16 Creative Container Designs

The days of planting just one kind of flower per container are over. Well, not really. But colorful combinations are trending now, and nurseries, retailers and backyard gardeners are coming up with fun, new ideas for flowers in pots.

These terracotta pots filled with purple and lavender blooms are tucked away in niches in a garden wall. The vines, purple pansies and violet-blue scaveolas are great choices because they all have the same basic needs for full sun, well-drained soil and regular water.

If you're not sure how to use colors in your flower pot designs, look at a color wheel to learn about complementary and contrasting colors, or snap pictures of the potted flower ideas you see around you. These spring, summer and fall container garden recipes will also inspire you.

Rudbeckia 'Gold Rush' sprouting high out of this container is easy to grow and drought resistant. Coleus 'Honey Crisp' surrounds the bottom right and is perfect for large pots, Petunia 'Cha Ching Cherry' surrounds the bottom left side and thrives in full sun and the Alternanthera 'Red Threads', which blooms off and on all year, is located above the petunias.

This container combines Helichrysum 'Silver Mist', Angelonia 'Serenita Raspberry' and Angelonia 'Serenita Purple'. Helichrysum 'Silver Mist' is a full mounded and spreading plant. Angelonia 'Serenita Raspberry' and 'Serenita Purple' are perfect for landscapes, gardens and mixed containers, and perform well under a wide range of conditions.

A combination of zinnia 'Zahara Coral Rose', zinnia 'Zahara Yellow' and zinnia 'Zahara Sunburst' surround Juncus Blue Arrows in this container. Juncus 'Blue Arrows' is well-suited to annual bedding and mixed containers. Zinnia 'Zahara Coral Rose', zinnia 'Zahara Yellow' and zinnia 'Zahara Sunburst' are excellent in heat and droughts.