How to Plant Perennials in Containers

Get more bang for your buck by including perennials in your container garden. They can be transplanted at the end of the season into the garden, where they’ll perform for years to come. Learn how to plant perennials in containers in this video by Better Homes and Gardens:

1. Start by choosing a large, deep pot to allow for root growth.

2. A lightweight pot is easier to move around, so place empty nursery pots in the bottom of the pot to save on the weight and expense of potting soil.

3. Fill your container almost to the top with potting soil. Never use soil from the garden.

4. Choose plants with attractive foliage, like tiger eyes sumac, heuchera, hosta, sedum and dwarf fountaingrass. Include one or two perennials that offer a long blooming season, such as shasta daisy, purple coneflower, black-eyed susan or coreopsis.

5. Arrange the potted plants in your container with a tall anchor plant in back and shorter filler plants in the middle. Place trailing plants in the front. Keeping plants in the pots allows you to move them around until you arrive at a pleasing design.

5. Gently remove the tall anchor plant from its nursery pot by turning it upside down and letting gravity do the work. If roots are bound up in the pot, untangle them before planting.

6. Add heuchras or other mounding plants as the fillers. Annual potato vine in a coordinating hue makes a great trailer. Finish with a shasta daisy or another flowering plant for a splash of bloom.

7. Fill in with additional soil and press down to eliminate air pockets.

Water your container garden regularly.

In the fall, transplant perennials to the garden and surround them with mulch. This will give roots time to establish before the ground freezes. Next spring, you’ll have new plants to enjoy in your garden. Just be sure to select plants that are hearty in your area.