Red, White, And Blue Container Companions For The Perfect Independence Day Display

For most folks in the U.S., the Fourth of July is a time spent out of doors, enjoying the summertime traditions of cookouts, pool parties, and fireworks. Add to the spirit of the occasion with an Independence Day display that will blow away your friends and family with its spectacular blooms. There are many options if you're looking for great container companions to showcase your patriotism through flowers. From classic red geraniums to more unusual choices like sweetpotato vine, you can find plenty of stunning red, white, and blue plants to make a cohesive and charming container.

Don't worry about getting your display just right. A pleasant mix of plants in bright colors cannot go wrong. Plus, there are few truly blue flowers. Instead, focus on dark purple plants that are almost blue-looking to grow alongside your white and red species. Another great option is to grow red and white flowers in a bright blue pot — a way to capture the essence of the American flag. A container is great to add a little something to a porch, and you can pair it with a DIY patriotic doormat made from super affordable materials.

Trailing lobelia (Lobelia erinus) is a popular selection for blue flowers, as they come in beautiful bluish-purple cultivars like 'Sapphire' and 'Blue Moon'. To make the patriotic container garden of your dreams, start with this blue flower and intersperse white verbena (Verbena urticifolia) and red petunias (Petunia x hybrida). The ultimate effect is perfectly star-spangled. Petunias and lobelias are a dream combination in the garden because of their different growth habits, with the clumping petunias and trailing lobelias complementing each other beautifully. Cool weather-loving lobelias will also benefit from the shade the other plants provide in a container.

Let freedom ring by using bold, bright geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum) in your next floral show. Geraniums make great container flowers to add variety to a patio or deck with their tall blooms. This annual flower grows well in full sun, but needs plenty of consistent water to maintain cool, moist soil. When designing a Fourth of July look, use red geraniums to draw attention with their long-blooming color. Consider using vibrant red cultivars like 'Melody Red' or 'Sincerely Yours' with blue lobelia and white euphorbia interspersed for a festive container.

When creating an Independence Day flower display, consider using flowers with different textures and sizes. Pair the large blooms of hardy chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum) with tiny white sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima). Add a little sprinkling of long-blooming Dalmatian bellflower (Campanula portenschlagiana) and you have an attractive container for your celebrations. Bold red mums are a low-maintenance flower with height to offset the look of mat-forming species like sweet alyssum and Dalmatian bellflower. Some of the best red mum cultivars are 'Garnet' with its bright crimson blooms and 'Ruby Mound' with large maroon red flowers.

If you're looking to plant red, white, and blue flowers, petunias come in dozens of shades. Make a patriotic container with just petunias. Grow a deep red cultivar like 'Supertunia Black Cherry' alongside pure white and deep purple-blue varieties. However, it's also fun to mix it up by planting petunias with other flowers of similar height, like white shasta daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum), red geraniums, and blue lobelia. Petunias thrive in full sun and require it for the best blooms, so they pair well with shasta daisies and geraniums that also enjoy the sun.

To have your petunias make more of a statement, grow a fantastically-colored and bold sweetpotato vine (Ipomoea batatas) in the middle of your container. Sweetpotato vine is a unique way to represent blue in your floral displays with edible plants, although ornamental selections do not taste particularly good. Some ornamental varieties feature purplish, heart-shaped leaves. The bold look of the leaves is then complemented by the dainty look of red and white petunias. Purple-leaved ornamental cultivars like 'Sweet Caroline Bewitched After Midnight'add a delightful deep blue to your pots.

Do not settle for the ordinary when you can create extraordinary July Fourth displays with contrasting flower combinations. Flowers with different heights and growing habits draw the eye with ease. Growing tall purpletop verbena (Verbena bonariensis) with shorter red wax begonias (Begonia) is a study in contrasts. Tie everything together with some clumps of white petunias and silvery sprays of licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare). Both purpletop verbena and wax begonias are popular with butterflies, drought tolerant, and long-blooming companions. Altogether, these species create a unique red, white, and blue look with exceptional texture and variety.

The ideal hanging basket flowers spill playfully over the edge of their pot. Million bells (Calibrachoa x hybrida) is an ideal flower choice for a hanging Independence Day display. Along with being abundant flower producers, this hanging basket flower thrives in the summer sun so it won't fade in the July Fourth heat. Select red varieties of million bells like 'Callie Scarlet Red' or 'Superbells Red' to pair with red geraniums and blue lobelias for a full look. White calibrachoa cultivars give the effect of little stars on a flag.

You don't need to use the loudest flowers to make gorgeous Fourth of July containers. With coral bells (Heuchera) you can craft a more muted celebratory display. Coral bells have many ornamental varieties, including some with gorgeous red leaves. Variations range from red to pink to burgundy, which means you have options to lay out the best container. Heuchera plays well with other foliage, like ferns and hostas, for a fresh green creation. Mix in delicate white columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) and blue lobelia to round out your subtle Americana floral look.