The best summer plants for pots and hanging baskets
Originally published July 2022 · Updated May 2026
The best summer plants for pots include geraniums, petunias, fuchsias, begonias, and trailing lobelia – all reliable performers that flower for months and thrive in containers. Whether you’re filling a sunny patio, brightening a front doorstep, or making the most of a small outdoor space, summer pot plants are one of the easiest ways to add real colour to your garden.
In this guide you’ll find thirty of the best summer plants for pots and hanging baskets, advice on when to plant them, and simple care tips to keep your containers looking gorgeous all season long.
When should I plant my summer pots?
If you’re using small plants that need time to grow and fill out your container, it’s a good idea to plant them in late spring. Doing this will give you a display of flowers and foliage earlier in summer. If you plant in spring you will need to protect your summer planters from frost until around the end of May.
If you’re using larger, more established plants to create a summer garden display, you can get away with planting later. This is the way to go if you don’t have the ability to provide frost protection.
Choosing pots for summer planters
When it comes to containers for your summer plants, you have lots of choice. There’s a huge range on the market, so it’s easy to find a size and style to suit your outdoor space. vidaXL has lots of great products for the garden and is a good place to start. If you’re working with window boxes or shallower containers, my guide to plants for shallow pots is worth a look too.
Another option is to have fun with an upcycling project. Old watering cans, wellies, teapots and chimney pots all make good summer planters.
Obviously personal preference is a big factor when choosing a container, but it’s also important to make sure that any planter you go for has drainage holes in the bottom. If you’ve fallen in love with a planter which doesn’t have holes, you will need to use an inner plant pot that does have them. See my guide on how to improve potted plant drainage for more on getting this right.
The best summer plants for pots and hanging baskets
Are you ready to be inspired? This guide to the best summer plants for pots and hanging baskets will help you keep the garden looking wonderful all summer long.
Perfect summer flowers for pots
The focus of a summer planter is usually flowering plants. All of these flowers to plant in summer are ideal for pots and hanging baskets.
Geranium
Geraniums are much-loved summer flowers for outdoor pots, and for good reason. They provide a big dose of colour, they have attractive leaves, and they’re long-flowering.
Petunia
Petunias are hugely popular plants for summer pots, because they’re easy to grow and flower for months. They’re available in a wide range of colours, plus some really lovely double and patterned varieties.
Fuchsia
Another firm favourite for summer container plants, fuchsias have stunning blooms that nod gently and create movement in a pot. You can choose from standard or trailing varieties.
Impatiens
Impatiens (or busy lizzies) are compact plants, so they work well in smaller pots and summer hanging baskets. Choose from bright pinks, purples and reds, or go for more subtle pastel tones and white varieties.
Begonia
Begonias are usually grown for their flowers, but they also have nice bronzed foliage, so they really earn their space in a container. Remove old flowers regularly to keep them blooming.
Dahlia
Dahlias have seriously impressive flowers, and are great for keeping a pot looking good in late summer. They’re quite an upright plant and are best suited to larger containers.
Cosmos
Cosmos will grow quite big if you let it, but if you cut it back early on it will become more bushy and compact. It’s a very prolific flowerer, and as an added bonus it’s a simple way to make your garden more wildlife friendly.
Lavender
Lavender is another favourite with bees and pollinating insects. It’s also highly fragranced, so it works really well in pots next to a path or seating area. Choose a compact variety when growing lavender in pots and containers.
Nicotiana
Another good choice if you’d like a fragrant display, nicotiana gives off lots of scent in the evening. Expect it to be popular with butterflies and moths.
Osteospermum
If you like daisy-style flowers, osteospermum (or African daisies) are a great option. They produce lots of flowers, and if you keep deadheading you can look forward to months of colour.
Verbena
A good bedding plant for summer pots, verbena produces clusters of tiny flowers on frondy foliage. A white variety is useful for cool colour schemes, while bolder colours allow you to turn up the volume on a pot display.
Lobelia
I think lobelia is one of the best flowering plants for pots. The dainty blue, purple or white flowers are handy for bulking up a pot, and look gorgeous. Trailing varieties work particularly well in hanging pots. For more trailing ideas, see my guide to the best trailing plants for hanging baskets.
Dwarf sunflower
Don’t rule out growing sunflowers in pots; there are some lovely dwarf varieties available. My favourite is Teddy Bear, which is really compact and has fluffy, tactile flower heads.
Zinnia
Zinnias have fantastic blooms, and will give a pot bags of colour throughout summer and into autumn. Grow them in full sun for maximum flowers.
