Recipes For Hardy Container Gardens That Can Stand Up To The Southern Heat

Even while you're away on vacation!

If you're looking for container garden ideas that will survive the summer months, even when you're out of town, these pretty pots are just the ticket. Picking the right blooms is the key. These Southern Living Plant Collection options are sun loving and long lasting. Find them at your local garden shop or shop online (southernlivingplants.com). Here, gardening expert Linda Vater (@potagerblog) shares advice on plants that can beat the summer heat and how to care for them.

Related: 20 Drought-Tolerant Plants That Beat The Summer Heat

Keep Them Hydrated

Cluster containers together to help plants lock in moisture when you’re not there to water and care for them. "This helps them kind of create their own humidity," says Linda Vater, who also advises using soil with high water retention. Drought-tolerant picks anchor each planter above, with the flowering Ever Amethyst agapanthus on the left, Skyscraper senecio (a succulent) in the center, and Touch of Gold holly (an evergreen shrub) on the right. For more color in the second pot, we chose flowers that can transition according to the season. Rather than going with pansies or petunias, we used dwarf 'Little Blanche' periwinkles, which require less water.

Ingredients:

• Ever Amethyst agapanthus

• Skyscraper senecio

• Touch of Gold holly

• Little Lucky Pot of Gold lantanas

• Million Bells Trailing Blue calibrachoas angelonias

• dwarf 'Little Blanche' periwinkles

How To: 

1. Start by loosening up the roots of the root ball (so they don’t grow in a circle) and filling each pot with loose, good quality soil about 2 1/2 inches from the top.

2. Place Ever Amethyst agapanthus and Touch of Gold holly in their respective pots.

3. For the center container, plant the Skyscraper senecio, then build in the colorful blooms—lantanas, angelonias, million bells, and periwinkles—allowing them to spill over the edge.

Related: 117 Of Our Best Container Gardening Ideas

Place Them In A Prime Location

Evaluate where the pot is positioned and how much light the spot receives during the day. "Pick plants for the area in which they’re going to reside," says Vater. The composition above is a smart option for a site with little shade, as it has choices that thrive in the sun, like low-maintenance 'Charlie Boy' cordyline. To soften its prickly appearance, we filled the base with vibrant greenery and a few complementary blooms.

Ingredients:

• 'Charlie Boy' cordyline

• bicolored and white lantanas

• esperanzas

• sweet potato vines

• multiple kinds of coleus

How To: 

1. First plant the cordyline to anchor the pot.

2. Then fill in the base with lantanas, esperanzas, multiple kinds of coleus, and sweet potato vines for balance.

Tips

"To manage cordyline, use pruners to cut it at a sharp angle to simulate the natural pointy tip," suggests Vater.

Don't Forget To Deadhead

"Before leaving town, groom, deadhead, and remove any brown leaves to allow for growth while you’re away," says Vater. "The more often you deadhead, the more blooms you’ll get." In the pot on the left, we paired Ever Amethyst agapanthus with golden moneywort. Suntastic Peach abelia serves as the main element in the second container, with fan flowers and Million Bells Trailing Blue calibrachoas. Licorice plant spills out on the right side for a balanced look.

Tips

Don't be afraid to relocate your pots! "Remember that containers can be moved," says Vater. "That’s why we garden in pots so we can put plants in the shade to recuperate."

Ingredients:

• Ever Amethyst agapanthus

• golden moneywort

• Suntastic Peach abelia

• fan flowers

• Million Bells Trailing Blue calibrachoas

• licorice plant

How To:

1. For the left pot, start by planting the agapanthus then tucking in golden moneywort around the edge to fill in gaps and provide the 'thriller, spiller' look.

2. In the second pot, first plant the abelia followed by the smaller purple blooms and licorice plant.

3. Arrange as needed for a full planter.

Related: 38 Front Door Container Garden Ideas For An Eye-Catching Entryway

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Read the original article on Southern Living.