Trailing Plants for Large Civic Planters

• Vinca, trailing petunia, lantana and strawflower all work well in civic planters. Daisuke Morita/Valueline/Getty Images

  Civic planters relieve urban landscapes with spills of greenery and blooms. "Spill" is the lush cascade created by including trailing plants in civic planters, explains the Grand Rapids, Mich., Downtown Alliance Streetscape Design Guidelines, which also call for the use of unusual forms and textures, height and bold colors. Trailing plants provide the backdrop of a well-designed civic planter, drawing the eye from the top of the tallest, brightest plant, down to the sidewalk.

Variegated Periwinkle: Vinca Major 'Variegata'

• When you see cream-and-green oval and heart-shaped leaves on 15- to 18-inch or longer tendrils cascading over the edges of a civic planter, with blue to light purple five-petaled flowers about 2 inches across, you are looking at Vinca major "Variegata," according to Floridata senior scientist and editor Steve Christman. Vinca often surrounds a ring of red geraniums, impatiens or begonias, with a tuft of ornamental grass providing contrasting height in the planter.

Trailing Petunia: Calibrachoa x. Hybrida

• Botanists once believed that this smaller petunia look-alike was just a dwarf variety. It has now been recognized as a separate, related genus in its own right, states Sunset Magazine garden expert Jim McCausland. Calibrachoa's orange, pink, purple and yellow blooms resist budworm and do not need to be dead-headed. All varieties will spread 20 to 30 inches, states Penn State University educator Alan H. Michael, making Calibrachoa a good choice for the large planters used to hold young ornamental trees.

'Weeping' Lantana: Lantana Montevidensis

• Lantana montevidensis, known as "weeping" lantana, grows 18 to 24 inches high and will trail for up to 5 feet, according to Floridata founder and publisher Jack Sheper. Native to Uruguay, weeping lantana does best in USDA hardiness zones 8 to 10. The flowers and vines will cascade beyond the container, so the plant should have a regular trim. Its salt tolerance makes it a good choice for civic planters in coastal areas.

Strawflower or Licorice Plant: Helichrysum Petiolare

• The licorice plant or strawflower is a South African native member of the aster family, states Sunset Magazine's Plant Finder. Widely used in dried flower arrangements, its 18- to 36-inch height, 4-foot trailing stems and licorice scent make it another good choice for municipal planters.