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.

Carex 'Phoenix Green' adds a touch of green to this container and has great heat tolerance. The African marigold 'Vanilla' has an odorless bloom and is located on the far right of the container and the petunia 'Easy Wave Berry Velour' is located on the left and is a fast-growing flower.

Celosia 'First Flame Red' emerges out of this container and is great in warm conditions. Easy to grow euphorbia 'Glitz' commands prime real estate in the middle of this artful arrangement. The petunia 'Easy Wave Berry Velour', front and center, is easy to grow and blooms in every season.

Calibrachoa 'Minifamous Compact Deep Yellow' is great for containers. Lantana 'Lucky Sunrise Roses' on the right, is a heat-loving plant. Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' is great for late spring and summer and the canna 'Cannova Bronze Scarlet' begins blooming in midsummer and continues until frost.

A mix of 'Carnival' heucheras make for a colorful container perfect for a shady spot.

Coleus 'Indian Summer' is on the left side of this container and requires low maintenance in the garden. Gaura 'Belleza Pink' projects from this lovely container and has the added benefit of attracting butterflies. Alternanthera 'Red Threads' are the middle child in this container plan, and bloom all year. Coleus 'Redhead' can be seen up in front and loves the sun. Petunia 'Sun Spun Yellow' is located at the bottom left and are great for hanging pots and gardens.

This container features a combination of dianthus 'Dash White', nemesia 'Deep Pink' and snapdragon 'Solstice'. Dianthus 'Dash White' is located in the back and has a great fragrant smell. Nemesia 'Deep Pink' blooms in the front of the container and comes in a variety of colors. Snapdragon 'Solstice', on the left, performs best in cool weather.

Dianthus 'Dash Magician' grows in the far right of this container filled with arresting purple hues. Nemesia 'Poetry Blues' in the middle is perfect for cool weather and Osteospermum 'Akila White' in the front is known for its great garden performance.

Osteospermum 'Akila Purple' found in the front of the container, is drought resistant. The Osteopermum 'Akila Lavender Shades' on the right are great for mass plantings and are set off nicely by snapdragon 'Solstice Red'.

Euphorbia 'Glitz' is perfect for mixed containers and the 'Purple Baron' ornamental millet—shown in the back—plays well with the petunia 'Sophistica Blackberry' whose colors change throughout the season.

This begonia 'Gryphon' is a hardy container plant and the hibiscus 'Mahogany Splendor' can be grown directly in water as a pond plant. And spilanthes 'Peek-A-Boo' would make an eye-catching plant in any container or garden.

Angelonia 'Serenita Lavender Pink' shown is the far back of this container is deer and rabbit resistant. Helichrysum 'Silver Mist' is a great accent plant for containers and petunia 'Sophistica Lime Bicolor' pictured in the front is known for its unique color patterns.