Container Gardening in the Shade: 5 Must-Have Annuals | Gardening with the Williamses

Container gardening isn’t limited to sunny areas in our gardens. We can brighten up spaces that are more shaded. Finding suitable annuals for these conditions can be challenging, especially if you’re aiming to add color. I’ve selected five stunning annuals that will not only thrive but will also add enduring beauty to your shaded garden areas. Join me as I create some impressive, unique containers using these plants listed below. Enjoy!

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Proven Winners Annuals Used in the Video:

Endless Flirtation Browallia: https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/browallia/endless-flirtation-bush-violet-browallia-hybrid

Lime-Time Coleus:
https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/coleus/colorblaze-lime-time-coleus-scutellarioides

El Brighto Coleus:
https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/coleus/colorblaze-el-brighto-coleus-scutellarioides

Solena Scarlet Begonia:
https://www.provenwinners.com/plants/begonia/solenia-scarlet-rieger-begonia-begonia-x-hiemalis

Other Plants Used:

Creeping Jenny:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/1-Pint-Yellow-Creeping-Jenny-in-Pot-L2652/5002652023

Hypoestes Plant (Polka Dot Plant):
No link available. In stores only. (Lowes)

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Today is a perfect day to talk about shade gardening and how rewarding that can be. We’re all really used to planting up those beautiful annuals and perennials that require sun. But very often we do have spaces in our yard that are more in a shaded or protected area. And finding the right annuals or perennials for those spots can be sometimes challenging, especially if you want to bring an element of color to those spaces. So, what we’re going to do today is we’re going to look at five of my favorite annuals and we’re going to plant them up in some unique containers and we’re going to give our front porch a much needed refresh that can last through the spring, the summer, and into the fall. Stick around. I have a lot to show you. [Music] So, all of these plants are beautiful and very often we find plants just like this at our garden center and we get excited. And if you’re like me, sometimes we get so excited that we don’t necessarily read the light requirements of where these things need to be placed and then we end up in a situation where the plant is not doing as well as we thought it would simply because it’s not in the right spot. So, it’s really important to know where to place your plants, especially if you’re going to plant them in containers like me. And the great thing about containers is if it is getting way too much sun or they’re not liking their spot, you can easily move them. So, the plants that I have here in front of me, will do really well in a part shade situation. And some of them will do well in full shade. But there are also some plants here, especially these kolas, that will do well in sun or shade. And when you have a plant that is that versatile, it really does take the headache away from figuring out where exactly to plant them or the worry, I should say, in am I going to plant them or place them in a place that they’re not going to like. So, that is really kind of nice cuz then there’s no headache and they do well no matter where you put them. So, let’s clear off this table really quick and we’ll talk about some of these really cool varieties. I’m going to show you how we’re going to pair them together in their containers. Okay, so these are the three different types of plants I’m going to put in the first container. And the first thing that you notice is this gorgeous bagonia right here. This is the Selena red beonia from Proven Winners. And guys, don’t you agree? Super beautiful. Look at those blooms. It’s just covered in that deep rich red um tone there. And it just really pops against the foliage, which is a really nice dark green. They really do well with a little bit of protection. I feel like if I put these in full sun here, especially in the summertime when we get a little bit more humid towards the end of the summer, I feel it would kind of bake it to a crisp. And I grew the Selena yellow on the front porch last year and it did beautifully. So, I know that these are going to do really well there, especially with that little bit of extra um protection from the sun with the hot afternoon sun. Anyways, so these are supposed to be long blooming and they are also mildew resistant, which is really nice for a bagonia cuz every once in a while our bagonas can be prone to mildew. I’ve seen it on my beonas before and the fact that this doesn’t have any issues with that, that’s fantastic. My Selena yellow ones on the front porch last year didn’t have 1 ounce of mildew all season long. Now, that’s not to say that they can’t develop a little bit, but the tag does say that they are pretty resistant to developing that powdery mildew that we all really don’t want to see. And then I went to Lowe’s and I picked up some of these polka dot plants, which um these are hippostas, I think they’re called, or hippost. And they’re also known as the hippo plant. And um these do really really well as house plants for a lot of people because they do like that indirect bright light, but they don’t want to be in full sun either. And my front porch is perfect because it is a bright space, but it’s not a space where they’re going to be in the hot sun. So, they’re going to get a little bit of dappled sun, but again, they’re going to be in a protected spot. So, I think they’re going to do really well right there. These also will grow. They’re kind of like they’re not like a complete thriller, but they will fill