Virtually any plant is good for a large pot under the right conditions. And some plants can even survive the winter in a container if they are hardy to your growing zone. It’s recommended that you do not put rocks at the bottom of a planter, as this can impede drainage. If you need to fill up a large planter space because your plants don’t require soil stretching the planter’s full depth, you can use plastic bottles, crushed aluminum cans, Styrofoam blocks, and even smaller plastic pots turned upside down. Always make sure water is still able to drain from the container. Here are 20 of the best tall plants to grow in a container garden.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 11Color Varieties: Foliage of greens, blues, and graysSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Sandy, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 11Color Varieties: Foliage of greens, reds, purples, and yellowsSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Average, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 7Color Varieties: Deep greenSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 11Color Varieties: Green, yellow-greenSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Loose, slightly acidic, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9Color Varieties: Purplish spikeletsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, medium moisture, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Purple, red, orange, yellow, pink, or white bloomsSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Humusy, acidic, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8Color Varieties: Dark green to yellowish-greenSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, evenly moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 11Color Varieties: Yellow, orange, red, white, or pink flowersSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, slightly acidic to neutral, moist
USDA Hardiness Zones: 10 to 11Color Varieties: Foliage of green, blue-green, burgundy, gold, or graySun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8Color Varieties: GreenSun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shadeSoil Needs: Sandy, loamy, or clay; moist; well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 10Color Varieties: Foliage of green, yellow, chartreuse, or blackSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, humusy, medium to wet
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9Color Varieties: Green to yellow-green leaves; yellow, pink, red, or white flowersSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, medium to wet
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 10Color Varieties: Shades of burgundySun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Average, medium moisture, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 10Color Varieties: Purple, pink, red, or white bloomsSun Exposure: Part shade to full shadeSoil Needs: Fertile, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11 (tropical hibiscus)Color Varieties: White, red, pink, orange, yellow, peach, or purple bloomsSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Loamy, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Greenish-white to purplish-brown bloomsSun Exposure: Part shadeSoil Needs: Fertile, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: Green, bronze, purple, pink, red, or orange foliageSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Average, evenly moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 9 to 11Color Varieties: PurpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, acidic, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 8 to 10Color Varieties: Yellowish-green blooms, deep green foliageSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 11 (depending on the variety)Color Varieties: White, pink, purple, or green bloomsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Dry to medium moisture, well-draining
