Show Your Patriotism with Red, White and Blue Flower Pots

Red, white and blue flower pots are a fun and easy way to decorate for patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. The bright, bold colors immediately evoke feelings of American pride.

Planting red, white and blue flowers in pots for your porch, patio, or yard allows you to create stunning displays to celebrate the season without making permanent changes to garden beds. Container gardening offers flexibility to switch up arrangements year after year.

When planning red, white and blue pots, focus on choosing plants that can handle your sun exposure and climate. Select heat-loving varieties that thrive in summer’s hot, dry conditions if your containers sit in full sun. Seek out shade-tolerant plants if your patio or porch stays shady.

Choosing Red Flowers and Foliage

Vibrant red blooms make an energetic addition to patriotic pots. Some popular red flowering annuals include:

• Geraniums – Classic red garden favorites with rounded clusters of flowers Zonal geraniums thrive in sun while ivy types suit shadier spots

• Verbena – Tough, heat-loving plants smothered in small red blooms Grow as spillers in mixed containers.

• Salvia – Taller red flower spikes create height and interest. ‘Red Hot Sally’ is a compact, large-flowered variety.

• Petunias – Ranging from tiny groundcover types to large-flowered trailing varieties, petunias offer endless red options.

• Zinnias – Choose dwarf varieties like ‘Zahara Double Fire’ for containers.

• Begonias – From vigorous wax begonias to tuberous varieties, begonias offer bold red blooms.

• Pentas – Star-shaped flowers cover these tropical beauties all summer long in sun or light shade.

For red foliage, look for plants like coleus, ornamental sweet potato vines, Alternanthera, Crotons, and Cordyline. Dark burgundy or wine-colored leaves can substitute for true red if needed.

White Blooms Brighten Up Pots

White flowers and foliage instantly cool down the look of containers while still keeping to the red, white and blue color theme. Here are some top choices for white:

• Petunias – Lots of petunias sport white blooms or bicolored flowers in red, white and blue shades. Wave petunias are ideal spillers.

• Angelonia – Also called Summer Snapdragon, these tough plants bloom through heat in sun. Try ‘Angelface White’.

• Alyssum – Tiny white blossoms completely cloak this fragrant annual in bloom. It works wonderfully as a low edging plant.

• Bacopa – This little plant creeps delightfully over pot edges with its white blooms against dark foliage.

• Diamond Frost Euphorbia – Airy white bracts resembling baby’s breath give a soft, feminine touch.

• Sweet Alyssum – The tiny white flowers on this low spreader smell heavenly. ‘Snow Princess’ is a popular variety.

White foliage options include Dusty Miller, Artemisia, Caladiums like ‘White Queen’, Hostas, and Euonymus. Variegated leaves can also lend white coloring.

Vibrant Blue Flowers Pepper Containers

Deep blue blossoms look fantastic alongside red and white. Some top blue picks include:

• Ageratum – ‘Blue Horizon’ works wonderfully in sun or shade, blooming constantly.

• Lobelia – One of the few annuals with true blue flowers. Compact types like ‘Riviera Midnight Blue’ suit pots.

• Browallia – Cheery little flowers on mounding plants. Grow ‘Sapphire’ or ‘Marine Blue’ in sun or shade.

• Petunias – Lots of petunias come in patriotic mixes or solid mid to deep blues.

• Petchoa – A hybrid cross between petunias and calibrachoa, with vibrant blue options.

• Plumbago – Though technically purple, the clusters of frilly flowers appear vivid blue. Prefers warm climates.

• Salvia – Tall spikes of small blue flowers on varieties like ‘Evolution Violet’ and ‘Mystic Spires Blue’.

For blue foliage, choose options like blue fescue grass, blue oat grass, blue star creeper, or succulents like blue Echeveria and blue Agave.

Ideas for Combining Red, White and Blue Flowers in Pots

When planting red, white and blue containers, creatively mix flowers and foliage for bold, balanced displays.

For smaller pots, opt for a simple combination using just one red, one white and one blue flowering plant, plus a foliage filler like trailing ivy.

Larger containers offer room for more elaborate combinations. Try mixing several red, white and blue flowering plants for abundant color.

Incorporate plants with red, white and blue variegated foliage as well as green foliage for texture.

Place taller red and blue flowers in the center and back of pots for height. Use white flowers and trailing plants around the outer edges to spill over sides.

For a dynamic, exciting look, make red the dominant color in your red, white and blue pots. Aim for a ratio of around 50% red plants, 25% white plants and 25% blue plants.

Accentuate your patriotic containers by choosing red, white or blue colored pots. Or use metallic gold and silver planters for a star-spangled effect.

Patriotic Container Garden Inspiration

For more red, white and blue pot ideas, browse photos of patriotic container gardens planted by home gardeners as well as plant breeders like Proven Winners.

Seeing examples of successful plant combinations helps ignite inspiration. Notice how other gardens combine different flower colors, heights, and textures.

Look for pots that match your growing conditions and available sunlight. Check plant tags to ensure varieties suit your hardiness zone.

When designing your own patriotic pots, feel free to be creative and make unique combinations. Use the photos for inspiration but choose plants you love.

Celebrate with Gorgeous Red, White and Blue Flower Pots

With so many vibrant options for annuals and attractive foliage, creating stunning red, white and blue planters is an easy, fun way to decorate.

Give your patio, porch or yard a patriotic summertime makeover this year. Show your American spirit by planting eye-catching containers filled with bold red, white and blue flowers and foliage.