Planting flowers should be fun and rewarding, not stressful.  When selecting annuals it is really hard to go wrong when picking colors.  Don’t be afraid and choose the plants and colors you like.  There really are no rules.

For the best containers and beds, keep taller plants to the back or center depending on the shape or position of your garden bed or container.   Let the shorter and trailing or spreading plants fill in the edges and everything else can go in between.  Choose one or more plants from the three types below and you can’t go wrong.

Thriller, the centerpiece or focal point.  These are the tall, upright plants with eye-  catching foliage or color planted at the back or center.  Grasses, coleus, and angelonia are examples of perfect   “thrillers”.

Filler, mounded plants that fill out the container.  These plants should provide contrast in texture and/or color.  Great plants in this group include lantana, nemesia, ostespermum and Diamond Frost.

Spiller plants soften the edges of the container or planting by spilling over the edge.    Choices include sweet potato vine, bacopa, million bells, fuchsia, lobularia and more.

Use Sargent’s Plant Finder to check out all the beautiful plants for your containers before heading out to the store with your list and coupon.