10 Good Pot Centerpiece Plants to Try

May 16th, 2017

Elephant ears ‘Black Coral’ makes an impressive pot centerpiece.

Lots of good plants are available these days to serve as the centerpiece plant or “star” of a big container.

Some people call them the “thriller” in the classic thriller/filler/spiller design of a pot arrangement.

If you’re looking for ideas, here are 10 showy choices that I like:

* Elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta). This tropical with the huge, ear-shaped leaves is particularly striking in black. Two very good ones: ‘Black Magic’ and Royal Hawaiian® ‘Black Coral.’ Those go with any neighboring color.

* Hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella). ‘Panama Red’ and ‘Panama Bronze’ are two particularly nice forms of annual hibiscus that have dark, cut leaves. They don’t bloom much (if at all), but with 2-foot foliage like this, who needs it?

* Dwarf panicle hydrangea Bobo®, Little Lime® or Little Quick Fire® (Hydrangea paniculata). Lots of flowering shrubs – especially compact ones – work well in pots, but these sun-tolerant, long-blooming hydrangeas are especially striking. Cone-shaped white-to-pink flowers happen from July on.

* Variegated boxwood ‘Elegantissima’ (Buxus sempervirens). Narrow, upright and slow-growing, ‘Elegantissima’ offers both green-and-white variegation and year-round structure to a pot. These look especially nice flanking a doorway. Surround them with white annuals.

Persian shield has silvery purple leaves and is a good shady pot option.

* Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus). One of the most beautiful foliage plants on the planet, this tropical has bladed leaves of silver and purple on bushy 2-foot plants. This one’s for the shade.

* Coral bells (Heuchera spp.) Lots of big, bushy new coral-bell varieties are available that are worthy pot specimens, especially ones with purple, burgundy and golden foliage. Some of the best: ‘Caramel’ and ‘Autumn Bronze’ (peachy-gold), ‘Citronelle’ (lime-gold) and ‘Bronze Wave’ (greenish-purple). Pair them with annual coleus.

* Begonia. Go for the big showy ones, such as the Dragon Wing®, Whopper and Big® series, or in shady spots, the silvery-black ‘Gryphon’ or most any Rex type.

* Ti plant (Cordyline spp.) This plant grows narrow and upright with bladed foliage in colors that range from green to peachy-orange to chocolate. It’s an annual that can double as houseplant in winter.

* Fountaingrass ‘Fireworks’ (Pennisetum setaceum). The old favorite ‘Rubrum’ variety of this tender grass is still a winner, but ‘Fireworks’ has wider blades, a more flowing habit, and a brighter color that’s a blend of burgundy and blood red.

* Salvia ‘Black and Bloom’ (Salvia guaranitica). The best hummingbird-attracting plant around. Bushy annual plants grow about 2 feet tall and get dark-blue tubular flowers with black bases. This one improves on ‘Black and Blue’ (also good).