the space. And they can grow about maybe even a foot tall or I’ve seen people that have grown them even taller than that. And if they get too tall and kind of tower over, then I can trim them back because they do respond really well to a little trim back every once in a while. But I really like the contrast in what you’re seeing here. We have that light pink with the dark green background. And then we have this dark green background with a little bit of the white spotting. super pretty. I think in the container it’s going to be really nice. And then of course creeping jenny. We got to love creeping jenny. A lot of people use this as a ground cover. I used it in my containers last year and for me it does well in sun or shade. If you have it in sun it turns a little bit more golden. If it’s in a more protected spot then you get this like really nice green and I just really do appreciate the color that it is right now. That’s kind of a chartreuse green and that green comparison to the beautiful leaves of the beonia is just really nice. It just absolutely pops. So, we’re going to plant these together. I love versatile plants and creeping jenny and these beonas are going to absolutely fit the bill. The only ones that are a little bit more particular would be obviously these hippo or polka dot plants, but I think it’s going to be fine because they’re going to be tucked underneath and that area, like I said before, is pretty sheltered. So, we’re going to plant up two of these um in two different pots. So, let’s get those planted right now and see how they turn out. So, one of the things that I want to add to that space is an element of fun there. And I want to kind of create a little bit of a contrast to what I have already there, like the retan chairs, the table, and my other large pot that I’m going to plant up in a moment. But, I really like these metal containers because they are really nicely worn. I really like how you see that rust spot right there. And the bottom is not perfect by any means. Um, and it really is going to create an established look. So, when you plant these plants in here, that gray color of the metal is going to be a really nice contrast to the leaves, the chartreuse color of the leaves, the dark leaves, and obviously the blooms. It’s going to look absolutely beautiful. And you want to make sure that you have nice drainage in your containers. So, you want to make sure that you poke holes in them. These did not come with holes in them. I had to drill them through and it was just fine. I used my drill and um they really do drain well, especially with really nice soil. I often use the moisture control soil from Miracle Grow and that works really nicely. But here recently, I’ve been able to find the Proven Winners allpurpose soil and that works great, too. You just want to make sure that you use whatever will drain really well because all these plants will definitely stay happy and they’re going to benefit from well- draining soil. So, before I get this started, because I eventually want to have this on drip, I want to run a drip line underneath and through the bottom so that I can easily connect it to my pre-existing drip line out in the front there. So, I’m going to pull this through just like that. And then I’m going to trim the bottom portion so it will stay just like that. And this way when I add my soil, then I can trim this and it can water. And then I can connect this part to my pre-existing line. So I’m going to add my soil next. Kind of keep this over the side and then we’ll get to planting. [Applause] [Music] [Music] All right. So, now that we have the first containers planted up with those beautiful bagonas, the hippotus plant, and then also the really nice creeping jenny, let’s move on to these next two varieties. I’m super excited. And you know what? I would be really gravely mistaken if I didn’t talk about an impatient because they really are a staple in the shade garden and they do really well for us. We’ve planted impatients on the front porch, I think, for many, many years. They get about 10 to 20 in high. Um, and they’ve definitely done that for us right there. They tend to really like it in that spot. They get a little bit of dappled sun in the late afternoon, but not for very long. And they are protected under the eaves. So, it really is a nice spot where they can thrive right there. Um, I noticed a couple years ago, because you know, you want to make sure your flowers bloom and they have the nutrients that they need, like I always say, to make it through the season, but I noticed that I don’t necessarily need to fertilize these things as much as I originally thought you had to. And when I cut back on my fertilizer, they did equally as well. And also, I noticed that I didn’t have a spidermite situation or a whitefly situation like I had seen before in the past. So, that seems to have curbed those pests from really coming around and attacking my plants. Not to say that it can’t happen, but it definitely did help and I haven’t seen an issue since. You could always plant them in the ground and they would be equally as beautiful there. So, really nice to add a little bit of color in that space. And then to continue with the white because I have white surefire beonas in that spot. I think I’m going to bring that up into the pot as well cuz I found these really cool endless flirtation white buralia from Proven Winners. And I’ve never seen these before locally and I was on a trip with my family down to a place called Rogers Garden in Orange County and they had a bunch of different varieties of Proven Winners plants and this was one of them. And I had been thinking about ordering these for years but never got around to it. So I was really happy to find it. Ironically enough, they