Elevate Your Spring Garden With Vibrant Container Plants

As spring breaks loose and warms the air around us, we can look forward to colourful blooms and plenty of greenery. Spring flowers are one of the true joys in life, and being able to grow your own display of them is very worthwhile. Read this article to learn all about growing a thriving spring garden.

Spring Plant Combinations

Daffodils and Violas

Yellow and purple – being opposite each other on the colour wheel – complement each other beautifully. Yellow daffodils and purple violas make the perfect pair in a spring garden.

Crocus and Daisies

Another similar colour combination comes from crocus and daisies, but this time with an additional flash of white. These early spring blooms pair perfectly.

Tulips and Hyacinths

With the many hues of tulips available, you’re bound to find the perfect one to match with hyacinths. The simple shape of tulips pairs gorgeously with the more complex shapes of hyacinths.

Lavender and Poppies

These are both classic flowers that pair beautifully. The sturdy, sweetly-scented lavender makes a great backdrop for the delicate poppies.

Spring Plants for Different Garden Conditions

Shade-Loving Plants

These spring-flowering plants all grow well in shade:

• Epimedium × versicolor ‘Sulphureum’ – This is an evergreen groundcover plant that produces beautiful pale yellow flowers in the spring.
• Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ – This shade-loving plant puts out vibrant blue blooms in the spring.
• Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ – Grow this variety for some more delicate blue spring flowers.
• Dicentra spectabilis (Lamprocapnos) – If you want incredible displays of pink, dangling flowers (even in the shade!) this is the plant for you.

Spring Plants for Full Sun

These spring plants all thrive in full sun:

• Arabis blepharophylla Rose Delight – Arabis grow happily in rock gardens, fitting into any little nook and cranny. They add some beautiful spring blooms and are very low-maintenance.
• Delphinium Magic Fountain Dark Blue – This plant is perfect for some cool spring tones. The bright blue flowers thrive in full sun.
• Rudbeckia – AKA Black Eyed Susan, this plant produces striking yellow flowers with black centres. Growing this plant is a great way to add vibrant colour to a garden that gets a lot of sun.

Spring Container Ideas by Colours

If you’re styling your spring containers with specific colour combinations, here are some gorgeous spring-flowering plants for pink, orange, yellow, blue, white, or purple displays.

Pretty Pinks:

• Azalea Rhododendron Encore ‘Sunburst’
• Peony Coral Sunset
• Lupins
• Dalmation Peach Foxgloves

Warm Spring Oranges:

• Tulip ‘Veronique Sanson’
• Wallflower Fire King
• Viola Sorbet Citrus Mix
• Pansy Fire

Sunlit Yellows:

• Daffodils
• Yellow foxgloves
• Forsythia Fiesta
• Pansy Colossus Lemon

Serene Blues:

• Forget-Me-Nots
• Hyacinths
• Iris Sapphire Beauty
• Bluebells
• Aquilegia Blue Barlow – Granny’s Bonnet, Columbine

Fresh Whites:

• Lily of the Valley
• Snowdrops
• Tulip Royal Virgin
• Magnolia Vanilla Pearls
• Deutzia Yuki Snowflake

Vibrant Purples:

• Lilacs
• Allium
• Tree peony – Paeonia suffruticosa
• Crocus
• Purple foxgloves

How To Plant Your Spring Containers

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to planting in outdoor containers. For more details, check out our full guide to planting.

1. Make up your soil mix. Combine compost with necessary amendments such as wood chips for aeration.

2. Soak terracotta pots in water before planting – this will reduce how much moisture they absorb from the soil.

3. Remove your plant from the nursery pot and loosen the roots. Only untangle the roots if they’re overgrown or you’re completely removing the original soil.

4. Put a layer of potting mix at the bottom of the new pot, deep enough that the root system can be buried without burying any of the above-ground plant.

5. Place the plant into its new pot. Holding it upright, fill in the gaps around the plant with potting mix. Make sure the roots are completely covered.

6. Tap the sides of the pot to reduce air pockets in the soil.

7. Thoroughly water the plant to help it establish in its new home.

Window Box Planting

To plant up your spring window boxes, follow these simple steps:

1. Pick spring-flowering plants that will grow well in the same conditions.

2. Fill the window box halfway with potting mix.

3. Place your plants in, allowing them their own space to grow. Put at least 2-3 inches between them.

4. Fill in the gaps with potting mix and tap the sides of the container.

5. Water the plants to help them establish.

Planting Hanging Baskets

Here are the basic steps for planting your spring hanging baskets. For more details, read our full article on hanging baskets.

1. Place your basket on a plant pot to help stabilise it.

2. Use a basket liner or sphagnum moss to line the basket unless it already has one.

3. Cut planting holes into the liner at different heights, at least 5-10cm from the base.

4. Add potting mix up to the level of the cut holes.

5. Wrap newspaper around the root ball of the plant you’re adding. Push the roots through the hole into the basket and remove the newspaper.

6. Add potting soil around the roots to make sure they’re covered.

7. Repeat this process until all of your trailing plants are planted. Then, fill the top of the basket with plants and fill the gaps with potting soil.

8. Thoroughly water your newly planted basket.