We have chosen some of our favorite annuals for your shade containers, hanging baskets or window boxes. The following examples can give you some ideas to create nice arrangements.
You can mix at your will, the plants and colors.
Fuchsia - An upright variety which grows to 1012”
Ipomoea - Sweet potato vine Impatiens We suggest rosebud
Impatiens in 4” pots.
Location:
All the plants selected for these containers can handle all day filtered sun, or direct morning sun with afternoon shade. The plants may bloom less if they do not receive any direct sun. In deep shade it would be appropriate to replace some of the flowering plants with beautiful foliage.
How to Plant:
Choose a container of appropriate size and fill with potting soil. If you do not want to fertilize every week, mix a time release fertilizer (such as Osmocote) with the potting soil. Follow package directions for application rates. Lightly moisten the potting soil. Make small pockets in the soil and plant your annuals. Gently water after planting the whole container.
Water:
Water Every other day. This may change with the weather.
Fertilizer:
If you do not use a time release fertilizer, use a blooming fertilizer such as Peter’s Super Bloom Booster or Fox Farm Big Bloom every week.
Cleaning:
Dead head the old flowers to encourage new ones. Pinch just below the spent blossom.
Combinations:
Create your container with a color theme such as hot or cool colors or mix in some grasses, perennials or ferns for shade to extend the season of your container.
Download all the planting recipes for reference here: Shade Combinations with Annuals.
The taller plant should be placed in the back with some trailing plants around.
Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’ - An upright fuchsia with dark leaves with salmon single flowers.
Lamium - Silver leaves with green edges and white flowers.
Tuberous begonia - We suggest a bright yellow upright for this combination.
Ipomoea ‘Marguerite’ - Sweet potato vine. Luscious chartreuse trailing foliage.
Impatiens - Red rosebud or Accent tray pack variety.
Helitrope - Dark purple fragrant flowers bloom all summer.
Trailing fuchsia
Glechoma - Creeping Charlie
Lamium - We suggest a variety with silver leaves and pink flowers.
Tuberous begonia - Any trailing variety.
Ipomoea - Sweet potato vine.
Glechoma - Creeping Charlie
Tuberous begonia - Any trailing variety.
Ipomoea - Sweet potato vine.
Impatiens - A variety that grows 10” wide, such as the Accent series in tray packs.
Tuberous begonia - Any trailing variety.
Helitrope - Dark purple fragrant flowers bloom all summer.
Lysimachia - Creeping Jenny.
Impatiens - Use Accent series in tray packs.
