Turn pots occasionally for even sunlight on all sides.
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Water thoroughly until it drains out the bottom of pots.
With the right selections and care, perennial container gardens will bloom abundantly from the first days of summer through the autumn chill.
Perennial flowers that bloom all summer are perfect choices for low maintenance, high impact container plantings. Heat and drought tolerant varieties like sedums, verbena, lavender, coreopsis and gaillardia thrive in patio pots and planters. Combine bloomers with different colors and seasons of interest for stunning nonstop color from early summer into fall. With a little planning, perennial flowers can keep container gardens looking fresh and vibrant even during the hottest days of summer.
How To Protect Flower Pots Over The Winter
We need to protect the pots and their resident perennial plants from the extremes of the winter weather.
- After a few hard frosts, move them to a garage or cold frame that isn’t heated.
- If this is not possible or you need to protect many pots, build a straw bale enclosure where the pots can go. Cover it with a few strong pieces of row crop cover (frost blanket) fabric.
- It’s important to water the pots once a month on a warm day so the roots don’t dry out too much.
- Cut back the perennials in the spring and move them to the outside.
When using perennial plants, they can remain in the pot for at least two seasons before re-potting them into a larger one. Or the perennials can be divided and re-planted back into the same pot with fresh soil-less mix.
When designing your container garden, make sure pots have a mix of plants: thrillers, fillers and spillers. Perennial plants that appreciate well-drained soil are a great choice for containers.
5 Tips For Container Gardening
- Use bigger pots. (Note: I use the words container and pot interchangeably. ) Avoid using pots that are too small. It’s hard, if not impossible, to keep plants properly watered and fertilized once their roots get crowded. I always use at least a 14-inch diameter pot. Remember: The bigger the mature plant, the bigger the pot.
- Always use a soil-less potting mix. Filling pots with garden soil is a recipe for failure. Garden soil compacts and greatly restricts drainage and air exchange. I always recommend a high quality soil-less potting mix. You can use this potting mix again and again every season and make it better by adding new things.
- Keep the plants well fertilized. We need to add nutrients that are flushed away when we water plants in pots more often than when they are planted in the ground. Add earthworm compost and Yum Yum Mix to the top of your pots every two weeks if you want to grow plants in an organic way. Compost tea is also excellent. If you’re growing plants the old-fashioned way, mix Osmocote slow release fertilizer into the soil when you pot them up and add water-soluble Miracle-Gro (or something similar) every week or two.
- Forget about putting gravel in the bottom of the pot! Adding gravel to the bottom of the pot makes it harder for water to leave the soil, which goes against what most people think. This method doesn’t work and can actually make it harder for the pots to drain. Fill the pots completely with soil-less mix. Make sure the bottom of your pot has holes for water to drain out. When the pot has a big hole for drainage, I put a rough rock over it so that the hole doesn’t get blocked and water can flow out.
- Plants left outside all year: If you want to leave your pots outside all year, I suggest using a fiberglass pot or the pot-in-pot method to keep the roots from getting damaged by the cold. For pot-in-pot growing, put plants in a plastic nursery pot and then drop that pot into a ceramic pot that is a little bigger. Fill the empty space in between with small bark nuggets. This keeps the inside of the pot from getting too hot or too cold, and it lets you water the pot in the winter without breaking the ceramic.
30 Amazing Perennials That Bloom All Summer
FAQ
What is the most hardy perennial flower for pots?
10 award-winning (AGM) perennials for containersAjuga reptans ‘Catlin’s Giant’ . Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ . Dianthus ‘Gran’s Favourite’ . Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ . Geranium Blue Sunrise (‘Blogold’) . Heuchera ‘Purple Petticoats’ . Hosta ‘Fire Island’.
What are the long blooming perennials for containers?
For long-blooming perennials in containers, consider options like Salvia, Geranium, Dianthus, Lavender, Yarrow, and Dahlia, according to garden sites.
What are the longest blooming perennial flowers?
Several perennials are known for their long-blooming nature, offering color in the garden for extended periods. Coreopsis, Salvia, Buddleia, and Hardy Geraniums are excellent choices for continuous blooms.
Will perennials come back if planted in a container?
Yes, many perennials can be grown successfully in pots and will come back year after year, but it depends on the specific plant and the growing conditions.