33 Gorgeous Fall Container Garden Ideas for a Colorful Season-Long Display

Use the height of ornamental grasses to your advantage to balance the proportions of a large fall planter box. Rich gold, orange, and purple hues pair perfectly with a farmhouse-style wooden planter to decorate this porch.

A. 'Northwind' switchgrass

B. Chrysanthemum

C. Golden barberry

D. Cordyline

E. Trailing sedum

This beautiful fall container garden idea doesn't rely on flowers, only colorful leaves. As a bonus, the planter's rich tapestry of hues 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. This easy fall container garden idea can also be adapted to any planter you have available.

A. Swiss chard

B. 'Pinot Gris' coralbells

Plant an autumn-inspired container you can enjoy until winter sets in. The broad, fuzzy foliage of silver sage contrasts with the slender, arching leaves of sedge. Long-lasting ornamental peppers are set off by almost-black pansies to complement your Halloween decor.

A. Silver sage

B. 'Frosted Curls' sedge

C. 'Bowles' Black' pansy

D. Hot peppers

Pick out a planter you really love, then let it inspire your container planting ideas. Consider a brightly colored pot to help bring some extra oomph to a gray winter day, and select plants with foliage or stems with similar or contrasting hues. In this container, bright red coralbells almost match the container color, while the rest of the plant provide contrast.

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. Honeysuckle, leucothoe, and coralbells pack this container with lush foliage, while little bluestem adds texture and rises above the rest.

A. Little bluestem

B. 'Twiggy Dwarf' honeysuckle

C. 'Rainbow' leucothoe

D. 'Berry Smoothie' coralbells

Flowers are fleeting, so keep the show going all season long by choosing fall container plants with foliage that looks lovely in autumn. Grasses, kale, Heuchera, and Heucherella are colorful, textural, and can take a little frost, 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. 'Sorbet' viola

F. 'Stoplight' foamy bells

Long, straight stems like these from redtwig dogwoods are an easy way to add pizzazz to fall containers. Paint them for even more color, and use a tall, narrow container to heighten the effect.

A. 'Purple Baron' ornamental millet

B. 'Morning Light' maidengrass

C.  Variegated hebe

D. Mugo dwarf pine

E. Wintergreen

Ornamental grasses are a no-brainer for adding movement and color to fall gardens. Keep them in mind for your container plantings, 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 around into new arrangements, use them to fill gaps in the garden, or just to change up your landscape'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

One secret to great container gardens is to combine live plants with dried ones. Here, dried flowers from oakleaf hydrangeas on top and bigleaf hydrangeas on the bottom add grace and interest to this charming planting.

A. Pig squeak

B. 'Xenox' sedum

C. 'Pink Crystals' rubygrass

Perennials can be the highlight of fall container gardens, especially if you choose varieties with flashy foliage. Treat them as annuals at the end of the season, 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

Sometimes stems can be more colorful than leaves. In this fall container idea, Swiss chard's eye-catching stems steal the show from the more muted hues of the foliage.

A. 'Bright Lights' swiss chard

B. 'Pigeon Purple' flowering kale

C. 'Marmalade' coralbells

Make a statement at your entrance with a classic garden urn or two. Use flowers and foliage with similar autumn hues to create a warm welcome.

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. The annual flowers add late-season color, while kale helps fill out the container and create a lush fall arrangement.

A. 'Purple Viking' aster

B. 'Kamome Red' flowering kale

C. 'Icicles' licorice plant

Celebrate the season with bronze and deep purple tones, which look especially regal when paired with a bold, bright color from mums in this fall container garden.

A. Leatherleaf sedge

B. 'Golden Andrea' chrysanthemum

C. 'Jester' purple millet

Add unexpected colors and contrasts to your fall landscape with container garden plants that feature soft pink flowers or silver leaves.

A. 'Soft Cheryl' chrystanthemum

B. Dusty miller

C. 'Redbor' purple kale

This container garden idea is all about capitalizing on a color theme to look cohesive. Terra-cotta hues echo through the pot, flowers, and foliage.

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 dynamic display.

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, weathered birdbath. Or consider a 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 containers a little something extra by adding garden ornaments or other artistic elements. A gourd birdhouse, for example, ties into the colors and lends additional height to this container garden idea.

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 reds, oranges, and yellows with blooms that boast soft shades of pink, lavender, and burgundy.

A. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

B. 'Icicle' pansy

C. 'Debonaire' chrysanthemum

D. 'Red Riding Hood' purple fountaingrass

Kale and mums always make for a reliable fall container combination. But nothing says you can't mix it up a little by adding in a few other plants to really set them off. Here, a russet red mum makes a great contrast for a purple calibrachoa in a galvanized container. These plants would also work well in a fall hanging basket.

A. 'Cabaret Purple' calibrachoa

B. 'Brandi' chrysanthemum

C. 'Osaka Purple' flowering kale

D. 'Hameln' fountaingrass

E. Sage

Even just a couple of fall container plants can create a beautiful mini garden. 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

No matter the season, yellow shines in the landscape. Pansies are some of the best plants for fall because they flower well past the first frost and there are many varieties that have yellow petals.

A. 'Panola Yellow Blotch' pansy

B. 'Icicles' licorice plant

C. English ivy

Mums are some of the most colorful and versatile 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

This trio of perennials offers fall colors that make a dramatic statement in a container garden. To overwinter the perennials, sink the pot into the ground or move it to a cool spot over the winter.

A: Fountaingrass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) — 1

B: Coralbells (Heuchera ‘Peach Flambe’) — 2

C: Golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) — 2

A simple gathering of cold-resistant ruffled green kale (Brassica oleracea), striking magenta chrysanthemum, and variegated Iresine herbstii 'Aureoreticulata' evokes an autumnal vibe 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 vivid magenta chrysanthemums in a simple terra-cotta pot.

A. 'Rubrum' purple fountaingrass

B. Magenta chrysanthemum

A pair of planters (one 12 inches wide, the other 18 inches wide) makes fall memorable with an eye-catching blue glaze that's the perfect contrast to orange pumpkins. The cool color of the pots harmonizes beautifully with the kale foliage and mum flowers. The pink tones in the festival grass echo those of the mums, and its spiky leaves add a contrasting texture to the whole arrangement.

A: Chrysanthemum 'Beth Violet'

B: Kale (Brassica oleracea 'Chidori White')

C: Aster 'Viking'

D: Kale (Brassica oleracea 'Toscano')

E: Festival grass (Cordyline 'Jurred')

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

This fall flower and foliage container breaks the typical color scheme of gold, orange, and red. A tall, fragrant rosemary plant serves as a focal point, set off by colorful asters, deep-green ivy, and pink mums.

A: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

B: Days Aster

C: Chrysanthemum ‘Marsha Pink’

D: Majestic Giant pansy (Viola ‘Majestic Giant’)

E: English ivy (Hedera helix)