Fall Container Garden Ideas

Play with height using ornamental grasses fit for fall. Fall gold, orange, and purple hues pair perfectly with a rustic wooden planter.

A. 'Northwind' switchgrass

B. Chrysanthemum

C. Golden barberry

D. Cordyline

E. Euonymus

This beautiful arrangement happens without any flowers—only container garden plants. As a bonus, the planter's rich tapestry of fall colors and textures will last well past first frost.

A. Coprosma 'Tequila Sunrise'

B. 'Charity' grape holly

C. 'Stoplight' foamy bells

D. 'Nagoya'  kale

Dish up the season's bounty by planting frost-tolerant coralbells and Swiss chard in the center of a galvanized pan, then surround the plants with a colorful collection of gourds and mini squash. 

A. 'Pinot Gris' coralbells

B. Swiss chard

C. Beets

Plant an autumn-inspired container in September and enjoy until winter sets in. The fuzzy foliage of silver sage grows alongside the arching leaves of sedge and a clump of long-lasting ornamental peppers. Almost-black pansies complete the spooky autumn color palette.

A. Silver sage

B. 'Frosted Curls' sedge

C. 'Bowles' Black' pansy

D. Hot peppers

Invest in a pot you love, then let it be your partner, using its color to inspire your container planting ideas. Consider a brightly colored pot; neutrals look drab on a gray winter day.

A. Blueberry

B. 'Lacinato' kale

C. 'Jade Princess' millet

D. 'Berry Smoothie' coralbells

E. 'Orchid Frost' deadnettle

In each container garden design, use at least one plant with height, one with bright colors, and one with bold textures. There won't be time for plants to grow in, so pack the pot full for instant impact.

A. Little bluestem

B. 'Twiggy Dwarf' honeysuckle

C. 'Rainbow' leucothoe

D. 'Berry Smoothie' coralbells

Flowers are fleeting, so choose plants for lasting foliage. Grasses, kale, Heuchera, and Heucherella are colorful, textural, and frost-hardy, so they're dependable anchors for fall pots.

A. 'Purple Lacinato' kale

B. Orange sedge

C. Sundance Mexican orange blossom

D. 'Roy's Red' coprosma

E. Viola sorbet

F. 'Stoplight' foamy bells

Branch out! Simple objects like twigs add pizzazz to fall container plants. Paint them for even more color.

A. 'Purple Baron' ornamental millet

B. 'Morning Light' maidengrass

C.  Variegated hebe

D. Mugo dwarf pine

E. Wintergreen

Grasses are a no-brainer for fall gardens. Keep them in mind for your container planting ideas, too. Most grasses look great in pots. Here, purple fountaingrass and blue fescue create a lovely contrast for pink mums and yellow strawflower.

A. Blue fescue

B. 'Cecilia' chrysanthemum

C. 'Sundaze Golden Yellow' strawflower

D. Purple fountaingrass

Small containers are great accents because you can easily move them for parties, to fill gaps in the garden, or just to change your yard's look. This container is a perfect match for a festive series of small pumpkins.

A. 'Magellan Orange' zinnia

B. Deadnettle

C. 'Panola Orange' pansy

D. Rosemary

E. 'Prestige Scarlet' celosia

Great container gardens aren't always just live plants. Here, dried hydrangea flowers add grace and interest to a charming planting.

A. Pig squeak

B. 'Xenox' sedum

C. 'Pink Crystals' rubygrass

Perennials can be the highlight of container flower gardening, especially if you choose types with flashy foliage. Treat them as inexpensive annuals, or get them in the ground as soon as you can before it freezes.

A. 'Efanthia' euphorbia

B. 'Hameln' fountaingrass

C. 'Flying Colors Trailing Red' diascia

D. 'Dolce Creme Brulee' coralbells

Lots of fall landscapes rely on foliage for a big bang -- so why shouldn't your container gardens? Try plants with colorful leaves so the container sill looks pretty after blooms fade.

A. 'Bright Lights' swiss chard

B. 'Pigeon Purple' flowering kale

C. 'Marmalade' coralbells

Make a statement at your entrance with a well-placed container or two. For bold fall mixed containers, it's tough to beat an urn filled with flowers, such as the one shown here.

A. 'Burgundy Giant' fountaingrass

B. 'Sedona' coleus

C. 'Zesty Scarlet' zinnia

D. 'Cordoba' black-eyed Susan

E. 'Superbells Tequila Sunrise' calibrachoa

Asters and kale are surefire picks for a great fall show, and silvery foliage from 'Icicles' licorice plant is a perfect end-of-the-season accent.

