When you don't have room for a garden or don't want the work of a large garden, consider container gardening. Containers also give you the flexibility of moving your plants around to change things up a bit. Containers are great by your front or back door, on a deck or by the pool. There are so many choices in container designs and sizes and you can purchase them in all ranges of price. You can even recycle a container that might normally go to the dump. Use your imagination and you might come up with lots of ideas you've never thought of before.
As far as what to plant in these containers, who says Impatiens are the only plant that grows well in the shade? Here is a list of some great shade plants that will do well in containers.
Coleus-There are many choices of coleus. Merlot is a deep purple, Pink Chaos is a variegated green, yellow and pink, Pineapple is yellow with purple edges, other names are Chocolate Drop, Dipt in Wine, Freckles, Kong Mosaic and Kong Red.
Ornamental Sweet Potato Vines-Not to be eaten! Blackie is a dark purple, Margarita is green and Tricolor is cream, green and pink.
Begonias-Angel Wings are graceful with arching stems and loads of white, soft pink, hot pink or rose-red flowers all summer long.
Persian Shield-These make quite a bold statement. It will grow to at least 30 inches tall by late summer and nearly twice a wide. It has silvery-purple leaves with dark green veins.
Shady Blues-Torenia aka Wishbone flower is a rich, intense blue and Scaevola aka Fanflower has mauve and lavender-blue shades with a fleck of gold in the center.
Upright Fuchsia-Can be difficult to grow but Gartenmeister Bonstedt is both easy and floriferous. It has tubular flowers that are a strong salmon-pink and it's leaves are blue-green with maroon veins.
You will want to make sure that you keep your container plants watered regularly as the water evaporates quickly in containers. You'll want to check them daily, especially on hot summer days. Most of these plants can receive some dappled sunlight but not direct sun. The great thing about these plants is that most can be overwintered indoors.