27 Stunning Plants That Will Thrive In Containers In Full Sun

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You've discovered all the beautiful plants that will thrive in containers in the shade and that cool, damp part of your garden is thriving. Now it's time to tackle your desert-like, sun-filled patio where everything you place there seems to shrivel and die. It could be a matter of the wrong planter or too little water, but it could also come down to a poor plant selection. In other words, you need to choose stunning plants that thrive, not keel over, in full sun. Try butterfly attracting natives like rattlesnake master, blazing star, or bee balm. For something that climbs, we recommend mandevillas or bougainvilleas. If you need some dramatic foliage, ornamental grasses, select succulents, and red bananas can take the heat.

A full sun plant needs between six and eight hours of sunlight a day to produce vibrant flowers, luscious fruit, or otherwise perform at its best. While some full sun plants will grow in light shade, they get leggy and bloom less. When choosing containers for heat-lovers, note that terracotta pots pose a problem in sunny spots: their porosity draws the water from the soil, and therefore, also from the plant's roots. Black or dark hued containers can attract a little too much of the sun's energy, heating the pot sometimes to plant-wilting (or even plant-perspiring) temperatures. And if you plan to mix plants in a container, make sure they tolerate the same growing conditions — for example, plant only drought-hardy or moist soil species together.

Red banana refers to a few species within the Ensete and Musa genera; they all thrive in full sun. The red Abyssinian banana (Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii') is readily available in the U.S. and loves container life, as does Siam ruby banana (Musa 'Siam Ruby'), and the deeply maroon-hued blood banana (Musa acuminata 'Zebrina'). Everything you need to know before planting a red banana tree can be summed up thus: they do well in a large, well-drained container in a sunny spot and probably need to be overwintered indoors.

Mandevilla are tropical vines native to Central and South America with blooms in just about every color. Plants thrive in pots and can be treated as an annual or overwintered inside in frosty climes. Some varieties need afternoon shade in hot places, so look for specifically full sun cultivars if you can't provide that. Go vibrant with two point-petaled Sandys Nursery Online Mandevilla FiredUp Orange Starter Plants for about $13 or traditional with a Tropical Plants of Florida White Live Flowering Mandevilla Plant in a 1 gallon pot for $30.

The sun-loving nature of the popular container plant verbena or vervain is well-known among gardeners. Choose perennial varieties over bedding annuals for better success. Pair the wispy tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) with bushy plants for a peek-a-boo planter. Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) is native to North America, boasts blue-purple blooms, and is perfect for sun-soaked planters, while another U.S. native Verbenaceae family flowering shrub, rose verbena (Glandularia canadensis), thrives in hot pots with well-drained soil. There are also some dramatically blooming verbena hybrids to choose from, like Superbena Stormburst and Superbena Sparkling Amethyst.

Eryngium yuccifolium goes by a few common names, rattlesnake master, button snakeroot, and button eryngo among them. Despite its serpentine namesakes, the plant attracts a wide range of native insects, from Monarch butterflies and skippers to soldier beetles, bees, wasps, and flies. This carrot family perennial boasts unusual spiny yucca-like leaves and white powder-puff flowers; the latter make interesting additions to a cut flower arrangement. Plant rattlesnake master in full sun in a pot filled with dry, sandy soil, though it will also tolerate damp soils.

If you need a plant for a sunny patio, you can't go wrong with the daisy (Asteraceae) family. Sunflowers are, perhaps, an obvious choice. Try bushy dwarf cultivars like SunBelievable Brown Eyed Girl Helianthus or the native willow-leaved sunflower (Helianthus salicfolius). Upland white goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), native to the Ozarks, is among the best plants to grow in shallow soil. Other daisies to consider include African daisies, asters like the native aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), or anything bidens — we recommend Bidens feruliflora Goldilocks Rocks.

Heat tolerant celosia have tall, fluffy flower spikes that add an artistic element to container gardens. Wheat celosia (Celosia spicata) works well as a thriller in sun-blasted container arrangements due to its bright pink inflorescences. Cockscomb (Celosia argentea var. cristata) is a statement-making full sun container plant due to its namesake blooms that resemble the comb of a rooster. Celosia argentea 'New Look', also called feather celosia, boasts lanky, fluffy fluorescences and is hardy down to Zone 2, making it a good choice for container gardeners in cool climates.

The California golden poppy (Eschscholzia californica) hardly needs an introduction — it is, after all, the state flower of California. It thrives in a desert-like environment, making it a good choice for containers in the sun. In fact, it hates shade so much that it often closes its petals on cloudy days. If you want to stay native, you could also consider purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata). It's not a true poppy, but the flowers bear a striking resemblance to its namesake.

