Summer Flower Planter Ideas for Full Sun and Shade

Ready to plant flowers for the summer months ahead? I share exactly what we planted this year (for both full sun and shade), plus all of our best tips for creating beautiful, low-maintenance flower pots.

Every spring, right around Mother’s Day, my mom and I roll up our sleeves for one of my favorite traditions— planting day! It’s a full day of sunshine, dirt under our fingernails, and lots of laughter as we fill our container gardens, window boxes, and porch planters with vibrant blooms. My mom has so much plant knowledge, and I’m so grateful that she helps me every year!

This year, we hit up Chalet Nursery in Wilmette (If you’re local, it’s a must-visit!) and found some showstopping annuals, to fill every inch of my front porch, back deck, and sunny yard. Whether you’re working with full sun, partial shade, or a cool shade garden, I’ve got tips and plant combos for every type of spot.

Planning Your Container Gardens

Before we plant, we always plan. Here’s what I do:

• Walk around the house and note how many pots or planters I’m working with
• Note if it’s a sunny or shady spot
• Choose a loose color scheme (This year, we went bold with purples, oranges, and pinks.)

Knowing if your planter gets direct sunlight, full shade, or part shade helps you choose the right plants that will thrive all season long.

My Mom’s Formula: Thriller, Filler, Spiller

Every pot we plant follows the thriller, filler, spiller method:

• Thriller: Something tall for drama and height (like spikes)
• Filler: Plants with body and color that will fill up most of the pot
• Spiller: Anything that cascades over the side like sweet potato vines, jenny, or asparagus fern

It’s a foolproof way to create layered, lush container gardens that look great from every angle. If you need some guidance when shopping, here’s a list to get you started below. Also check the tags on the plants for their care instructions to guide you.

Best Plants for Full Sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight)

These container plants love heat and direct sunlight—perfect for window boxes, porch planters, and backyard pots.

Plant	Role	Notes
Spike	Thriller	Tall, dramatic center; I use these in just about everything!
Angelonia	Thriller	Upright and airy
Wave Petunias	Filler	Long-blooming color. Make sure you get “Wave” in the pink containers
Geraniums	Filler	Reliable blooms
Calibrachoa	Filler	Mini petunias
Sweet Potato Vine	Spiller	Classic spiller with bold leaves
Mezoo Trailing Red	Spiller	Thick, trailing vine with red blooms; This can be used just about anywhere and it’s my absolute favorite spiller!
Helichrysum ‘Lime’	Spiller	Soft green foliage

Best Plants for Partial Shade (3–5 hours of sunlight)

These plants thrive in part shade or spots that get filtered morning light and afternoon shade. They’re perfect for porch planters, side yard containers, or tucked under trees.

Plant	Role	Notes
Spike	Thriller	Adds height
Geraniums	Filler	Pops of color
Impatiens	Filler	Great for morning sun
Diamond Frost	Spiller	Light and airy accent
Mezoo Trailing Red	Spiller	Loves both sun and shade
Vinca Vine	Spiller	Glossy trailing leaves; If I can’t find Mezoo, I use these as spiller!

Best Plants for Full Shade (Less than 3 hours of sunlight)

If you’ve got a shady spot that doesn’t get much direct sun, don’t worry—there are still tons of options for gorgeous shade containers and shade gardens.

Plant	Role	Notes
Impatiens	Filler	Shade-loving classic; used in porch pots
Jenny (Lysimachia)	Spiller	Chartreuse trailing vine; used in tabletop bowl
Vinca Vine	Spiller	Hardy and easy; used in porch pots
Mezoo Trailing Red	Spiller	Surprisingly adaptable to shadier spots

Tips to Make Planting Day Easier

After years of planting together, my mom and I have learned a few things to make the process smoother and less messy. One of the best new tricks we started using last year? Using the plastic nursery containers to our advantage.

Here’s how it works:
We place each flower—still in its plastic pot—into the container to figure out spacing and arrangement. Then, we fill soil in all around it. Once the container is nearly full, we remove the plastic pot, gently loosen the roots, and pop the plant right back into the exact hole it left behind. It’s perfectly sized and mess-free. Total game changer!

