10 Good Pot Centerpiece Plants to Try

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

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

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).