Best shrubs for pots – 6 top picks for beautiful blooms and foliage, recommended by gardening experts

Shrubs are a staple in the garden. They have a lot to offer, from bold foliage and blooms to ornamental berries – and if you don't have room to plant them in the ground, consider planting the best shrubs for pots for cheerful displays every year.

A huge range of shrubs are suited to pot growing. You might opt for a deciduous shrub that loses its leaves every winter, or one of the best evergreen plants for pots for year-round interest. Plus, autumn is the perfect time to plant shrubs, so now's your opportunity to get started.

I've rounded up a list of the best shrubs for pots to inspire your next set of displays, along with extra advice from gardening experts.

1. Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are among the most popular flowering shrubs, producing beautiful blooms from summer to early autumn in milder weather. The good news? Learning how to grow hydrangeas in pots is easy, so it's no wonder they're one of the best shrubs for pots.

'Compact varieties of Hydrangea work well in containers and are perfect for providing interest in challenging north-facing positions,' says Annelise Brilli, Thompson & Morgan's horticultural expert. 'Paniculata varieties are more drought-resistant, so even better suited to containers than mophead types.'

Although the shrubs are low-maintenance, hydrangeas in pots will need a little extra care than those in the ground. 'You do need to keep up with the watering as they like a moist root run,' says Annelise.

Where to buy hydrangeas for pots:

• Thompson & Morgan: Annelise recommends Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime', which has been specially developed for container growing and produces colour-changing flowers from July to September
• Crocus: Enjoy the raspberry red flowers of Hydrangea paniculata 'Diamant Rouge'

Annelise Brilli

Annelise Brilli is the horticultural copywriter for Thompson & Morgan. Annelise caught the gardening bug from her mother, whose tiny backyard was crammed with a huge collection of plants. She is passionate about sustainable gardening and has developed her own wildlife-friendly garden which she has opened as part of Macmillan Coastal Garden Trail.

2. Viburnum

Viburnum thrives in containers, and it's one of the best shrubs for pots if you're looking for long-lasting blooms in unlikely seasons.

That's because some species are winter-flowering shrubs, providing beautiful displays during the colder months.

'Viburnum is a versatile plant which provides interest at a difficult time of the year, with some species like Viburnum tinus displaying both flowers and colourful berries from October to March,' says Mairi Devlin, B&Q’s head of horticulture.

Where to buy viburnum for pots:

• Gardening Express: Try the winter-flowering Viburnum tinus 'Laurustinus'
• Suttons: Viburnum tinus 'Spirit' produces delicate white flowers from November all the way to May!

3. Camellias

Next up on our list of the best shrubs for pots are camellias, and the beautiful blooms speak for themselves.

Learning how to grow camellias is easy when you know which conditions they'll thrive in – and for these shrubs, you'll need a pot full of acidic or ericaceous compost.

There are a few benefits to growing camellias in pots rather than the ground. 'It gives you the flexibility to move them into a prime position whilst they’re flowering, sheltering the blooms from cold winds and early morning sun that can damage frosted buds,' says Annelise.

Some camellias even flower during the colder months. 'The magic of camellias is that they flower in the winter when the rest of the garden is at its most dull,' says garden designer Harriet Worsley. 'I always like to think of them as the roses of the winter.'

And even when the shrubs aren't flowering, they're attractive features in the garden. 'For the remainder of the season the glossy, dark, evergreen foliage provides an excellent structural backdrop,' Annelise adds.

Where to buy camellias for pots:

• Sarah Raven: We love Camellia x williamsii 'E.G. Waterhouse' which produces pink double blooms
• Amazon: Enjoy the striking red flowers of Camellia Japonica 'Lady Campbell'
• Thompson & Morgan: Annelise recommends the compact Camellia japonica 'Winter Perfume Pearl', which produces fragrant flowers

4. Pittosporum

Pittosporum is another evergreen favourite that earns its place on our list of the best shrubs for pots. Choose smaller or compact cultivars for the best results, and lightly prune in spring and late summer to keep them looking tidy.

'With its dense, glossy, evergreen foliage, pittosporum can be pruned into different shapes, offering a personalised touch to your garden,' says Mairi from B&Q. 'By potting these shrubs, you can move them around your garden to change its look, regardless of the weather.'

Plus, pittosporum shrubs put out a flurry of small blooms, usually white and sometimes fragrant, from late spring.

Where to buy pittosporum for pots:

• B&Q: Plant the naturally globe-shaped Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Golf Ball' in pots for neat evergreen displays
• Crocus: Invite green and gold hues into your garden with Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Gold Star', which produces fragrant burgundy flowers

5. Azaleas

Azaleas are perhaps the most vibrant on our list of the best shrubs for pots, producing bright, showy blooms in spring.

They're perfect for adding a pop of colour to duller areas of the garden, and once you know how to grow azaleas successfully, you'll be rewarded with abundant blooms.

'Dwarf evergreen azaleas offer masses of long-lasting flowers in a wide array of shades from lilac, pink, orange, red and white,' says Annelise from Thompson & Morgan. 'These small azaleas slowly reach no more than around 90cm and are easy to grow in containers of ericaceous compost, forming compact bushes of dainty foliage that require minimal maintenance.'

Where to buy azaleas:

• Gardening Express: Set on growing azaleas in pots but don't know where to start? Try this Azalea japonica Collection
• Thompson & Morgan: Annelise recommends the RHS award-winning Azalea 'Elsie Lee' for large, flamboyant flowers

6. Lavender

We couldn't complete our list of the best shrubs for pots without lavender. Once established, it's is one of the best drought-tolerant plants out there.

'For that Mediterranean look, plant them into terracotta containers – they will thrive in the sharply drained conditions that terracotta pots provide,' says Annelise.

Make the most of the fragrance by planting lavender in pots next to doorways or around seating areas. If you're wondering how to grow lavender, it's a super low-maintenance shrub – but learning how to prune lavender will encourage the best blooms.

Where to buy lavender plants:

• Thompson & Morgan: Annelise recommends Lavender 'BeeZee®’: 'The series has been selected for their compact, uniform habit and hardiness, and they’re more free-flowering than traditional varieties,' she says
• Gardening Express: Try the French lavender Lavender stoechas 'Anouk'

FAQs

Can shrubs be kept in pots?

Absolutely! Although shrubs are often grown in borders or as hedging, many species are perfectly suited to pot life.

As we've seen, smaller cultivars will generally be better choices because their compact habit is easier to manage.

But provided you prune and water where necessary (soil in pots will dry out faster than the ground), shrubs make brilliant features in pots year after year. Plus, smaller pots are portable, meaning you can change them around with the seasons.

What is the most hardy shrub?

The brilliant thing about shrubs is that many are hardy, meaning they'll survive outdoors in the winter.

Hydrangeas are hardy shrubs, and many varieties of viburnum are hardy throughout most of the UK. While some lavender plants are tender or half-hardy, English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and its hybrids are some of the hardiest types. Most pittosporum cultivars are hardy, too.

If you're looking for a really tough shrub, barberries and mahonia are good candidates.

Which shrubs will you be planting in pots this season?