10 Summer Container Flower Garden Ideas
This weekend I’ll be headed to the nursery to select flowers for the garden. To help inspire me, I found several summer container flower garden ideas that I thought you’d enjoy too. Really, the sky’s the limit when you plant your flower pots. Just be sure to keep in mind that you’ll need to water these more faithfully than flowers planted directly in the ground.
I find choosing a color scheme is a great way to determine which flowers to use, since they all look great. Above, pink and white geraniums and tiny petunias complement each other in pale clay pots.
It’s also a good idea to coordinate the flower color with its container. Here, shades of pink dahlias look amazing in wooden blue wheelbarrows.
A summer flower container can also be a window box. I have 5 window boxes on my house, along with a sixth one that hangs alongside the porch. Half of them are in shade, the other half are in full sun so I need to choose different types of flowers for the light requirements. I coordinate the look by choosing flowers in similar colors for the boxes. I like the cheery mix of the flowers in this cabin’s window box.
A dainty mix of cottage flowers fills a green window flower box. Blue lobelia is such a great flower for containers. It blooms abundantly and drapes over the sides as it grows. It looks great paired with the white and blue alyssum which will also cascade as it grows.
Use a container garden to soften up your hardscapes. This pink and green combination features tiny bell petunias, white bacopa, and lime green sweet potato vine. Be forewarned that sweet potato vine can get pretty bushy, but you can always cut it back if it gets out of control. I love to use it in flower boxes and baskets due to its quick growth and variety of colors.
When it comes to containers, think outside the box. A cheery yellow dresser serves as home for beautiful summer flowers on the front porch. You can plant your flowers in a plastic container and then place the container in the drawer. Or line the drawer with plastic and plant directly in it. You might want to consider drilling holes in the bottom of the drawer for drainage. What a cute idea, don’t you think? I might need to look for a small, old dresser at the flea market this weekend to replicate the look.
If you can find a cute wooden wagon like this, place several pots of flowers inside for a cottage vibe. You can wheel it to any location in the yard.
Don’t forget your basic, hanging baskets. On occasion I’ve planted my own, but garden centers offer such a variety of them, I usually buy them pre-planted. Impatiens with vinca vines are my favorite choice for shady front porch.
If you decide to pot up lots of summer container flower gardens, group them together in a single spot for ease in watering. I always find that I don’t mind watering flowers at the beginning of the season, but it starts to grow old mid season when you have to lug the garden hose around after several dry days.
You might want to try your hand at container water gardens, also known as mini ponds, that really don’t require any watering unless you experience a lot of evaporation and need to top off the mini pond. You can find small waterlilies and floating aquatic plants to beautify the container (just make sure it’s water-tight).
Here’s a fun video that shows the beauty of a mini pond that you can place on a deck, balcony, or patio:
See More Flower Garden Ideas:
11 Bee Friendly Flowers for Your Garden
My 9 Favorite Shade Perennials
10 Mosquito-Repelling Plants for Your Garden
Hummingbird Garden: Top 10 Flower Choices
Absolutely gorgeous! I love the idea of using an old dresser and the little wagon to display flowers. Thanks for sharing.
I loved the idea of the dresser painted yellow, beautiful way to display your potted plants outside. Thank you for this post of flower ideas.
The little dresser was so cute and such a bright and cheery color. I have seen this kind of display before when on my walk a bouts in the neighborhood but they had done theirs a pretty blue. I also loved that cat statue peeking out amongst all the pots. I have been looking for something similar for my garden but haven’t found anything yet that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. A favorite of mine for hanging baskets is the fushia plant it is so pretty on the front porch with shade.