5 Best Flowering Bedding Plants | Bold Color for Shady Spots

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Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) earns top marks because it solves two common problems at once: it fills gaps with vibrant chartreuse foliage and handles a wide light range from full sun to partial shade. At a mature spread of about 18 inches per plant, this 2-pack will quickly cover bare soil between taller flowers, acting as a living mulch that suppresses weeds.

Each plant ships fresh in a 1-pint pot, giving you established roots rather than bare-root slips that sometimes struggle. The 4-inch mature height makes it an ideal front-edge border accent, and its trailing habit works beautifully spilling over container rims. Its “moneywort” nickname references the coin-shaped leaves that add texture contrast against broad-leaf perennials like hostas.

For gardeners dealing with sloping beds or rain-wash, Creeping Jenny’s dense mat-forming growth provides excellent erosion control. It is a low-maintenance choice that requires only occasional watering once established and tolerates a variety of soil types — sandy or loamy — without fuss. The bright lime-green foliage brightens deep shade corners where few other bloomers survive.

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Bee balm (Monarda) is a native North American perennial that attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees with its showy whorled purple blooms. This Balmy Purple cultivar ships as two live plants in 1-quart pots, giving you a sizable head start over seed-grown stock. At maturity you can expect 2 to 4 feet of height with a 3- to 4-foot spread — substantial enough to anchor the middle tier of a mixed border.

It needs full sun and moist, well-draining soil with organic matter worked in. Deep watering at the base every 1 to 2 weeks keeps the roots cool and reduces the powdery mildew that afflicts bee balm in humid climates. The purple flowers appear in summer and provide nectar for weeks — far longer than most annuals — because the plant keeps producing new buds as old ones fade.

As a member of the mint family, bee balm is naturally deer resistant and aromatic when brushed. The leaves can be used in herbal teas or as a topical compress (the plant’s name comes from traditional use to soothe bee stings). This 2-pack is shipped fresh from a greenhouse, so inspect it on arrival and plant within a day for best establishment.

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Catmint ‘Blue Wonder’ is a low-growing, mounding perennial that delivers soft lavender-blue flowers from spring through fall with very little water once established. This live plant arrives in a #1-size container fully rooted in soil, ready for immediate transplant into USDA zones 4 through 8. Its mature dimensions — 12–15 inches tall and 14–20 inches wide — make it a perfect filler at the front of a border or along a sunny walkway.

The foliage releases a pleasant, minty scent when brushed, and the plant is remarkably deer resistant. Unlike many perennials that bloom only for a single flush, ‘Blue Wonder’ reblooms reliably if you shear it back after the first wave of flowers fades. Sandy soil is perfectly fine — catmint actually hates wet feet, so well-draining conditions are essential.

Butterflies are frequent visitors, but catmint also attracts beneficial predatory insects that help control garden pests. It pairs naturally with roses, salvia, and echinacea in a cottage-garden scheme. For gardeners in dry-summer regions who want reliable color without daily watering, this is a standout pick.

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This 10-variety seed collection from Survival Garden Seeds packs a massive range of bloomers into one box: Giant Zinnia, Chocolate Cherry Sunflower, Marigold, Snapdragon, Nasturtium, Morning Glory, Chamomile, Shasta Daisy, Purple Coneflower, and Four O’Clock. All seeds are open-pollinated, non-GMO heirlooms, so you can save seed year after year for self-sufficiency. The mix includes both annuals (zinnia, marigold, sunflowers) and perennials (echinacea, shasta daisy), giving you immediate color and long-term returns.

Each packet has enough seed to plant a 10-foot row or a medium-sized container, and germination rates are generally high when direct-sown after the last frost. The variety is ideal for cut-flower gardens, pollinator borders, or children’s gardening projects because the seeds are large enough to handle easily. Expect blooms from early summer (nasturtium, marigold) through fall (sunflowers, four o’clocks) when deadheaded regularly.

The collection is assembled by a family-owned USA small business, and each variety is individually lab-packaged so you can stagger planting by sun exposure and height. Sunflowers need back-row placement at 36 inches tall, while chamomile and daisies work mid-border. Just note that some varieties — especially morning glory and coneflower — can take two to three weeks to germinate, so patience is required.

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Caladiums are the go-to choice for shaded garden beds where few flowering plants will produce color. These Angel Wings bulbs from CZ Grain produce fancy white, pink, and green heart-shaped leaves that reach 12 to 24 inches tall, creating a tropical, high-impact look in partial to full shade. The 6-count bag gives you enough bulbs for a 3-foot border or several medium-sized containers.

Plant the bulbs in warm soil after the danger of frost has passed — caladiums are tropical and will rot in cold, wet ground. They prefer sandy soil and regular moisture but should never sit in standing water. The leaves emerge quickly and fill the space within a few weeks, providing fast visual gratification compared to seed-grown annuals.

Because caladiums are grown for colorful foliage rather than flowers, they keep their striking appearance all summer without deadheading. They work beautifully as underplantings for hostas or ferns, or as standalone accents in patio pots. In colder zones (below zone 9), the bulbs can be lifted and stored indoors over winter for replanting the following spring.