Container gardens are the perfect solution for those of us with limited space and time. Adding native plants bring an authentic touch to any bayside garden. And because many are drought-resistant, they’re practical plantings for summer. (Not to mention, they appeal to a host of butterflies and birds.) Remember to choose a whimsical container, throw in some grasses (which stay beautiful year-round) then sprinkle in an array of showy leafed varieties, and annuals for color. The experts at Davidsonville’s Homestead Gardens have designed five different containers for us—complete with how-to tips—guaranteed to bring out the green thumb in any space-challenged gardener.

1. Sun Worshiper

The Look: The metallic-blue hue of the spiky native blue switch grass, which turns yellow in fall and tan in winter, gives the container height, while the trailing vine of the torenia gives it a flowering length. Dimension is added by hot pink petunias, as well as the chocolate-colored foliage of the white snake root.
Natives: blue switch grass (Panicum virgatum “Heavy metal”), little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium “The Blues”), false indigo (Baptisia australis), Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum “Gateway”), white snake root (Eupatorium rugosum, “Chocolate”), turtlehead (Chelone lyonii), blazing star (Liatris microcephela)
Annuals: torenia, verbena, wave petunia, coleus
Blooms: Summer through late fall
Likes: Full sun

2. Simple & Sweet

The Look: Though the container is simple, the main attraction is dramatic: the spineless evergreen leaves of the inkberry holly, with orange impatiens and purple torenia adding a flash of color.
Natives: inkberry holly (Ilex glabra “Shamrock”), coral bells (Heuchera Americana “Dale’s Strain”), foam- flower (Tiarella cordifolia), Christmas fern (Polystichum aristichoides)
Annuals: orange double impatiens, “Purple moon” torenia
Blooms: Midsummer through fall
Likes: Partial sun to full shade

3. Down to Earth

The Look: Graduating heights give this terra cotta container depth and thickness, beginning with the dark foliage of the “Blackie” sweet potato vine. The summersweet, with its fragrant white bottle-brush flowers that bloom in mid-to late summer, gives way to the taller varieties: the red cardinal flower, with spikes that bloom July through September, and the red sprite winterberry, which bears abundant bright red berries.
Natives: red sprite winterberry (Ilex verticillata “Nana”), summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), red cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), bee balm (Monarda didyma “Jacob Cline”), red switch grass (Panicum virgatum “Shenandoah”), coral bells (Heuchera Americana “Dale’s Strain”), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida “Goldsturm”)
Annuals: coleus, geranium, “Blackie” sweet potato vine, nicotiana, verbena, licorice plant, lotus vine
Blooms: Summer through late fall
Likes: Full sun to partial shade

4. Easy Rider

The Look: Even an old rocking chair gets put to work in this showy planting, where the sunflowers, and their copies in miniature, black-eyed Susans, steal the show. The “Blackie” sweet potato and the black-eyed Susan vines wind throughout, while the golden yellow plumes of the goldenrod add longstanding height.
Natives: goldenrod (Solidago “Golden Fleece”), slender mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), false indigo (Baptisia australis), black-eyed Susan “Goldsturm” (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Annuals: scaevola, “Blackie” sweet potato vine, black-eyed Susan vine, coleus, sunflower
Blooms: Summer through fall
Likes: Full sun

5. The Natural

The Look: Have fun by using a traditional crab trap as a container. The tall and willowy sea oat foliage turns copper in the fall, while the spikey bluestem grass hold its color all season long. The orange-red leaves of the coleus evoke the mood of steaming crabs on the table; the verbena’s pink blossoms add more interest and texture.
Natives: goldenrod (Solidago “Golden Fleece”), northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida “Goldsturm”), little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium “The Blues”)
Annuals: verbena, coleus
Blooms: Summer through late fall
Likes: Full sun

Container Planting Basics

Use styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the container for drainage, and to eliminate excess weight of additional potting soil or rocks, often used for draining excess moisture. (In a very large container, the whole bottom quarter may be filled with styrofoam; even more should be added to containers that won’t hold shrubs.)

Plants should be inserted one inch below the rim of the container to allow for a thin layer of mulch; keep it about an inch away from the crown of the plants and for watering ease.

Since perennials have a more limited blooming season, add colorful annuals to liven things up.
Add interest to the container by combining tall, rounded, and cascading plants.

Have fun mixing plants of different colors. Monochromatic color schemes are sometimes better in smaller containers.
A slow release fertilizer or water-soluble fertilizer may be used. The important thing is that you must fertilize regularly, as frequency of watering leaches nutrients.

The bigger the container, the less it needs to be watered. When the soil in a large container is dry one-half-inch to one-inch down, it’s time to water. Full-sun containers may need to be watered every day in summer. As annuals have a shallower root system, they need to be spot-watered more frequently than the shrubs or perennials.

Frequent pruning and deadheading helps keep these containers looking their best. Many perennials can be coaxed to bloom again by cutting back.
Before it gets cold, transfer the contents of the container to an insulated variety to protect roots from freezing. Containers can be left outdoors all winter long if they are placed in a spot protected by the elements.

Sit back and enjoy.

The experts at Homestead Gardens collaborated on these containers, and provided all the plants.