Best summer patio plants for sunny spots
Got a sun-drenched patio or a south-facing doorstep? These summer patio plants love full sun and will positively thrive in a warm spot. As a bonus, many are drought-tolerant once established, which means less watering on hot days.
Portulaca (Moss Rose)
Portulaca thrives in hot, dry conditions and produces jewel-bright flowers that almost glow in the sun. It’s a low-growing plant, so it works beautifully at the front or edge of a pot.
Gazania
Gazanias are bold, striking daisy-type flowers with striped or zoned petals. They open fully in sunshine and close up on dull days. Excellent for a container in full sun, and very low maintenance.
Pelargonium (Ivy-Leaved)
Ivy-leaved pelargoniums are trailing versions of the classic geranium and are tailor-made for window boxes and hanging baskets in full sun. They’re exceptionally heat tolerant and will flower all summer with very little fuss. For more drought-hardy options, see my list of drought-tolerant plants for hot summers.
Summer flowering perennials for pots
Most summer bedding plants are annuals, which means they last one season and then they’re done. But if you’d like plants that come back year after year, summer flowering perennials for pots are a brilliant investment. Here are a few that perform really well in containers.
Echinacea (Coneflower)
Echinaceas are striking plants with large daisy-like flowers in shades of pink, purple, orange, and white. They’re long-flowering, loved by bees and butterflies, and fully hardy in the UK. Grow in a large pot in full sun.
Salvia
Hardy salvias produce spikes of flowers, usually deep blue or purple, from early summer right through to autumn. They’re very drought tolerant once established, making them a great choice for pots that might miss the odd watering. Cut them back after the first flush to encourage more flowers.
Agapanthus
Agapanthus is one of those plants that looks seriously impressive in a pot. The strap-like leaves are handsome all season, and the globe-shaped flower heads in shades of blue, violet, or white appear in midsummer. They actually flower better when slightly pot-bound, which makes them ideal for containers. Bring them into a frost-free place over winter if you have a more tender variety.
Summer flowering bulbs for pots
Don’t overlook bulbs when you’re planning your summer containers. Several summer-flowering varieties are brilliant in pots and can give you a real wow factor with very little effort.
Gladioli
Gladioli make a dramatic statement in a large pot. Plant the corms in spring (once frost risk has passed, usually from late April in most parts of the UK) and you’ll have tall spikes of flowers by mid to late summer. Use a deep, heavy container to stop them toppling in the wind.
Begonia (tuberous)
Tuberous begonias are some of the most reliable summer flowering bulbs for pots. They produce large, showy blooms in a range of colours and are particularly well suited to hanging baskets and window boxes. Start them off indoors in early spring and move them outside once frosts have finished.
Lilies
Lilies are outstanding pot plants. They prefer containers because it keeps them out of waterlogged soil, and they reward you with spectacular, often fragrant flowers. Oriental and Asiatic varieties both do well in pots. Plant the bulbs in early spring and keep them in a sunny, sheltered spot.
Great foliage plants for summer pots and hanging baskets
I think foliage plants are an essential part of any container display. They can be used to fill gaps and add height, texture, colour and contrast. Here are some of my favourite foliage plants for summer pots.
Coleus
Coleus is a foliage plant, but the leaves are so colourful I tend to think of it as a summer flowering plant for pots. There are lots of bold shades to choose from, all of which will add drama to a summer container.
Heuchera
Another bold foliage plant, heucheras range in colour from purples right through to orange and gold. They’re particularly good for contemporary plant displays.
Cineraria
If you like silver colour schemes for your plants, go for cineraria. Its silver leaves have a soft texture and an interesting shape.
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia)
This zingy, lime green foliage plant works beautifully with hot colours. It’s a trailing plant, so it’s good in hanging planters too.
Ivy
Ivy is a low-cost, low maintenance trailing plant that will help you to increase the surface area of plants in pretty much any container. I like to use it in hanging baskets to soften the edges.
Ornamental grasses
Compact varieties of ornamental grass will give your summer pots height, movement and texture. Good options for pots include Stipa tenuissima, Hakonechloa macra, and Phormium.
Summer flowering shrubs for pots
If you want a bit more structure in your summer containers, a flowering shrub can anchor a pot beautifully. These are hardier than bedding plants and often return year after year, making them a great investment.
Hydrangea
Compact hydrangea varieties (look for ones labelled ‘patio’ or ‘dwarf’) are wonderful in large pots. They flower from midsummer and the blooms last for months. Keep them well watered – hydrangeas are thirsty plants – and they’ll reward you handsomely.
Osteospermum (shrubby varieties)
The African daisy is already in the flower list above, but it’s worth noting that some osteospermum cultivars are sold as small shrubs rather than bedding plants. These are longer-lived and develop a more permanent, bushy habit in a container.
