Plants that have a natural tendency to send out long arching shoots are ideal for growing in containers. Their cascading flowers and foliage are much showier when draped over the edge of pots, urns and hanging baskets. There are many great perennial plants that can be grown in containers. Here are some of the showiest perennial plants with cascading forms and the ones that do well in container culture here in Tucson:
Purple Queen (Setcreasea purpurea) is a thick-stemmed, nearly succulent-leaved plant and a vivid purple color with small pink flowers. If can be grown as a ground-cover, but is best for containers or hanging baskets. That’s because it’s cold sensitive and needs protection from freezing temperatures. With it’s purple foliage, Purple Queen makes for a striking patio accent plant. Stems break off easily and exude a milky sap that can irritate the skin.
Blue Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is one of the few blue flowering shrubs we have here in the desert. It’s mounding and cascading form, and small size makes it great for containers. It’s a bit too large for hanging baskets. Blue Plumbago has attractive medium green foliage and light blue, phlox-like clusters of flowers of showy flowers throughout the warm season.
Firecracker Plant (Russellia equisetiformis), should be named the fireworks plant as it explodes with bright red bursts of flowers atop bright green streaming stems. This is a great plant for hanging baskets or tall pots. Give it room for the 2 to 3 feet long stems to hang over without splaying on the ground. Firecracker plants are have wispy green leafless branches and clusters of bright red tubular flowers that bloom throughout the warm season. Give them plenty of water and a growing spot shaded from hot mid-day sun. They preform best in tall containers or flowing over the front of terraced walls.
Trailing Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’) is one of several spreading – cascading rosemary cultivars. Others include; Huntington Carpet, Irene, Lockwood de Forest, Santa Barbara and Corsican Prostrate. Rosemary is “tough as nails” and well suited to the desert with good drought and heat tolerance. It can be grown in full sun or partial shade. In deep shade however, plants become “leggy” and are prone to spittle bug attack. Trailing forms of Rosemary are great for growing in tall pots and urns or over the edge of retaining walls. Besides it’s attractive and aromatic needle-like foliage, Rosemary produces bursts of small lavender flowers throughout the year.
Walder Firethorn (Pyracantha fortuneana ‘Walderi’), is a dwarf, low spreading type of Pyracantha often used as a ground cover but equally good as a cascading container plant. It grows only 18 inches tall but spreads out 3 to 4 feet wide. Like all Pyracantha, Walderi has dark, glossy green leaves and long-lasting, bright red berries. White flower clusters in the spring are showy and fragrant. Wadler Firethorn can be grown in full sun or light shade and is very cold tolerant.
Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’) the Sprenger fern is what most people refer to as Asparagus Fern. Although there are many kinds of ornamental asparagus, Sprenger is the one best-suited to hanging baskets and containers. It’s loose, cascading stems with bright green needle-like leaves spill over the edge of pots. Although flowers are not showy, Asparagus Fern develops large clusters of bright red berries at the ends of it’s branches. A compact variety ‘Sprengeri Compacta’ is best used in hanging baskets. Grow Asparagus Fern in full sun to moderate shade and water thoroughly when the container soil becomes dry. The root structure develops huge number of thick tubers, that overtime can expand and break even the strongest container. For this reason, every few years, plants should be divided and repotted.
Hearts & Flowers (Aptenia cordifolia) is a type of ice plant best suited to growing in containers. It has little, heart-shaped, succulent leaves. Plants mound to 6 inches tall and spread 2 feet with dense, shiny green foliage and small, but showy raspberry-colored flowers. Hearts & Flowers are great for hanging baskets and medium-sized patio pots, alone or in combination with taller growing plants. This plant requires full to nearly full sun and plenty of water. But as with other succulents, let the soil dry some before watering thoroughly. In the heat of summer it’s still likely the plant may need daily watering, especially in hanging baskets.
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona, 520-626-5161. – Updated: February 27, 2005
