We’ve assembled the best year-round plants for pots to keep your porch and patio looking their best no matter the season. Broadleaf and needled evergreens seamlessly carry containers from one season to the next, while flowering shrubs and perennials add pops of color throughout the year–including winter! And blooms are not the only source of color. From vibrant purple foliage to radiant variegation, these pot-sized beauties shine in a range of hues. Pot up a bold specimen or layer several varieties together for gorgeous containers all year long.
When overwintering plants in containers, it is important to pay close attention to winter hardiness. Roots in containers are not as well insulated as plants in the ground. As such, container plants cannot withstand temperatures as low as their in-ground counterparts. For the greatest success, select plants hardy to two zones colder than your USDA hardiness zone.
Container plantings require a little more care than plants in the garden, particularly with regards to watering. The soil in containers tends to dry out faster than the ground. Counter this by irrigating more frequently. Water containers deeply when the soil feels dry to the touch and allow them to drain thoroughly. Reduce irrigation in winter, but make sure soil does not dry out.
Encore® Azalea
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- Botanical Name: Rhododendron hybrids
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)
Blooming in a range of colors from blush pink to vivid purple, and royal red to crisp white, there is an Encore® Azalea for every gardener. Dwarf selections are ideal for container life. These reblooming azaleas flower spring, summer, and fall. In winter, the evergreen foliage of several varieties takes on shades of purple, bronze, and red. Autumn Sundance® and Autumn Fire® are two colorful dwarf varieties.
Japanese Pieris
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- Botanical Name: Pieris japonica
- Sun Exposure: Part to Full Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.0-6.0)
Pieris is an elegant shrub, with dense evergreen foliage and pendulous blooms. Flowering in white or pink, the flower buds arise in summer and remain throughout the winter before opening into tiny bells in spring. Though Pieris can grow quite large, it is slow growing, allowing for many years of container life. Smaller varieties are available as well as those with variegated foliage.
Coral Bells
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- Botanical Name: Heuchera species and hybrids
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.5-7.0)
The sculpted foliage of coral bells makes a lovely addition to mixed containers. With a range of foliage colors, from rich plum to buttery yellow, coral to copper hues, and stunning silvers, you can create endless combinations. The common name refers to bell-shaped blooms that arise in summer and attract a variety of pollinators.
Boxwood
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- Botanical Name: Buxus species and hybrids
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Neutral (6.5-7.5)
Boxwoods are stately shrubs perfect for containers. They can be clipped and shaped into rounded balls or playful topiary, or you can go natural. Many varieties maintain a compact, rounded habit with little care. ‘Green Gem’ for example, is known for its dense, globe shape, while Petite Pillar™ has a more upright habit. Provide boxwoods with excellent drainage and large containers for ample root space.
Purple Pixie® Loropetalum
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Southern Living Plant Collection
- Botanical Name: Loropetalum chinense ‘Peack’
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.0-6.5)
This pint-sized loropetalum is perfect for containers, with gorgeous purple foliage year-round and vibrant pink spring blooms. Unlike other loropetalum, that swell into giant shrubs, Purple Pixie® grows just one to two feet tall. It has a weeping habit, spilling gracefully out of containers. Pair it with gold or chartreuse foliage for a stunning display.
Hellebore
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- Botanical Name: Helleborus species
- Sun Exposure: Part to Full Shade
- Soil Type: Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Neutral to Slightly Alkaline (7.0-8.0)
With evergreen foliage and winter blooms, hellebores are a welcome addition to year-round container plantings. Plants flower in early to late winter, depending on the species, with bloom times lasting almost two months. The rest of the year thick, deeply-lobed foliage adds lush texture to mixed containers.
Burning Love™ Leucothoe
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Southern Living Plant Collection
- Botanical Name: Leucothoe keiskei ‘Opstal 50’
- Sun Exposure: Part Sun to Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (4.5-6.5)
This compact leucothoe has gently arching branches and glossy evergreen foliage that shifts colors throughout the year. Emerging bright red in spring, foliage takes on a deep green hue during the summer months before shifting to burgundy in fall and winter.This fuss-free container plant combines well with upright shrubs.
Rosemary
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- Botanical Name: Salvia (Rosmarinus) officinalis
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun
- Soil Type: Dry to Meidum, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (6.0-7.0)
Perfume outdoor rooms with the aromatic foliage of rosemary. The grey-green evergreen leaves lend woodsy flavor to meats and sauces. Keep a container near the kitchen for quick access while cooking. Small, lavender-blue flowers emerge in spring and early summer, enticing butterflies and bees. This herbaceous perennial combines well with sun-loving blooms that like soils on the drier side.
Flirt™ Nandina
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Southern Living Plant Collection
- Botanical Name: Nandina domestica ‘Murasaki’
- Sun Exposure: Part Sun to Shade
- Soil Type: Medium, Well-draining, Average
- Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral (5.0-7.4)
The adorable Flirt™ is not your average nandina. With a maximum size of two feet tall and wide, this compact variety is as small as they come. It is also well behaved, so you don’t have to worry about it becoming invasive. A study in Florida found little to no fruit production in trials. Flirt™ is adorned with ruby foliage for nine months of the year, with the most brilliant hues in winter.
Juniper ‘Gold Cone’
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- Botanical Name: Juniperus communis
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Medium to Moist, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (5.5-7.0)
The narrow, columnar crown of ‘Gold Cone’ juniper provides structure to container plantings. With golden spring and summer foliage softening to cool, blue-green color in winter, this stately shrub makes a fine specimen. The upright form also provides privacy to outdoor rooms. Under-plant juniper with seasonal annual flowers for an ever-changing display, or pair with colorful heuchera and carex.
Japanese Sedge
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- Botanical Name: Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’
- Sun Exposure: Part Shade
- Soil Type: Medium to Moist, Well-draining
- Soil pH: Slightly Acidic to Neutral (5.5 to 7.5)
Clump-forming sedges add textural contrast to container plantings, and several cultivars also provide vibrant color. Among the most dramatic of these is ‘Everillo’. With cheery yellow foliage, this gorgeous sedge brightens shady containers. It pairs beautifully with hellebores and purple-toned heucheras. Keep containers in partial shade for the best foliage color.
Camellia
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- Botanical Name: Camellia species and hybrids
- Sun Exposure: Part to Full Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Acidic (5.0 to 6.8)
Given the right care, camellias can thrive in containers. They make gorgeous specimens and add height to patio plantings. Focus on varieties with a more compact habit to grow in containers and select those with the greatest cold tolerance to ensure winter survival. Camellias need to be repotted every two to three years, as soil becomes depleted and heavy. Container-grown camellias benefit from more shade than plants in the ground.
Hinoki False Cypress
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John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
- Botanical Name: Chamaecyparis obtusa
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Moist, Well-draining, Rich
- Soil pH: Mildly Acidic to Mildly Alkaline (5.0-8.0)
Hinoki false cypress is a needled evergreen with an upright mounded to pyramidal shape. Several dwarf varieties are available which make ideal container specimens. ‘Golden Sprite’ sports golden foliage while ‘Mariesii’ is frosted with creamy speckles. The solid green variety ‘Nana’ has a rounded form and very slow growth. Provide excellent drainage.
