21 Full Sun Container Plants Ideas
When you have a full sun garden, you need to select the best full sun container plants to add color and interest to your landscape.
In this post, I’ll share a variety of colorful and bold plants that will thrive in the sun.
These full sun container plants will add a big impact to your gardens and porches.
1. Full Sun Container Plants for Spring
I love spring container gardening! There are so many flowers to choose from, and the bright colors are so cheerful after a long winter.
Of course, you can also use evergreen shrubs and annual flowers that tolerate cooler temperatures and will keep looking great even if you have a late-season frost.
Here are some of my favorite full sun container plants for spring.
2. Full Sun Container Plants for Summer
If you want to make sure you have color all summer long, consider mixing annuals and perennials in your containers.
This way, you’ll always have something blooming.
Perennials are plants that return year after year, while annuals only live for one growing season.
Annuals are often used in containers because they bloom for a long time and can be replaced each year with something new and exciting.
In this container, you’ll find a mix of annuals and perennials. The purple flowers are called million bells (Calibrachoa) and they’re a type of petunia.
Petunias are annuals, but million bells are perennials in zones 9-11. If you live in a cooler zone, you can treat them as an annual and replace them next year.
The red flowers are called verbena. Verbena is a great plant for attracting pollinators to your garden. This variety is a perennial in zones 7-10.
3. Full Sun Container Plants for Fall
As summer fades to fall, you can still have a beautiful container garden.
Look for plants that love the full sun and have fall colors like mums, sunflowers, and marigolds.
You can also use fall-blooming plants like pansies and ornamental peppers.
Don’t forget about ornamental kale and cabbage, which are also great for adding color and texture to your fall container gardens.
4. Full Sun Container Plants for Winter
Winter container gardens are a great way to keep your green thumb skills sharp in the off-season. You can grow cold-hardy plants in your containers.
Or, you can plant winter-blooming flowers and fragrant herbs to enjoy until the first frost.
Winter container gardens can be just as colorful and vibrant as summer gardens. The only difference is the type of plants you use.
Here are some popular plants to use in your winter container garden.
5. Full Sun Container Plants for All Seasons
When choosing plants for your container gardens, you can mix and match plants that will bloom at different times of the year to get the most out of your garden.
This container garden idea from Proven Winners includes a variety of full sun plants that will bloom at different times of the year, keeping your garden looking great all year long.
This container includes a mix of perennials and annuals, including the following:
• Supertunia Vista petunia
• Superbells calibrachoa
• Superbena verbena
• Luscious Berry Blend lantana
• Spreading Pincushion flower
6. Full Sun Container Plants for Foliage
When you have a lot of sun, the leaves of your plants can get sunburned. To protect the foliage, try growing a few plants with colorful leaves.
This container garden features a purple heart plant with vibrant purple leaves, a ‘Red Giant’ mustard with red leaves, and a sweet potato vine with chartreuse leaves.
7. Full Sun Container Plants for Flowers
Of course, no full sun container garden would be complete without some flowers.
There are so many different types of flowers to choose from, but petunias are one of the best.
These are a classic annual flower that is perfect for containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds.
Petunias come in a variety of colors and can be found in solid colors or with a color gradient.
I love the way they cascade over the side of containers. Mix them with other flowers or plant them on their own for a pop of color.
8. Full Sun Container Plants for Shade
If you have a space that’s mostly shady but gets a little sun, you can still grow a variety of plants in containers.
The trick is to choose plants that can tolerate the shade and don’t need a lot of sun to thrive.
There are many colorful, shade-loving plants that are perfect for containers and hanging baskets.
You can find a variety of foliage and flower colors to create a stunning shade container garden.
9. Full Sun Container Plants for Small Spaces
Don’t have a lot of space to work with? You can still add a lot of color to your balcony or patio with a few containers.
Use a variety of container sizes and shapes to create a layered look. You can also hang containers to take advantage of vertical space.
Use a variety of hanging containers to create a living wall.
In this small space, the gardeners used a variety of containers and a few plant stands to create a lush, layered look.
They also added a few hanging baskets to take advantage of vertical space.
10. Full Sun Container Plants for Curb Appeal
Add a pop of color to your front porch with a container garden.
This container garden is a great example of how you can mix and match different plants and flowers to create a fun and colorful look.
The plants in this garden include Petunias, Creeping Jenny, and a few other plants.
The colors of the plants are the same, but the different textures help to create a more interesting look.
11. Full Sun Container Plants for Privacy
The best thing about container plants is that they can be moved around your garden to create privacy wherever you need it.
If your deck, patio, or balcony needs a privacy makeover, try planting a row of tall container plants.
There are many types of container plants that can be used to create a privacy screen, but we love using tall ornamental grasses.
They are easy to grow in containers and come in a wide variety of colors, textures, and sizes. Plus, they add movement and sound to your garden!
12. Full Sun Container Plants for Decks & Patios
Most people have decks or patios in their yards, and if you’re one of them, you know how important it is to keep your outdoor living spaces looking their best.
