One more week before it's officially Summer which means there is still time to spruce up your outdoor space for all the summer gatherings you've planned. The plant varieties pictured here are very easy to care for in that they withstand hot sun or part shade and do not have finicky watering requirements. That being said if it's really hot, water them more often. If it's rainy, water less often. Summer, if you're listening: I want it hot and sunny this year!.

The first thing I needed were some window boxes so I asked my grandfather to make me a couple out of pine. The cost for materials was $7. (If you make your own, be sure they have drain holes.) I primed and then painted each planter with two coats of Behr Youthful Coral in the satin finish from Home Depot. I wanted to introduce a bright accent color for the planters which would be filled with hues of green. Be sure that all of your plants are healthy when putting them together in one container as any disease or infestation can and will easily spread.

1. Sweet Potato Vine
This climber is perfect for containers since it creeps down over the edge. It grows very fast and is the prettiest bright yellow green.

2. Fiber Optic Grass
This annual reminds me of those glow sticks sold at amusement parks. It adds a lot of texture to your container.

3. Dracaena
This is a dark green spiky foliage that adds height to the back or sides of your container. It can grow fairly tall, but grows slowly. This can be moved indoors for the Winter.

4. White Licorice Plant
This fuzzy, silvery-white plant adds texture and looks best in the front of the container since it grows low and wide.

5. "Blazin Rose" Iresine
This highly tolerant plant can grow up to 18 inches tall and adds a bright spot of color. In my case, it accents the color of the window box nicely.

6. Babylon Red Verbena Hybrid
This plant is light and airy with tiny bobs of red flowers that attract butterflies. It's a great choice for the front of a container as it spreads out rather than growing tall.

7. Coleus
This plant comes in several color varieties and is an easy choice for a container filler. I chose the yellow green variety and the red and green tiger leaf variety.

8. Frosted Curls
This grass offers fabulous shimmering texture that is said to look like a waterfall when the wind blows through it.

9. Summer Snapdragon
These grape scented blooms add beautiful height and a lovely purple color to a window box. They are also long lasting as cut stems for your kitchen table.

10. Salvia
Salvia is first cousins with the sage and offers beautiful tall shoots of purple color. I did not end up planting the salvia because the roots were infested with bugs and worms when I took it out of its container.

Images: Tanya Lacourse