Zinnias easily number among the most often recommended plants for containers in full sun. They're native to America, thrive in the heat of summer, couldn't be easier to grow, and are a favorite of butterflies and other pollinators. If you want a rainbow of hues, try the garden expert-recommended Burpee State Fair Mix Zinnias — you'll get 100 seeds for a bit over $8. Other bright cultivars include 'Pop Art', 'Green Envy', 'Persian Carpet', and 'Candy Cane'. Whichever varieties you choose, don't forget to deadhead the plants to encourage more blooms.

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' makes for a great sun-loving thrillers in a container. But be aware that its parent, African fountain grass, is considered invasive in Hawaii and southern to central California. Some common garden pests are repelled by lemongrass, which is another grass you could consider growing in sunny pots. If you prefer something native to the U.S., consider little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) — with blue-tinged leaves and bronze blooms — or Prairie Winds 'Cheyenne Sky', a cultivar of purple flowering switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).

Almost all geraniums (Pelargonium) and geranium hybrids are sun lovers that also won't wilt and die if you forget to water them for a few days, making them perfect for a pot in the sunniest corner of your patio. They bloom from spring to fall and come in an astonishing range of vibrant hues. To create a sensory garden, choose scented-leaved geraniums, though note that they may benefit from a little shade on a particularly hot summer afternoon. Avoid ivy leaf geranium (Pelargonium peltatum), which grows best in partial shade if it's hot.

Lantana (Lantana camara) are flowering shrubs that love the sun, boast clusters of tubular blooms, and will bring hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard. It thrives as a perennial in zones 10 and 11, but you can grow it as an annual pretty much everywhere. There are lots of cultivars to choose from, with blooms running the full spectrum from purple to yellow. Lantana looks pretty in a sun-situated planter filled with coral bells, geraniums, artemisia, or miniature roses.

Cleomes are commonly called spider flowers because their spindly blooms resemble creeping arachnids, albeit ones you want to look at rather than swat at. The plant thrives in sunny pots, but does need watering when there's little rain. A pack of 1,500 Seed Needs Cleome Seeds for Planting Spider Plants will only run you about $4. While many old-fashioned spider flowers have thorns and sticky leaves and stems, these unsavory characteristics have been bred out of hybrid cultivars like 'Spirit' and 'Senorita' by Proven Winners.

If you're looking to add more sun-basking North American native plants to your patio planters, consider blazing stars (Liatris). These plants tolerate drought and poor soils , and won't thrive without full sun. In spring, tall spikes shoot up from the foliage; come summer, those spikes are full of bright, pollinator-attracting flowers. With over 30 liatris varieties, you're unlikely to run out of options. Popular varieties include dense blazing star (Liatris spicata), prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya), and Rocky Mountain blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis).

What's not to love about drought, humidity, and heat tolerant salvias (also commonly called late-season sage)? The deer pretty much leave them alone, they boast plumes in hues of pink, blue, and purple, and they thrive in a pot with good drainage dropped in the sunniest spot in the yard. Decide whether you want to grow perennial salvias or annual salvias, which you'll need to replant every year. Whichever you choose, look for dwarf and compact varieties. A pack of 1,000 Salvia (Sage) Superba Blue Queen Dwarf Seeds costs about $26.

These hardy flowering shrubs go by the common names of million bells or trailing petunia, and thy actually prefer potted life over bedding down in the garden. These South American natives need full sun to produce their profuse, vibrant blooms in near-endless color combos. Million bells resemble a smaller, more compact petunia and tolerate dry spells, though they like a pH-balanced soil. Rejoice: you don't need to deadhead them. Try Proven Winners' Superbells series — varieties like 'Love Swept,' 'Lemon Slice,' 'Double Amber,' and 'Blue Moon Punch' are all guaranteed sun-friendly.

If you need a thriller for a container, don't overlook sedums. Depending on which variety you get, these succulents tick the box for interesting foliage — try burro's tail (Sedum morganianum) — and abundant blooms — pick orange stonecrop (Sedum kamtschaticum). Sedum cultivars that have proven their worth in sunny containers include 'Boogie Woogie,' 'Yellow Brick Road,' and 'Bundle of Joy'. The semi-succulent moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora) boasts rainbow-hued blooms and offers a feathery contrast to beefier succulents. Sun-loving purslane (Portulaca oleracea), which also happens to be edible, is another option.

It's necessary to grow catmint (Nepeta) in full sun or they won't bloom well. Other than that, they're unfussy plants, tolerating a variety of soils, different plant neighbors, and a lack of attention. Catmint is in the mint family, and its scented leaves keep deer away. It's not the only Nepeta variety worth planting. For something a little different, try the adorably named hybrid cultivar 'Cat's Pajamas' . You should, however, avoid Nepeta subsessilis and Nepeta cyanea — they prefer cool, damp locations.