had it in the sun and it looked like it was a little bit unhappy in that spot. It was a little bit yellow and so when I brought it home, I put it on the front porch where it’s going to live eventually and it immediately started to green up and it definitely seems a lot more happy. This is definitely for part shade to full shade. It will mound a little bit. I think I have my notes here. It says that it will grow about 12 to 16 in high and about 10 to 14 in wide. It looks like it’s going to trail just a little bit because it has a little bit of that trailing habit already in its little pot right here, but I think it will mound really nicely. So, these are going to be great in that container and I think they’re going to do really well together. And time will tell. I’ll give you some updates on that. All right. So, these two varieties of kolas I think are going to be perfect for the side of my house where I have my hydrangea garden. When those are finished blooming, I think these are going to bring an element of color and interest to that spot that it doesn’t currently have. These things will grow, according to the tag, between 24 and 40 in tall. And I think last year, the ones that I had in those containers were much larger than 40 in. They were absolutely huge. So, these are definitely going to fill in the spot. And you know, as they start to grow, if you want to create a little bit more dense branching pattern, you just snip off the tops and they will continually grow off the main branching towards the bottom, giving you a really nice, lush, full look. So, the first one I’m going to plant is this Elbrido. And a lot of the people that I’ve seen online have been planting these in the sun. So, I’m really curious to see what it’s going to look like when I plant it in the shade. because these two varieties, like I said at the beginning of the video, do well in sun or shade. And so I think the main difference when you plant these um colas either in sun or shade is the color, depth of color that they’ll get. When I planted the ridiculous kolas last year, I had one that was in partial shade and it tended to get a little bit of that green color to it, but the ones that were planted in the full sun were completely red in color. So it’s going to be great. So this Elbrido is just super beautiful. It has a really pretty light pink. It has a chartreuse edging and then it has a really deep center almost a burgundy which I think is going to be so nice. And then that’s going to be paired with this really nice color blaze lime time kolus. And this will draw in on the edging of the Elbrido. And I think these two together are going to be beautiful. I’ve seen a lot of people online pair this with the wicked witch variety, but I think with the Elbrido, it’s going to be really stunning. So, we’ll get those planted in after I plant up the container on the front porch with this gorgeous impatient and these Boralia. All right, so let’s get out to the front porch and get that area cleaned up. I have some boxwoods that need a little bit of a trim and I’m going to clear out some of the debris in the flower bed and really clear the front porch. Taking out those old impatience and giving that area a really nice refresh. Let’s [Music] go. Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] This turned out So nice. I love the difference in the blooms, the star- shaped blooms of the Boralia in comparison to the double blooms of the impatience. I think it really is a nice contrast in texture. And I think I’m going to like the idea of having color here along with the white because the main reason why I wanted to plant this boralia is because it’s going to draw in the bagonas that I have below that are white blooms and then it’ll also draw in a little bit of that red color that are is going on on the front porch with the front door and the recently planted beonas there. But these are going to be so great. These have very similar growth habits and they also say they have similar light requirements. They love shade. So the rallia and the impatients are going to be perfect here. Right about now we get a little bit of dappled sun and that’s going to be just right. They’re totally protected and they’re going to be really happy. So if they do grow and they start to get a little bit unruly, I can always trim them and that will encourage growth from the base. That will create a more tight uniform growth habit. And it’s going to be great to see how these grow. Hopefully, they’ll be full of blooms, giving us a nice show of color throughout the season. Okay, so these five plants are great in shade or part shade. And three of the plants can do well in sun or shade, which is great to have that kind of flexibility cuz you never have to worry about if you’ve put them in the right situation, they will thrive no matter where you place them. So, the buralia and the impatience, they need to be in part shade or shade to be fully protected. And the hippo plant or the polka dot plant needs of course that protection and it can even do really well as a house plant in a really bright light situation. But the kolas, the creeping jenny and the beonas can do well, especially the ones from Proven Winners in both sun and shade. And when you have a plant that is that versatile, then you don’t have to worry about whether you got it right. They’re going to really do well no matter where you place them. And you can kind of enjoy them either in the sun or the shade. So, that is our video for today. I’m so glad that you stopped by. I can’t wait to give you more updates as the season progresses. And we have so much more to plant. Believe me, a lot more to plant. So, we hope you join us in the next video. Until then, everybody, thank you so much and we’ll see you again very soon. Bye.