July 4th Containers: Patriotic Red, White and Blue Flower Pot Combinations

Whether you’re planning a 4th of July party or not, it’s nice to having some patriotic outdoor decor to celebrate the holiday. One easy way to do that is to plant containers. If you’re not sure what plants to put together, try one of these creative patriotic red, white and blue flower pot combinations.

One of my favorite ways to decorate for the 4th of July is to plant red, white and blue flowers in containers.

Since they’re meant to be outside, you don’t have to worry about taking them if it starts to rain (which always seems to happen at my 4th of July get-togethers).

They look best if they’re planted at least a few days in advance, which means they’re ready to go ahead of time.

And the flowers usually last all summer long so they’re more than just one day decorations.

This year, since I was planting lots of containers for my deck makeover project, I had the perfect opportunity to try out some new patriotic red, white and blue flower pot combinations.

Since part of my deck is in the sun and part of it is in the shade, I tried out a couple of options for each…so hopefully you can find something to match your growing situation.

Patriotic Flower Combinations For Shade

Patriotic Shade Plant Combination #1

The first of my patriotic red, white and blue flower pot combinations is made for the shade.

I love using Caladium for shade containers. Their large leaves and interesting colors make a statement regardless of where you use them.

And since some varieties have red leaves, they work really well for 4th of July flower combinations (even if they aren’t really a flower).

Combined with blue trailing Lobelia and white Impatiens, it definitely has the red, white and blue color scheme I’m going for.

To add some height and texture, I planted a Kimberley queen fern in the back and some Golden Sedge at the side of the planter. But you could also put more Lobelia and Impatiens if you want the blue and white to continue all the way around the container.

Patriotic Flower Combination Recipe For Shade

This flower combination was planted in a 14 inch wide container.

Match the letters below to the diagram for plant placement.

Red, White and Blue Plants

A. Red: Caladium ‘Carolyn Wharton’

B. White: Impatiens

C. Blue: Lobelia ‘Bella Mare’

Filler Plants

D. Kimberley queen fern

E. ‘Everillo’ Golden Sedge

Red, White and Blue Shade Plant Combination #2

The second patriotic container for shade uses the exact same plants (at least for the red, white and blue portion of the planter) but with different colors.

This time the Caladium leaves are white and the Impatiens are red, with the trailing Lobelia remaining blue. It’s a little hard to see, but I also added some white Kalanchoe around the other side.

To mix it up a bit, I used different filler plants.  The Asparagus fern in the back tends to grow through the other plants and fill in the gaps. And a Boston Fern in the front which adds a pop of chartreuse to the planter.

The blue and white container also pulls out the colors from the plants.

Since these two planters are next to each other on the deck, repeating the plants helps to tie them together. But mixing up the colors keeps it interesting.

Adding a blue Hydrangea finishes off the trio.

Patriotic Plant Combination Recipe For Shade

This plant combination was made in an 18 inch wide container.

Match the letters below to the diagram for plant placement.

Red, White and Blue Plants

A. Red: Impatiens

B. White: Caladium ‘Candidum’

C. White: Kalanchoe

D. Blue: Lobelia ‘Bella Mare’

Filler Plants

E. Asparagus Fern

F. Boston fern “Rita’s Gold”

Red, White and Blue Flower Pot Combinations For Sun

Patriotic Sun Plant Combination #1

The planter a little further down the patio gets direct sun most of the day, so I needed to make sure that these plants can take the heat.

This container has a Lamb’s Ear already growing in it (I planted it there a few years ago and it’s survived there ever since). So I always use it as the starting point for this planter.

Since Lamb’s Ear is pretty tough, you need to pick plants that can compete with it. Otherwise you’ll end up with a container full of Lamb’s Ear 🙂

At the back of the container, I planted Cordyline to add some height (and a reddish tinge). Then I added Salvia, red Verbena and blue Evolvulus. That’s the little blue flower at the front that’s just coming out. It will be covered in those bright blue blooms once it gets going.

Since the Lamb’s Ear foliage is large and fairly white (especially when the new leaves come out), I didn’t add any additional white flowers. But you could plant some Alyssum or white Bacopa around the edges if you want to.

Patriotic Plant Combination Recipe for Sun

This plant combination was made in a 16 inch wide container.

Match the letters below to the diagram for plant placement.

Red, White and Blue Plants

A. Red: Cordyline ‘Red Sensation’

B. Red: Verbena

C. White: Lamb’s Ears (Stachys byzantina)

D. Blue: Salvia ‘Victoria Blue’

E. Blue: Evolvulus ‘Blue My Mind’

Red, White and Blue Sun Plant Combination #2

On the other side of the deck is another planter that gets pretty close to full sun, but does not have Lamb’s Ear growing in it already.

I repeated some of the same plants – the Cordyline and Salvia are exactly the same. I also used Verbena again, but instead of a plain red, this one has really pretty white and red flowers (it’s called “Lanai Twister Red” in case you are looking for it).

To add some white flowers, I planted Euphorbia. The Artemisia (at the back) and Helichrysum (at the front) mimic the white-silver foliage of the Lamb’s Ears in the other pot.

Persian Shield fills in the gaps. While its leaves are more purple than blue, I think it helps to make the Salvia stand out a bit more.

Putting them all in a blue pot also helps to bring out the blue flower colors.

Plants Used In This Combination

This plant combination was made in an 18 inch wide container.

Match the letters below to the diagram for plant placement.

Red, White and Blue Plants

A. Red: Cordyline ‘Red Sensation’

B. Red: Verbena ‘Lanai Twister Red’

C. White: Euphorbia ‘Starblast Snowdrift’

D. White: Helichrysum

E. White: Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’

F. Blue: Salvia ‘Victoria Blue’

Filler Plants

G. Persian Shield

Well, those are my patriotic red, white and blue flower pot combinations for this year.

You may have noticed that I use a lot of colored foliage in addition to flowers. I do that on purpose…foliage is always there, where flowers may not be blooming like you want when you need them to.

For all of my other pots that need a little patriotic color, all it takes are a couple of American flags to do the trick 🙂

If you’re looking for more red, white and blue container ideas, check out these ideas from Proven Winners.

Other Container Gardening Ideas You Might Like

• 10 Best Blue Plants For Containers In The Shade
• 10 Ways To Create Beautiful Window Boxes
• The No-Fail Method For Planting Beautiful Containers

Have comments or questions about our patriotic red, white and blue flower pot combinations? Tell us in the section below.

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