Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Garden Articles >> About Garden

Superstar Annuals for Containers and Baskets: 6 Low-Maintenance Stars

I demand a lot from container plants: prolific blooms with little deadheading, fabulous foliage, minimal pinching or propping, and simple watering (handled by drip irrigation so I can enjoy a cold drink). No tolerance for disease-prone wimps. After personal testing in the Pacific Northwest and colleague verification across the U.S., these six annuals earn superstar status.

Several were 2013 introductions but are widely available.

1. Superbells Lemon Slice

I'm not a petunia fan — they turn mushy in Seattle rain, get sticky aphids, and need constant deadheading. Superbells Lemon Slice looks like a miniature petunia, but that's where the comparison ends. This Calibrachoa hybrid laughs at summer rain and heat, blooming so prolifically foliage is barely visible. Its dense, mounding habit hugs containers while trailing 2 feet. Tidy habit earns 11/10.

Botanical name: Calibrachoa hybrid
Water: Average
Light: Full sun

Le jardinet

Design ideas: Pair with multihued Luscious Berry Blend lantana (repeats yellow, adds hot pink and orange). Or use as a vivid ruffle under arching purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum').

Le jardinet

2. Spitfire Coleus

Hundreds of coleus exist, but many are spindly, need endless pinching, or falsely claim sun tolerance. Spitfire is different. Tested in harsh 2012 conditions: no scorching in intense sun, no wilting in heat, stayed compact without pinching. Bronze foliage turns raspberry in full sun with cream accents.

Botanical name: Solenostemon scutellarioides
Water: Average
Light: Full sun

Le jardinet

Design ideas: Emphasize paler shades with Orange King coleus (shared palette creates unity). Also lovely with Luscious Piña Colada lantana (creamy yellow flowers) for a fresh combo.

Le jardinet

3. Bonfire Begonia

This sun-tolerant begonia is so reliable I buy dozens when available. Trailing annuals perfect for hanging baskets or container edges — they don't just tolerate full sun, they thrive. Tubular orange flowers (often mistaken for fuchsias) are hummingbird magnets. No deadheading needed. Just avoid overwatering.

Botanical name: Begonia boliviensis hybrid
Water: Average
Light: Full sun or partial shade

Le jardinet

Design ideas: Let Bonfire send orange sparks from a dense container. Shown underplanted with Arakawa Japanese maple, deep red coleus, chartreuse/bronze sweet potato vine. Pairs well with blue/purple flowers like fanflower.

4. Whirlwind Blue Fanflower

A front-of-pot spiller that throws flowering branches in multiple directions — filler and spiller in one. Periwinkle-blue fan-shaped flowers cover it until hard frost. Outstanding performer.

Botanical name: Scaevola hybrid
Water: Average
Light: Full sun to partial shade

Design ideas: Plant a hanging basket exclusively with fanflower. Add bold orange Bonfire begonia and trailing sweet potato vine (black 'Blackie' foliage is dramatic). Or mingle with Superbells Apricot Punch and deep burgundy sedum 'Blaze of Fulda' (Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut') for foliage interest.

Le jardinet

5. Beefsteak Plant

Looks like coleus but sturdier and more slug-resistant. No pinching needed for all-season fabulousness. Reaches 2 feet tall, 1 foot wide — thriller in small pots, filler in larger ones. Used in shade, but coloring may be even more intense in full sun.

Botanical name: Perilla frutescens 'Magilla'
Water: Average to low
Light: Partial shade to full sun

Le jardinet

Design ideas: Use bold magenta as color scheme springboard. Paired with white caladium (pink veins) and leathery black Calathea 'Dottie' (pink perimeter stripe) for a foliage-focused container.

6. Diamond Frost

Frothy white blooms belie toughness: heat and drought tolerant, nicely mounded, no deadheading. Firm favorite. Grows 12 inches tall, up to 18 inches across — place in middle or at container edge to mound daintily.