Plants for Instant Party Decor

Here's a great idea—fill your patio, deck or yard with decorative planters full of spectacular blooms! You'll find many varieties of robust, durable, easy to maintain annuals for an instant garden that looks like it's been there all summer. As an added bonus, the blooms and cheerful color will last long after the party is over.

Annuals in pots are nature's ready-made party decorations—they provide many choices for color, continuous bloom, and best of all they're live plants you can throughout the entire growing season.

But first things first—with your outdoor party date looming, focus on geraniums, impatiens and petunias—the real workhorses when it comes to color and bloom. Wave petunias are bountiful when it comes to filling landscapes or hanging planters. The blooms spread easily and spill over containers and baskets in a thick cascade of color and texture—just what you need to create a full, lavish ook.

Fill a welcoming container with Fanfare impatiens for a dramatic waterfall of color. Free-flowering and very vigorous, Jungle Gold impatiens are ideal for mixed containers, where they put on a big show in combination with other large, robust container plants.

Don't even bother to plant—when it gets close to party time, just set the beds of annuals directly into garden planters and cover with Spanish moss until the festivities are over. Then repot or plant in your garden for the rest of the season.

Choosing a single color for dramatic visual impact, or mix bright contrasting color in pots for a festive flair. Add to the dramatic impact by potting or planting colorful annuals more closely together than usual—space adequately when you re-pot or plant later.

Group your planters as close together as you can get them to add a lushness to your party presentation. Create space dividers or screens to separate areas of your party space such as dining, relaxing and dancing areas. Place lush planters at every level you can—on the ground, hanging, on fences and don't forget table centerpieces!

Annuals are just great for instant party decor—even if you leave it to the day before!