? about good plants for small pots

leighanneh

I'm officially an idiot when it comes to gardening. I have three small pots to fill on my front porch and need advice for what to fill them with...

Small pots (8, 10 and 12 inches in diameter) on a partially shaded porch in zone 8. I would love a pretty, colorful, flowering plant if possible.

Thanks in advance!

renee

Hmm. I am not sure about what plants are best for your region (zone 6a here), but if your porch is partially shaded, tuberous begonias are so pretty! I used to have a front porch that got morning sun and mine were beautiful. You do need to keep in mind that smaller pots will dry out more quickly and need watering more frequently! If you get some sun, you can plant plants that like sun and they will work....petunias or lantana are pretty!

dmerica

There's a formula designers use for containers -- spillers, thrillers and fillers. Use one plant that's a "wow" factor; one that spills over the pots and down the sides to soften the pot and then a filler that fills in the space, covers the soil and keeps the moisture in.  Impatients are also a sure bet. They require little; work well in the shade and come in lots of great colors.  How about an asparagus fern as your thriller; impatiens for your fillers and verbenia for your spillers?  Play with pink. white and purple colors; or corals; or reds. Remember to use a good, organic fertilizer.