A. 'Purple Viking' aster

B. 'Kamome Red' flowering kale

C. 'Icicles' licorice plant

Deep, dark purples create garden intrigue, especially when they're paired with a bold, bright color. Create contrast for stunning flower container ideas.

A. Leatherleaf sedge

B. 'Golden Andrea' chrysanthemum

C. 'Jester' purple millet

Reds, oranges, browns, and yellows fill the fall landscape. Add color and contrast with pink, blue, or silver flowering container plantings!

A. 'Soft Cheryl' chrystanthemum

B. Dusty miller

C. 'Redbor' purple kale

This container looks great because the natural terra-cotta hues echo through all the plants.

A. 'Efanthia' euphorbia

B. 'Ulrich' coleus

C. Indiangrass

D. 'Festive Ursula' chrysanthemum

Frost-tolerant flowering kale is a perfect choice for adding color and texture to late-season containers. Try a handful of varieties to create a bold look.

A. 'Osaka White' flowering kale

B. 'Pigeon Purple' flowering kale

C. 'Redbor' flowering kale

Boost a set of great plants with a fun container, such as an old, cracked birdbath. Or consider an old bushel basket, wooden crate, or other material with character.

A. 'Golden Globe' loosestrife

B. 'Tiny Toes' coleus

C. 'Blushing Emily' chrysanthemum

D. Kale

E. 'Mona Lavender' plectranthus

F. 'Dolce Creme Brulee' coralbells

G. 'Pink Champagne' rubygrass

Give your fall container gardens a bit of whimsy by adding artistic elements. A birdhouse, for example, ties into the colors and gives the container additional height and texture.

A. 'Cheryl' chrysanthemum

B. Sedge

C. 'Aurea' golden creeping Jenny

D. 'Icicle' pansy

E. 'Rubrum' purple fountaingrass

Container flower gardening is all about balance. Contrast autumn's bold and bright reds, oranges, and yellows with soft shades of pink, lavender, and burgundy.

A. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

B. 'Icicle' pansy

C. Debonaire' chrysanthemum

D. 'Red Riding Hood' purple fountaingrass

Fall container gardens can be any color. Mix your favorites for a look that suits you. Here, a deep red mum makes a great contrast for a blue calibrachoa in a galvanized container.

A. 'Cabaret Purple' calibrachoa

B. Chrysanthemum 'Brandi' chrysanthemum

C. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

D. 'Hameln' fountaingrass

E. Sage

Even just a couple of plants create stunning flower container ideas. This one offers a bonus of the strong fragrance of the flowering stock.

A. 'Wonderland Mulberry Mix' sweet alyssum

B. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

C. 'Vintage Lavender' flowering stock

Even against the bright colors of fall, yellow shines in the landscape. Pansies are some of the best plants for fall because they flower well past the first frost.

A. 'Panola Yellow Blotch' pansy

B. 'Icicles' licorice plant

Mums are among the most widely used fall plants. Use them to fill your window boxes for a burst of autumn color.

A. 'Draga' chrysanthemum

B. 'Denise' chrysanthemum

C. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

D. 'Glacier' variegated ivy

Red, white, and blue never go out of style—so celebrate autumn with these festive colors.

A. Titan Pure White' vinca

B. 'Starla Red' pentas

C. 'Overdam' variegated feather reedgrass

D. 'Mystic Spires Blue' salvia

Frost doesn't have to mean the end of your container plantings! Tough plants stand up to the cold and stay looking great.

A. Hens and chicks

B. 'Mahogany' ajuga

C. 'Kamome Red' flowering kale

A simple gathering of cold-resistant ruffled green kale (Brassica oleracea), striking magenta chrysanthemum, and variegated Iresine herbstii 'Aureoreticulata' invokes autumn in earthy containers.

A. Ruffled green kale

B. Magenta chrysanthemum

C. 'Aureoreticulata' beefsteak plant

Tassled purple fountaingrass adds height, texture, and just enough color to contrast with vidid magenta chrystanthemums in a terra-cotta pot. 

A. 'Rubrum' purple fountaingrass

B. Magenta chrysanthemum

Ornamental black pepper (Capsicum annuum 'Black Pearl') makes an outstanding display in a rusty cast-iron pot with pink verbena, bold purple kale, and ornamental cabbage.

A. 'Black Pearl' ornamental black pepper

B. Pink verbena

C. Purple kale

D. Ornamental cabbage

An airy mass of long-blooming coreopsis 'Mango Punch' combines with matching chrysanthemums and a few berried spikes of ornamental black pepper in a footed urn.

A. 'Mango Punch' coreopsis

B. Chrysanthemum

C. Ornamental black pepper