Petunias are the royalty of plants that grow well in sunny pots; they truly need eight hours of bright sunlight a day to bloom abundantly. With so many cultivars and hybrids on the plant market today, you'll never tire of the spring-to-frost flower colors and sizes on offer. Give petunias the opportunity and they will trail, making them a great option for hanging planters. Despite gardeners' predilection for planting petunias in pots, these are far from drought tolerant plants. Keep them well-watered when the weather warms and the rain stops.

Dwarf morning glory (Evolvulus glomeratus) resembles, as the common name implies, a morning glory vine, only smaller in flower and foliage. This vibrant blue-blooming plant is most often grown in pots or hanging baskets as an annual (though there are perennial varieties like the popular Evolvulus 'Blue My Mind'), and placing the planter in full sun encourages the plant to produce more flowers for the single season it's alive. Dwarf morning glory is pest and disease-free, though it prefers a pot with good drainage.

Fanflower (Scaevola aemula) boasts so many benefits for the sun-soaked container gardener. The plant hails from the dry climates of Australia, so it will survive infrequent watering — though it flowers best with consistent watering — and high temperatures, and doesn't need deadheading to continue producing its abundant fan-shaped flowers. Bloom hues span blue, purple, pink, and white, so you're bound to find something that suits any container design. Grow it as an annual anywhere outside of zones 9 to 11.

Golden dewdrop (Duranta erecta) does well in containers and needs a full sun spot. In summer through fall, you get butterfly-like purple, white, or blue flowers and yellow-orange berries — the latter last into the winter, if the birds don't get them all first. The berries and leaves are highly poisonous, so don't plant it around homes with curious children or pets. An Emerald Goddess Gardens Sapphire Showers Purple Duranta in a 4-inch pot costs about $32; expect to pay around $15 for a packet of 20 Duranta Erecta Flower Seeds.

Since summer snapdragon (Angelonia) is cold hardy down to zone 8, it's most often grown in pots as an annual. Leave it out in the sun all spring and summer and overwinter it inside. If you want to grow petite summer snapdragon plants from seed, look for the 'Serena' series of plants. If you're hoping for lots of showy blooms and some height, try the popular 'Angelface Blue' by Proven Winners. This plant likes a little water soluble fertilizer from time to time when growing in containers.

Few things are more romantic than a row of large terracotta pots filled with English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) in full bloom. All you need to do to release the plant's heady scent into the garden air is brush up against a shrub. If you're looking for something out of the traditional purple flower spikes, try cultivars like the pink-hued 'Hidcote Pink' or the white-blooming 'Nana Alba'. English lavender is hardy in zones 5 through 9 and prefers full sun and dry soil, making it a good option for xeriscape container gardens.

In a boon for lovers of both pollinator-friendly and native container gardens, bee balm (Monarda didyma) is native to eastern North America and thrives in pots on a full sun patio in much of the U.S. Expect visits from hungry hummingbirds and beneficial insects if you plant it. 'Pardon My Purple' by Proven Winners is perfect for a sunny planter, as is a Greenwood Nursery Live Perennial Bee Balm Fireball in a 1 pint pot, available for about $27. Both cultivars are petite in stature and bursting with vibrant color.

A full sun spot is not just a preference but a must-have for a potted penta (Pentas lanceolata), also commonly called Egyptian star. These zone 10 to 11 bushy but slow-growing beauties hate the cold and as such, are planted as an annual throughout most of the U.S. If you get the growing conditions right with weekly watering and cactus mix for your potting medium, expect to see blazing clusters of star-shaped flowers in red, pink, or white that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens), also known as the cherry pie plant due to its scent, boasts blooms in deep purple, traditionally, or lavender and white in cultivars. Plant this fragrant pastel annual to give your containers a touch of romance, making sure to water it well during dry spells. Get a packet of 100 Mountain Valley Seed Company Non-GMO Marine Heliotrope Flower Garden Seeds for a bit over $16. Before you plant them, be aware — all parts of the heliotrope plant are poisonous to humans and horses if eaten in large quantities.

Put a container-grown bougainvillea in all-day sun and treat it poorly, and you're still pretty much guaranteed a dramatic display of vibrantly hued bracts, even if the plant is small. Varieties flower in a wide range of colors, from hot pink to canary yellow. They're affordable plants, too. For example, you can get a Rooted & Grounded Nursery of Perry FL Well Established Pink Bougainvillea in 6" Pot with Trellis for about $23. Note that this bougainvillea has decently sized thorns, so wear gloves when pruning it.