I enjoy growing container gardens and keep lots of them during my landscape. While I love the instant gratification of a 4-inch starter pot, purchasing dozens of these to fulfill all those containers gets expensive. One method to fight this really is starting a number of easy-to-grow blossoms and herbs from seeds.
Another good reason to cultivate container plants? It’s possible to get your gardening repair while the backyard is only beginning to awaken. Most seeds will have to get started indoors before the final frost. Make certain to follow planting instructions on the seed packets; they are a wealth of information, such as how deep to plant and when to start.
Burpee
Zinnia
Zinnias are fantastic for container gardens, as they bloom nonstop until frost. They’re also very sun and drought tolerant. Their mounding growth habit makes them a perfect filler for containers. With a variety of colours to select from, they will be useful in many of your designs.
Zinnias are simple to start from seeds. Set the seedlings out after the last frost date or if overnight temperatures stay above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Botanical name: Zinnia angustifolia
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water necessity: Dry to moderate moisture; well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature dimensions: 9 to 12 inches tall and wide
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Marigold
Another continuous bloomer is marigold. It’s cheerful yellow and orange blossoms, and it forms a nice, 6- to 10-inch clump when old. However, its natural ability to repel bugs and even deer may be even better than its physical appearance. This makes marigolds perfect companions on your container gardens that are .
Marigold seeds are long, very mild and may blow away easily, so make sure you sow in a spot free of drafts. Wait to plant your marigold seedlings outside after the last frost.
Botanical name: Tagetes patula
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water requirement: Medium moisture; well-drained soil
moderate requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall and wide
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Nasturtium
Nasturtium is a fantastic plant, not just because the orange, yellow and red blossoms are fairly, but since they are also edible! They taste peppery and are a wonderful way to decorate soups and salads. I love to place nasturtium in edible and plant gardens for color.
Because the seeds have a challenging outer coating, you will have to have an extra step of soaking them for 24 hours before planting. Once planted, the seeds will germinate in about a week.
Botanical name: Tropaeolum
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water necessity: Medium moisture; well-drained soil
Light requirement: Total sun
Mature dimensions: 1 to 3 ft wide and as tall as 10 feet
Kim Gamel
Moss Rose
I love to use moss rose in containers because of its capacity to have a lot of direct sun and dry states. Moss rose is a succulent with small cup-shaped blossoms and needle-like foliage. It grows only to about 6 inches tall, so it works good at the advantages of containers.
Moss climbed comes in a huge selection of colours and looks beautiful spilling over the sides of a pot, as in this picture. Because it cannot take freezing temps, it is best to plant after the average last frost.
Botanical name: Portulaca grandiflora
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water necessity: Dry to moderate moisture; well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature dimensions: 3 to 9 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide
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Alyssum
Alyssum is a mainstay of container gardening because of the small, clumping stature and its continuous and fragrant blooms. It typically comes in purple or white, with some mixture between. While it can tolerate high summer temperatures, so it prefers light afternoon shade and moist lands, so make sure you pair it with blossoms with comparable requirements.
Alyssum seeds are quick to germinate and may be started indoors a few weeks before the final frost.
Botanical name: Lobularia maritima
USDA zones: 5 to 9 (find your zone)
Water requirement: Medium moisture; well-drained soil
moderate requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 3 to 9 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide
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Cilantro
along with flowers, many herbs may be grown easily from seed. If you like to cook, then you will want to grow these herbs from seed so you’ll have lots on hand to improve your culinary creations.
The plant Coriandrum sativum leads a double life: its own seed is known as coriander, although its leaves are called cilantro. In iteration, it is a delicious and useful herb. Once planted, the herb grows quickly and will bolt, or go to seed, sooner than most. To keep a continuous harvest, you are able to plant the seeds every 2 weeks or so.
Botanical name: Coriandrum sativum
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water requirement: Medium moisture; well-drained soil
moderate requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: Up to 2 feet high and 1 1/2 feet wide
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Italian (Flat-Leaf) Parsley
Parsley isn’t only garnish for your plate. It is a mild-tasting herb which works well in several dishes. Along with its usefulness, it also looks lovely in pots mixed with herbs or flowers. As it prefers moist soil, it makes a good companion for nasturtium and alyssum.
It comes in curled or flat-leaf forms and grows up to 1 foot, but may be kept compact through routine trimming and harvesting.
Botanical name: Petroselinum crispum
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an Yearly
Water requirement: Medium to moist, well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 9 to 12 inches high and wide
Kim Gamel
Basil
whilst basil is most commonly associated with Italian cooking, it is really native to Africa and Asia. Basil comes in a vast range of forms, but I love to use the decorative types (such as ‘Purple Ruffle’, shown here on the right) in containers)
Like cilantro, basil is fast to grow. To keep it from bolting, trim flower stems before they bloom. You can also always plant the seeds for a continuous harvest.
Botanical name: Ocimum basilicum
USDA zones: N/A; handle as an yearly
Water requirement: Medium to moist, well-drained soil
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and wide
Next: More on starting a garden from seeds
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