A few other tips we always follow:

• Don’t overcrowd your pots. It’s tempting to squeeze in every beautiful plant, but giving them space helps everything grow fuller over time.
• Use potting mix specifically made for containers—it’s lighter and drains better than garden soil.
• Water deeply right after planting to help the roots settle in. We also use Miracle-Gro!
• Save your plant tags somewhere handy in case you need care reminders later on.

These small steps make a big difference when you’re planting a dozen pots in one afternoon!

What I Planted in Our Planters This Year

Once we had our carts full at the nursery, my mom and I got to work matching the right flowers to each space—based on sunlight, color scheme, and that tried-and-true thriller, filler, spiller formula.

I’ll break down what we planted in each container—plus share a little hiccup that happened with my new window box.

Front Porch Pot (Partial Shade)

These two pots sit next to our front door, tucked under the covered porch. They get some sun in the morning and then shade for the remainder of the day.

• Thriller: Spikes
• Filler: Pink Impatiens
• Spiller: Mezoo Trailing Red and Vinca Vines

Front Window Box (Full Sun)

This space gets full sun for most of the day, so we needed plants that could handle the heat. I ordered a brand new PVC window box to replace the wooden one I built years ago. It lasted five years, but was looking a little shabby. The new one is self-watering (which I love), and it looks so crisp and clean on the front of the house.

Here’s the kicker, though: I accidentally ordered the wrong size. I got a 7-foot window box when I needed an 8-footer—and that one foot made a big difference! When Finn went to hang it, it barely fit on the existing corbels. Oops.

Since I had already filled it with fresh soil and flowers, we left it up temporarily. But I ended up ordering the correct size, and I’ll be replanting it again once it arrives. Consider it a dry run. And a good reminder to double-check measurements when shopping online. Yeesh.

• Thriller: Spikes
• Filler: White Wave Petunias
• Spiller: Mezoo Trailing Red

Grill Planters (Full Sun)

These planters sit near our backyard grill and get full sun throughout the day. I kept things simple with low-maintenance blooms that can stand up to the heat and a little cooking smoke. I also wanted to add a lot of color near our all-white outdoor kitchen.

• Thriller: Purple Angelonia
• Filler: Orange New Guinea Impatiens, Calibrachoa
• Spiller: Helichrysum Lime

Kitchen Counter Bowl (Full Sun)

This tabletop bowl is so fun to fill! My mom and I chose five different plants for this one…

• Calibrachoa, Eyeconic Orange
• Bidens Sun Drop
• Acorus Ogon
• Lysimachia Creeping Jenny
• Alyssum, Clear Crystal Lavender Shades

Pergola Pots (Partial Shade)

These are shaded in the afternoon but get some good morning light, so we chose plants that can handle a mix of light conditions and still add interest to this corner of the yard. I also hung some ferns from the pergola. They did so well last year and I’m hoping they thrive again this year!

• Thriller: Spikes
• Filler: Pink New Guinea Impatiens
• Spiller: Mezoo Trailing Red

Deck Pots (Full Sun)

Our deck gets full sun all day long, so we needed plants that thrive in direct sunlight and can tolerate the hot summer months. We mixed bold colors and different textures to keep things interesting.

• Thriller: Spikes
• Filler: Purple Wave Petunias, Watermelon Geranium
• Spiller: Mezoo Trailing Red

It might not look like much just yet—some of the plants are still small and haven’t quite hit their stride—but I’m so excited to watch everything grow and fill in over the coming weeks. That’s the best part of container gardening. I love watching how each pot transforms and evolves throughout the season.

I usually keep all of our planters and window boxes going strong through mid-September, so there’s still plenty of time for these babies to stretch out and show off. I’ll be sure to share a summer update once things start to really thrive!

Oh, and if you look closely, you may notice that I added some solar lights to a few of our planters for some pretty uplighting at night. These solar lights are my absolute favorite!