If your container garden contains cold-hardy plants, taking a few simple steps can transform it from summer to fall. Start with cleaning everything thoroughly.
Dwarf Alberta Spruce provides height and interest in this fall-themed planter, while Jade Princess pearl millet and Bronco sedge provide color and texture. Pansies and violas add blooms that last until frost arrives!
Refresh Your Pots and Planters
Planting container gardens in spring gives the plants the advantage of rapidly developing, showing off their best colors quickly and quickly gaining height. When fall comes, temperatures begin to change and growth slows or stops altogether – meaning if you overpacked your containers during spring, they could look tired by late fall; now may be an opportune time to give them a fall refresh!
First step to fall-proof your plantings: examine which flowers can continue providing vibrant hues throughout the rest of the season. Bright red coral bells and ‘Sweet Sunshine’ calico roses make good choices because they can tolerate light frost. Other perennials that will continue providing color include Heuchera cultivars, ornamental kale/cabbage hybrids and grass-like plants like purple fountain grass (Pennisetum) or grassy sedums.
After you have identified which plants will remain, begin the packing of new plantings into their containers. Be mindful to pack less tightly than in summer to accommodate for cooler temperatures and slower growth during fall; add new potting soil on top of any old plantings as an added measure.
Croton makes an ideal addition to a fall landscape, serving both as houseplant and ground cover or trailing plant in containers. Its upright foliage draws color into lower plantings of your pot – perfect for pairing with frilly leaves of ‘Peacock White’ kale and dark blue flowers from Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ in this container!
Add height to your fall plantings by including tall elements such as red-twig dogwood stems or grasses, feathery foliage of Angelina Sedum or Pink Pewter Salvia stems for something unexpected and colorful if possible – then complete your design by including pumpkins or gourds for Halloween or Thanksgiving festivities!
Harvest a Quick Fall Harvest
As summer heat recedes and cooler air arrives, container gardens can be revitalized with fall-blooming flowers and foliage. Many perennials and annuals tend to retain their colors much longer in cool temperatures while ornamental kale, cabbage and dill make excellent filler plants for autumn containers. Purple fountain grass or switchgrass add texture and interest for arrangements in this season.
Make an impressionful statement in your landscape by incorporating different hues to make a vibrant display. Complementary colors lie opposite on the color wheel while contrasting hues provide striking contrast – for instance red and orange flowers work great together; yellow-blue combination looks lovely when coupled with purple; while white-green combinations work perfectly as planting schemes.
Plants tolerant to cooler weather and frost make great candidates for fall containers, including colorful Heuchera varieties such as ‘Hens and Chicks” and ‘Peacock White” varieties of kale as well as the frilly leaves of ornamental Swiss chard. For added visual interest add in stems of dried banana stems or bleached pampas grass for an additional pop of color!
Mulch your fall container garden to help insulate and protect its plantings from winter freezes. Depending on your climate, light blankets or large pots may need to be covered until spring. In regions that experience early frosts, hardy perennials might need to be lifted out from their containers and placed directly in the ground before becoming too cold.
Once the growing season is complete, empty containers should be cleaned to remove debris and sanitized with a solution of 10-parts water to 1-part bleach sanitizer to kill disease-carrying organisms and prepare the pots for reuse in 2019. Add seasonal accents, like pumpkins and gourds, for an eye-catching final flourish!
Add a Fall Accent
Fall is an excellent opportunity to add drama and interest to your container gardens by planting ornamental grasses and foliage plants, such as ornamental hot peppers or kale. Don’t forget the fun element that pumpkins add too!
Swapping Out Summer Flowers for Fall
Are Your Summer Flowers Looking Tired?
Switch them out for cool-season blooms like asters, chrysanthemums and sedum. Ornamental Kale or Cabbage Plants can add height and dimension to arrangements – ideal additions for any front porch or patio space!
Ornamental grasses like fountain reed and feather reed add texture and movement to arrangements, featuring their twiggy plumes in multiple shades of green, bronze, and variegated colors. If using ornamental grasses in containers be sure to space them out to ensure they don’t overcrowd your containers.
Grow a Veggie Planter
Wanting fresh organic vegetables all season long? Consider creating a veggie container garden this autumn! These fast-growing beauties can easily co-exist alongside flowering plants in containers – ideal for tomatoes, radishes, spinach, kale and beans among many other delicious varieties that thrive well here!
Your containers can provide an ideal environment for growing tasty squash and other root vegetables! Be sure to choose an area with full sun that provides ample room for them to flourish; rustic touches, such as pumpkins or gourds, add warmth and charm.
If you live in a colder climate, extending your growing season by insulating or covering planters during winter can be accomplished through insulation. Make sure this step is completed before temperatures fall too far below freezing point and your plants risk freezing to death. Bubble wrap or plastic garbage bags work great as insulators wraps for containers; for added protection they may even be covered with mulch to provide added shelter from freezing.
Keep Plants Healthy
As cooler temperatures and shorter days slow plant growth, now is an excellent time to fill your containers for an eye-catching autumn display. Use classic container gardening strategies – thriller, filler and spiller plants with colorful foliage or flowers will add depth and dimension; mix colors for contrast and texture and incorporate late bloomers for added pops of color!
Mums (chrysanthemums) are iconic autumn flowers. With many hues to choose from, mums make for an attractive centerpiece or frame for other plants in an arrangement. Combine mums with low-growing celosia for visual interest or use heuchera’s vibrant red leaves; feathery Celosia blooms come with vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow and pink for additional texture in any arrangement.
Tender annuals and vegetables such as radishes, kale and collard greens are easy to cultivate in pots and planters, especially during cool temperatures. Harvested within 6-9 weeks for harvest, these plants make an eye-catching backdrop for showier flowers or vegetables such as hardy pansies or garlic which can tolerate light frost conditions.
If you plan on cultivating edible vegetables in your container garden, ensure they’re planted in a rich yet well-draining potting soil. Apply organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion or compost tea regularly for best results; container plants tend to dry out more rapidly than garden beds so be vigilant with watering schedule.
Cool-weather flowers and foliage plants like pansies, sedums, lavender are ideal choices for fall containers. These tough plants can withstand early frosts while continuing to blossom throughout autumn and winter with proper protection. Asters with their late season blooms are another fantastic choice that are often hardy in many parts of the country.
Other perennials and ornamental grasses, like fountain grass, blood grass or Japanese forest grass, add height and texture to your arrangements. Heuchera with its variegated or burgundy leaves provides a stunning focal point in any fall container; lamb’s ear and green or pink sedum provide soft neutral tones to your pots; while trailing elements such as ivy, ferns or creeping Jenny from previous containers provide trailing interest.