A few colorful planters can add a lot of visual interest to your deck or patio, and they’re a great way to bring the beauty of your garden up to eye level.
I love how the plants in this container garden are all different sizes and shapes. It adds so much dimension and interest to the space!
13. Full Sun Container Plants for Pool Areas
Pools are a great place to hang out and cool off in the summer. They’re also a great place to show off colorful container gardens!
The plants in this container garden are all drought-tolerant and love the sun, so they’re perfect for placing poolside.
The bright colors will stand out against the blue water and the foliage will keep the area looking lush and green.
Just be sure to avoid any plants that attract bees if you’re planting flowers near your pool.
14. Full Sun Container Plants for Mailboxes
Mailbox planters are a great way to add curb appeal to your home.
Plus, they are easy to water and care for since you walk by them every day when you get the mail.
Use a tall, vertical plant as the centerpiece and plant trailing plants around the base. You can also add a variety of flowers to create a beautiful arrangement.
Use a mix of colors and textures to create a stunning mailbox planter. You can also add a variety of flowers to create a beautiful arrangement.
15. Full Sun Container Plants for Entryways
The entryway is a perfect place to put your favorite plants on display. You can use large containers to create a focal point or keep it simple with a few small pots.
This beautiful entryway container garden uses a mix of annuals and perennials.
The tall, spiky flowers are red hot poker plants. The red hot poker plant is a perennial that blooms in the summer and fall.
They are known for their unique flowers that resemble the shape of a poker. The flowers can be red, orange, or yellow.
The red and white flowers are geraniums. Geraniums are a popular annual that blooms in the summer and fall.
They come in a wide range of colors and can be used in containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds.
The pink flowers are million bells, which are a type of calibrachoa. Million bells are an annual that blooms from spring until the first frost.
They come in a wide range of colors and are perfect for containers and hanging baskets.
The yellow flowers are lantana. Lantana is a perennial that blooms from spring until the first frost.
They come in a wide range of colors and are perfect for containers and hanging baskets.
The purple flowers are verbena. Verbena is an annual that blooms from spring until the first frost.
They come in a wide range of colors and are perfect for containers and hanging baskets.
16. Full Sun Container Plants for Walkways
Some of the most challenging areas of the garden to landscape are the narrow strips of soil that run along the edges of walkways, driveways, and patios.
These areas are often too narrow to plant with anything other than a row of containers.
However, container gardens can be a great way to add color and interest to these areas of your garden.
In this example, a collection of containers planted with a variety of colorful annuals lines a walkway, creating a cheerful and inviting entryway to the home.
When planting containers for a walkway, be sure to consider the height and width of the plants as they grow.
You don’t want the plants to encroach on the walkway and make it difficult to navigate, so be sure to choose plants that will stay compact or can be easily pruned.
17. Full Sun Container Plants for Driveways
If you have a long, sunny driveway, you can use container plants to create a beautiful border.
This is a great way to add curb appeal to your home and make the most of a challenging space.
For this design, we used a mix of perennials and annuals. The perennials, like the salvia and yarrow, will come back year after year.
The annuals, like the petunias and verbena, will need to be replaced each year.
This design is super easy to care for. Just make sure to water your plants regularly, and feed them with a slow-release fertilizer every few weeks.
18. Full Sun Container Plants for Hanging Baskets
Hanging baskets are a great way to display your favorite plants and flowers.
They can be hung from porches, decks, and even trees to add color and interest to any area.
When choosing plants for your hanging baskets, be sure to consider the amount of sunlight they will receive.
If your hanging baskets will be in full sun, you’ll need to choose plants that can handle the heat.
Here are a few of the best full sun container plants for hanging baskets:
19. Full Sun Container Plants for Window Boxes
Window boxes are a great way to add plants and flowers to your home’s exterior. They can be placed on windowsills, railings, or hung from a hook.
The best part about window boxes is that they can be seen from inside and outside your home.
If you have a window box that receives full sun, you can fill it with a mix of colorful flowers and foliage.
Here, we used a mix of petunias, geraniums, and sweet potato vine to create a beautiful and vibrant window box that’s sure to turn heads.
20. Full Sun Container Plants for Indoor Window Sills
When thinking of indoor window sills, you want to consider the light that comes in.
If your window gets a lot of direct light, then these plants would be perfect for you.
These plants are small enough to fit on your window sill, and they each have their own unique look.
You can either have just one of these plants on your window sill or mix and match a few of them.
21. Full Sun Container Plants for Indoors
While most full sun container plants are for outdoor use, you can use them indoors as well.
If you have a sunny window, you can grow many of the same plants inside.
When using full sun container plants indoors, it is important to note that the sun can be more intense through a window.
Make sure the plants you choose can handle the light and keep them well-watered.
Conclusion
Container gardening is a great way to add color to your outdoor space, whether it’s a small balcony or large patio. For more gardening ideas, check out our blog.
