The table calls it a tie: Petunia and Verbena share the crown at 86 and 86 of 100, a gap smaller than the data can honestly split.
Every flower here is scored by the same 5 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Fits a standard patio pot: 15 to 30 · Bloom window: 6 months · Set-and-forget upkeep: low
Flaws, not dealbreakers:toxic to cats
Deer: sometimes eaten (Rutgers C)Not for cat households
83/ 100tap for the breakdown
Fits a standard patio pot30 / 3015 to 30
Bloom window25 / 256 months
Set-and-forget upkeep20 / 20low
Spiller habit bonus4 / 15clumping, mounding
Forgives a missed watering day4 / 10medium
The protocol
How the score is built
5 rules, 100 points, no opinions. Every line reads one field of the table.
Fits a standard patio pot30 pointstops out under 18 inches (45 cm) 30; under 30 inches (75 cm) 22; under 42 inches (105 cm) 14; taller needs a tub, 6 Read from: how tall it grows.
Bloom window25 pointsblooms 4+ months on the patio 25; 3 months 18; 2 months 12; a single month 5 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Set-and-forget upkeep20 pointslow maintenance 20; medium 10; high-maintenance in a pot that dries out fast 0 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Spiller habit bonus15 pointstrailing habit, spills over the pot's edge 15; spreading habit 10; upright or other habit 4 Read from: habit form.
Forgives a missed watering day10 pointslisted as a dry-soil plant, forgives a hot day without water 10; dry-to-medium 7; medium moisture needs 4; medium-to-wet 2; wet needs 0 Read from: how much water it wants.
Not ranked here: not documented as suitable for container growing. Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 73 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
not documented as suitable for container growingConeflower, Coreopsis, Globe Thistle and 9 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Petunia
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
