Plant These Bright Ideas

Southern Living has done the work for you. We’ve selected plants that grow well together and show off nonstop blooms all summer long. Add instant style to your front door, deck, or patio. Garden expert Carmen Johnston shows you how to get ready for entertaining with the Southern Living Color Collection found only at The Home Depot.

Step-by-Step Video: Stack Pots for Impact

Find the Plants from the Southern Living Color Collection at Southernlivingplants.com/colorcollection

Think Big: Complement the scale of your home with the right size pots. Bonus: Larger containers mean you’ll water less. 

Add paint: Customize your look by painting the pots to match the trim on your home. Apply two coats, and let dry completely prior to planting. 

Stack ’em up: Position the larger pot first, fill with potting soil, and then top with the smaller pot, placing it toward the back.

Plant Smart: Place tall in the back, texture in the middle, and trailing toward the front. The Southern Living Color Collection plant tags make no-fail combos easy.

Plant a flat-sided basket with your faves and hang on the door.

Fill bud vases with blooms snipped from your containers.

Create a party centerpiece and then re-plant outside later.

Fill a glass bowl with a floating candle and cut blooms.