In our April e-newsletter, we listed our favorite tried and true summer plants for sun and shade container gardens. This season, we have used some new (to us) plants in our container garden installations and have been so pleased with the results that we wanted to spread the word.

Elizabeth and Julie separately discovered swedish ivy for the first time this year and it is fast becoming the Soil Sisters's new favorite spiller for partial sun. It really fills out and trails gracefully over the sides of the planter. We both have different varieties that we love however. Elizabeth's favorite is variegated swedish ivy, (pictured above) because she can't get enough of a white and green combo. Julie's loves purple swedish ivy for it's dramatic dark purple stems with deep purple flowers and dark green leaves. Both varieties are winners in our books!

Wasabi coleus is a great filler or thriller that has gorgeous chartreuse green foliage that thrives in the heat and sun. Coleus needs to be pinched back often so it doesn't get "leggy". Simply snip off the unwanted growth just above a set of leaves to encourage branching and a more dense foliage cover. Pinching off the flower heads of coleus should be done throughout the growing season as they emerge, which will redirect the plant's energy away from seed production and back toward making more colorful leaves.

Santa Cruz begonias are a fabulous spiller that love sun to part-shade conditions. This is one of Julie's new favorite discoveries and she particularly loves its dainty flowers.

Rex begonia is another begonia favorite that Julie has discovered this season. She uses it as a filler in the shade and loves the shape of the leaves and texture it adds to a planter.

Julie and I are testing additional plants and flowers in our own yards this summer and look forward to incorporating them in our container garden designs next year. We'll keep you posted on our faves!