Don't Leave the Garden Center
Without These
After 30+ years in the greenhouse, you learn which plants earn their spot year after year. These aren't just pretty faces — these are the varieties that perform in Indiana's heat, humidity, and unpredictable springs.
From bulletproof spillers to show-stopping thrillers, here are the ten plants Mario says every Hoosier gardener needs this season. Each one has been tested, trialed, and proven in real Indiana gardens — not a laboratory.
The Top Three
Mario's Can't-Miss Picks
The #1 pick — and it's not close
Lantana Shamrock
“If I could only grow one plant for the rest of my life, this is it.”
Lantana Shamrock is the single best container and landscape annual for Indiana gardens. Period. It laughs at 95°F heat, attracts every butterfly in the county, blooms continuously from May through November, needs almost no water once established, and the color range is unmatched. Deer won't touch it. Rabbits ignore it. Disease? Basically immune. Whether you're filling a hanging basket or covering a hot, dry slope — Shamrock Lantana delivers every single time. This is the plant that makes you look like you know what you're doing.
Mario's Take — Coming Soon
Tropical drama, Midwest tough
Cannas Cannova
“Nothing else gives you this much tropical drama for this little effort.”
Cannova Cannas bring instant tropical drama to any Indiana garden. Massive paddle-shaped leaves, bold flower spikes in red, orange, yellow, and bronze — they look like they belong on a Caribbean resort but they thrive in our heat and humidity. Plant after last frost and they'll be the tallest, most dramatic thing in your landscape by July. The ultimate thriller.
Mario's Take — Coming Soon
Impatiens evolved
Sunpatiens
“The safest bet in all of gardening — I've never seen one fail.”
Sunpatiens solved the biggest problem in Indiana gardening — they gave us impatiens that can handle full sun AND are resistant to downy mildew. The Compact series fills containers with non-stop color from spring through hard frost. No deadheading, no disease drama, just months of reliable, vibrant blooms. If you plant one thing this year, this is a safe bet.
Mario's Take — Coming Soon
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The Unkillables
Plants that survive anything Indiana throws at them
The street-smart series
Coleus Main Street
“The best supporting actor in any container combo.”
Main Street Coleus took container design to another level. Named after America's iconic streets — Wall Street, Bourbon Street, Beale Street — each variety brings its own personality. Sun-tolerant, no pinching required, and the foliage color is always on. The workhorse filler that makes every combo look intentional.
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The Statement Makers
High visual impact that stops people in their tracks
Rose-like blooms, begonia toughness
Reiger Begonias
“They look like roses but they're ten times easier to grow.”
Reiger Begonias look like miniature roses but grow like begonias — meaning they actually thrive in Indiana conditions instead of throwing a fit. The double flowers come in sunset shades of yellow, orange, pink, and red. Perfect for shady porches and covered patios where you want color that looks expensive but requires almost zero effort.
Tropical drama in the shade
Caladiums
“The only shade plant that makes people stop their car to look.”
Nothing delivers tropical impact in shade like Caladiums. Heart-shaped leaves in electric combinations of red, pink, white, and green — every variety looks like a living painting. They thrive in Indiana's humid summers and actually prefer the shade that kills most annuals. Plant the tubers after soil warms in late May and they'll fill out fast. Perfect for shady containers, borders, and those problem spots under trees where nothing else survives.
Bold leaves, bolder presence
Big Begonias
“Bigger is better, and these prove it every summer.”
Not your grandmother's begonia. We're talking dinner-plate leaves, massive flower clusters, and a tropical presence that turns any shady porch into a statement. These handle Indiana's humidity like champs and just keep getting bigger all season.
The interspecific game-changer
Calliope Medium Geraniums
“The geranium your grandmother wished she had.”
Calliope Medium combines ivy and zonal geranium genetics for a plant that does what neither parent could alone — huge flower clusters on a semi-trailing habit with incredible heat tolerance. They don't skip a beat in July when traditional geraniums stall. Self-cleaning, continuous bloom, and they fill a 12" pot like nothing else.
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The Pollinator Champs
Every butterfly and bee in the county will thank you
True blue in the garden
Salvia Mystical Blue
“Every pollinator in the county will find this plant.”
True blue flowers are rare in the garden world — Salvia Mystical Blue delivers. Compact spikes of intense violet-blue that pollinators go crazy for. It blooms continuously without deadheading, handles full Indiana sun, and pairs beautifully with warm-toned companions like Lantana and Calibrachoa. A thriller that does double duty as a pollinator plant.
The new standard in petunia performance
Headliner Petunias
“They made me believe in petunias again.”
Headliner Petunias changed the game. Massive blooms with bold veining, starbursts, and bicolor patterns that look hand-painted. They don't stretch or get leggy like older varieties — they stay compact and keep pumping out flowers all season. Rain-tolerant, self-cleaning, and available in colors that stop traffic. If you haven't tried Headliners yet, you're missing the best petunia breeding in a decade.
Honorable Mentions
These didn't crack the top 10 but they're still plants we wouldn't want to garden without. Each one earns its keep in Indiana gardens year after year.
Ready to build your dream container?
Use these must-haves in our Planter Designer — mix and match thrillers, fillers, and spillers to create your perfect pot.