Hebe
Hebes are neat, tidy shrubs that produce racemes of small flowers, usually white, pink, or purple, through summer and into autumn. They’re evergreen too, so they earn their space in a pot all year round. Choose a compact variety for container growing. If you’d like more height and structure, my guide to climbing plants for pots has lots of ideas.
Pot plants that flower all summer long
One of the questions I get asked most often is: which summer plants will keep flowering for the longest? If you want maximum colour for minimum effort, focus on these reliable long-bloomers.
The secret to keeping pots flowering all summer is threefold: deadhead regularly (removing spent flowers before they set seed), feed every one to two weeks with a high-potash fertiliser, and never let the compost dry out completely. Do those three things and most of the plants in this article will reward you from planting time right through to the first frosts.
The longest-lasting choices from this list are:
- Petunia: flowers from May to October in mild years
- Geranium (pelargonium): reliably flowers from late spring to first frost
- Osteospermum: blooms continuously if deadheaded
- Zinnia: flowers from midsummer through to autumn
- Verbena: a brilliant low-maintenance bloomer that rarely needs deadheading. For even less effort, see my full list of low maintenance plants for outdoor pots.
- Impatiens (busy lizzies): virtually self-deadheading; ideal for shadier spots
For dahlias and cosmos, regular cutting actually encourages more blooms; the more you pick them, the more they produce.
Care tips for summer planters
To keep your containers and hanging baskets looking good throughout summer, follow these simple tips.
- Use good quality *peat-free compost in your pots and hanging baskets. Our best compost for pots article has lots of advice on which products to use.
- Water your containers regularly. Check them every couple of days (or daily if the weather is really warm) and water if the surface of the soil feels dry.
- Feed your plants with *general purpose plant food (the packaging will tell you how much and how often).
- Use *secateurs or *snips to remove dead flowers and seed heads regularly (this is called deadheading). Doing this encourages the plants to produce more flowers.
I hope this guide to choosing and caring for summer plants for pots and hanging baskets has given you lots of ideas, and inspired you to create some beautiful summer plant displays!
Frequently Asked Questions
The ideal time to plant summer pots in the UK is late spring, typically from mid-May once the risk of frost has passed. In milder parts of the country – the South West, for example – you may be safe to plant a little earlier, but in cooler regions it’s worth waiting until the end of May to be safe. Planting in late April or early May is fine if you can offer some frost protection (fleece or a cold greenhouse will do the job).
The classic approach is to combine a ‘thriller, filler, and spiller’ in each pot: one eye-catching upright plant (the thriller), one or two bushy plants to fill the middle (the fillers), and something trailing over the edges (the spiller). Choose plants with contrasting colours, leaf textures, or heights to add depth. Feed regularly with fertiliser and deadhead spent flowers weekly – this makes a bigger difference than anything else to how good your display looks.
July isn’t too late to plant up summer pots. You just need to use larger, more established plants rather than small plug plants, which won’t have time to bulk out before the season ends. Good choices for July planting include geraniums, petunias, fuchsias, impatiens, and osteospermum. Bedding dahlias and zinnias bought as larger plants will also give you colour right through to autumn. Give newly planted containers a thorough water and a liquid feed to get them off to the best start.
August planting is all about plants that can give you a quick display and keep going into autumn. Osteospermum, verbena, and trailing pelargoniums are all good summer bets in August, as they’ll flower until the first frosts. It’s also a great time to start thinking about the seasonal changeover: you can plant autumn-flowering heathers, ornamental cabbages, and late-season violas in August ready to take over as summer plants begin to fade.
More container gardening inspiration
If you’d like some more resources on container gardening and growing flowers in pots, I’ve got you covered.
If you’re dealing with extreme summer weather, my list of drought tolerant plants has fifty varieties to make your garden more low maintenance.
My fall flowers for pots post is perfect for autumn, and for spring containers you can take a look at my guide to spring flowers for pots. I’ve also got some winter-specific container gardening posts: the best winter plants for pots and plants for winter hanging baskets.
For more hanging basket advice, check out my posts on trailing plants for hanging baskets and pots, and how to grow wow factor hanging flower baskets.
Like the idea of growing veggies in pots? My post on easy vegetables to grow in pots has ten varieties to try.
My lists of low maintenance plants for outdoor pots, climbers for pots, container plants for shade, perennials for pots, evergreen plants for pots and plants for shallow pots have lots of low-effort plant suggestions for all year round.
My guide to dealing with ants in plant pots is great if you need some pest control tips.
And finally, my series on garden jobs this month will keep your summer gardening organised!
Pin for later: great summer plants for pots
