These are the best flower pairings to grow in pots because they complement each other in more than one way!
Creating the perfect container garden is all about smart pairings that bring out the best in each flower. When you grow these flowering plants together as shared below in a single pot, they come alive with beauty you couldn’t imagine.
Best Flower Pairings To Grow In Pots
1. Sunflowers and Petunias
Botanical Names: Helianthus annuus/Petunia spp.
It may not seem obvious, but if you pair sunflowers with cascading petunias, it will help you create a visual delight in pots. The upright stature of sunflowers acts like a natural backdrop, giving your petunias room to spill over the pot’s edges.
Both of these plants are sun-loving annuals that bloom best when basking in full rays for 6–8 hours a day, which gives you another reason to pair them together. Sunflowers also help shade the soil around the base, which keeps your petunia roots slightly cooler in peak summer.
Pro Tip: Choose dwarf sunflower varieties like ‘Sunspot’ or ‘Teddy Bear’ for containers.
2. Geraniums and Lobelia
Botanical Names: Pelargonium spp./Lobelia erinus
This pairing helps you use geraniums to add height and volume with rounded clusters of blooms. On the other hand, Lobelia drapes gracefully, adding texture and a pop of blue/violet hue that geraniums lack.
What makes them such great partners is their mutual preference for well-draining soil and moderate watering. Geraniums are drought-tolerant once established, and lobelia appreciates not being waterlogged, which makes them compatible when it comes to pot care.
Try placing the container in an area with morning sun and afternoon shade. This will help lobelia avoid midday heat stress while still giving geraniums enough light to bloom.
3. Sweet Alyssum and Snapdragon
Botanical Names: Lobularia maritima / Antirrhinum majus
Pairing sweet alyssum with snapdragons gives you that perfect mix of softness and structure in a single pot. Sweet alyssum hugs the soil with its delicate, honey-scented flowers, while snapdragons rise tall with cheerful blooms. This helps you create a beautiful tiered effect in your container garden.
Their shared love for cooler spring and fall weather, along with moderate moisture needs, makes them thrive together. Sweet alyssum acts as a natural mulch, which helps retain soil moisture and keeps snapdragon roots cool during warm spells.
Pro Tip: Deadhead snapdragons and shear back alyssum midseason to encourage a second flush of flowers and keep the combo looking fresh.
4. Marigolds and Nasturtiums
Botanical Names: Tagetes spp./Tropaeolum majus
Growing this pair together is like creating a powerhouse for pest control and visual delight. Marigolds are known to deter nematodes and aphids. On the other hand, nasturtiums act like sacrificial decoys to trap sucking insects that can affect your vegetable garden plants.
Also, the fiery oranges, reds, and yellows from both plants blend beautifully. They complement each other beyond color and protection as marigolds grow upright, filling the pot’s center, while nasturtiums cascade or sprawl around the rim.
Pro Tip: Too much fertilizer will reduce their blooms, so keep the feeding in check or feed with less nitrogen fertilizer.
5. Coneflower and Salvia
Botanical Names: Echinacea purpurea/Salvia nemorosa
Bold and bee-friendly, this pairing thrives in hot, sunny conditions while adding a beautiful form and color to your pots. Echinacea’s daisy-like flowers on sturdy stems pair effortlessly with salvia’s upright spires. These will provide you with a mix of rounded and vertical flower shapes that look rich and layered in containers.
They both bloom over a long period and require minimal upkeep. You will just need a minor deadheading and occasional watering to make them thrive. To promote stronger stems and bushier growth, pinch salvia tips early in the season and remove spent echinacea blooms regularly.
6. Begonias and Ferns
Botanical Names: Begonia spp/Nephrolepis exaltata
Here is a pairing that is perfect for your shaded spots. Begonias bring jewel-toned blooms and waxy leaves, while ferns contribute a feathery, textured lushness.
It is a calming mix that works well on your shaded patios and balconies or under tree canopies where sun-lovers won’t survive.
What ties them together is their shared love for indirect light, consistent moisture, and humidity. Additionally, ferns help increase humidity around begonias, which is useful if you live in a drier climate.
Group this container with others or place a shallow tray of pebbles and water beneath it to create a mini-humid microclimate.
7. Purple Petunias, Dusty Miller, and Silver Falls
Botanical Names: Petunia spp. / Jacobaea maritima (formerly Senecio cineraria) / Dichondra argentea ‘Silver Falls’
This trio creates a pot full of cool-toned beauty and lovely contrast. Purple petunias provide rich color and abundant blooms. The dusty miller adds soft, silvery foliage for texture. And Silver Falls cascades gracefully over the edges of the pot with trailing silver leaves that catch the light beautifully.
All three love plenty of sun and well-draining soil. They’re also drought-tolerant once settled in, making this combo as easy to care for as it is eye-catching. Just trim back petunias and Silver Falls if they get too leggy to keep your container looking neat and full.
8. Red Coleus and Impatiens
Botanical Names: Plectranthus scutellarioides ‘Kingwood Red’ / Impatiens walleriana ‘Lipstick’
Kingwood Red coleus and lipstick impatiens bring a bold splash of color to shaded pots. The coleus has deep burgundy leaves that add richness and drama, and the lipstick impatiens bloom brightly in vivid pink-red tones, filling the pot with cheerful flowers.
Together, they create a lush and colorful display where sun-loving plants can’t thrive. Both enjoy partial to full shade and consistently moist, well-draining soil.
Their similar care needs make them perfect partners, and combining striking foliage with non-stop blooms ensures your containers stay lively all season.
Pro Tip: Pinch back coleus tips regularly for a bushier shape and deadhead flowers. Also, remove spent impatiens flowers to keep new blooms coming.
Well, what are you waiting for? It’s time to pick one and get started with your own pot flower pairing! Also, check out these other plant combination ideas as well.
