Who says that you always have to grow strawberries in your strawberry jar?

While it might seem a little counter-intuitive to plant other things in your strawberry jars, they’re actually well-suited to creating herb gardens or small, but colorful floral arrangements for your patio or porch.

The “pockets” of a strawberry jar are an excellent place to corral different types of flowers, and mixing shorter plants with drooping vines or succulents can help cover the terracotta pot itself.

Strawberry jars are versatile enough to serve as herb gardens, succulent gardens, container gardens with lots of flowers, or even as a combination of the three.

Herb gardens in particular do well in strawberry planters because of the small pockets. The pockets help keep some herbs from spreading too much and taking over your herb garden.

Small annual and perennial flowers also do well in container gardens, especially if they are heat or drought resistant.

So let’s break free of only planting strawberries in a strawberry jar, and create stunning container gardens filled with flowers, shrubs, and herbs!

Let’s get started with these 18 plants that grow great in strawberry pots!

1. Basil

Basil is a great choice for planting in a strawberry jar, particularly if you’re aiming to keep a strawberry pot herb garden. Basil loves sunshine, but is frost sensitive, so having it in a pot that you can move indoors during periods of frost or cold weather is helpful. Just remember, basil needs a lot of fertilizer!

2. Cacti

Cacti come in a lot of varieties, but they are all drought resistant, so they’re great for those gardeners that have a tough time remembering to water their plants. Due to the wide variety of cacti available, they look great in strawberry plant containers. You can easily find larger or smaller varieties that will fit into the wide mouth and small pockets of the planter.

3. Hen and Chick Succulents

The characteristic rosettes of the Hen and Chick succulent fit perfectly into the strawberry jar’s pockets, and will sometimes send up beautiful red blossoms that can get as tall as 2 feet.

4. Dusty Miller

The silvery-gray foliage of the Dusty Miller plant, otherwise known as Senecio cineraria, would be a stunning addition to any strawberry planter arrangement.  These plants bloom in midsummer, producing small, delicate yellow flowers, but the silver foliage lasts most of the year and is drought resistant.

5. Heliotrope

Heliotrope is sometimes called Cherry Pie, Mary Fox, or White Queen, but these small, delicate flowers have been absent from gardens for quite a few years. The small flowers have a light fragrance that many gardeners have described as vanilla or, like its namesake, cherry pie.

6. Lobelia

Lobelia is a lovely annual herb that is easy to grow and does well in cooler weather. The purple blooms erupt in summer, although the flowers last until the first frost. Traditionally, the herb was used to treat asthma or to induce vomiting. In your garden, they’ll provide a pop of color as ground cover or in a strawberry jar!

7. Mint

If you’re creating an herb garden in your strawberry jar, don’t forget to add mint! This is a versatile herb that you can use in the kitchen, in addition to being fragrant. They do well in strawberry planters because they spread easily. The pockets in a strawberry jar will keep your mint plant corralled.

8. Nasturtiums

These yellow and orange beauties are annuals that have edible leaves and flowers. They do particularly well in containers and have a soft, but pretty fragrance. They also are great plants to grow with your children, as they grow easily and very quickly.

9. Oregano

If you love Italian food, you’ll definitely want to add some oregano to your strawberry jar. It will happily spill over the edge, so it can help hide the planter a little bit. In the summer, your oregano will produce small white flowers.

10. Pansies

Pansies are a common flower that you’re sure to spot in nearly every garden, and that’s no surprise, seeing how hardy they are. These annuals appear to have small faces on them, and come in an outrageous range of colors. These small flowers are sure to spice up any container garden, strawberry jar or no strawberry jar!

11. Parsley

Parsley, like oregano, is one of those herbs you don’t want to forget about while planting an herb garden. They are great as companions to annuals and perennials, as well as other herbs. They are beautiful in contrast with brighter flowers and plants as well. You can opt for curled parsley, if you like the shape better than the flat-leafed variety.

12. Petunias

Petunias are another of those flowers almost anyone will recognize. They are easy to grow, even from seeds, and love sunshine. Use these showy, big flowers as filler anywhere you need them. They come in tons of colors and patterns, so you’re sure to find the perfect variety for your container garden or planter.

13. Rosemary

The tall, spiky rosemary plant is a staple in cooking and belongs in any herb garden, container or otherwise. This perennial evergreen shrub has a unmistakable scent. They do well in rock gardens or in dry environments. If you love to cook, use this plant for flavoring poultry, lamb, stews, and soups.

14. Sage

This low shrub tends to be wider than it is tall, and has soft, almost velvety leaves. They do well in USDA zones 5-8, and work well with other herbs, like rosemary and basil. Try combining sage with other Mediterranean herbs to create a fragrant planter that is just as useful in the kitchen!

15. Sedum

This perennial sure looks like a succulent, with thick leaves and fleshy stems, but it technically isn’t. The plants have star-shaped clusters of flowers and are very easy to care for. They love full sun, and will need to be cut back after flowering, so they will maintain their shape.

16. Snapdragons

These beautiful, tall flowers come in many colors, including pastels, as shown above. Snapdragons come in a wide range of varieties that can range from very tall to exceptionally short. Think as high as 3 feet, or as short as 6 inches. Snapdragons can handle frost, so plant in early spring.

17. Sweet Alyssum

Sweet Alyssum is a drought-resistant hardy plant that also handles the heat well. These are annuals, but they will self sow and you’ll have year after year of color, especially in milder climates, without frost. The flowers are usually white, yellow, or purple, and bloom in small clumps.

18. Thyme

Thyme is another of those lovely herbs that are a must have in any container herb garden. The woody stems offer some great contrast to softer looking flowers or plants, and they have a fantastic scent that pairs well with sage, rosemary, and other herbs.