Building the Perfect Fall Container

Revamp your existing containers for the cooler fall months

By late August , garden container ( and sometimes their gardeners ) can look a piffling worse for article of clothing . These containers may have been through a lot since spring — the plant life may have been dried out , underfed , or attacked by worm and disease . September does not have to be the end of enjoying beautiful container intention , though . With a little savvy determination - fashioning , stamp love and caution , and some plant pick - me - ups , you’re able to give your worn containers a late summertime makeover for continued color through the first frosts .

Ornamental grasses such as this Mexican feather grass ( Nassella tenuissima , Zones 7–10 ) look beautiful even in demise , with their silky threads catch the frost . exposure : Erin Presley . Decide what will stay and what will go . industrial plant that were pretend by disease or severely underwatered can get unsightly tight , so remove them first to freshen up your container . heating - enjoy impatiens ( Impatiens walleriana , annual ) and coleus ( Plectranthus scutellarioides , zone 10–11 ) descent as temperatures swing , so take removing these . Look for morphologic and moth-eaten - tolerant plants to continue as elements of your revamped container get going into drop . Fuchsia ( Fuchsiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 10–11 ) and snapdragon ( Angelonia angustifolia , annual ) execute astonishingly well on cooler days but show frost damage quickly . Zinnias ( Zinnia elegans , annual ) and marigolds ( Tagetesspp . and cvs . , annual ) prime well through coolheaded temperature and can weather some light frost . In the Midwest , many tender sage ( Salviaspp . and cvs . , Zones 7–10 ) just set forth looking their good in late summer , and yearly cosmetic grasses look interesting even after turn a ghostly tan when strike by hard rime . Keep your containers well watered as raw plants establish and through hot dry days in September and October .

Put some metre into plant grooming . After including container plants that have potential drop to go into fall , give them some affection . With faded plant move , it ’s wanton to see and accost cultural consideration . Remove idle or pathological stems and foliage , as well as flower and plant debris that has roll up on the soil open . Cut back lanky plants by a third to spur impudent growth during September ’s mild days .

Recondition your potting soil . Renew water insight to the Department of the Interior of severely great deal - bound containers by cancel up the soil surface between plants where it feels crusted and besotted . believe incorporating a dose of slow - discharge fertilizer or additional potting territory . My favourite fall dirt amendment is coir chips , encounter at garden center that focalize on houseplants and indoor growing systems . Coir , the sinewy covering of a coco , is superabsorbent , and the chips can be work down into the soil to roleplay as sponge and boost urine retention and absorption into fall ’s dry day .

Add some gloam color with frost - hardy fillers . Selections can be determine at garden nitty-gritty in former summer , but consider the play along repeated , dwelling - grown , or easy - to - find plant to provide welcome color .

aster

Many garden centers showcase a variety of asters ( Asterspp . and cvs . , Symphyotrichumspp . and cvs . , andEurybiaspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–8 ) to add color to their fall recurrent lineups . With an teemingness of small flower , asters are long bloom and provide ambrosia for pollinator into November . ‘ Lady in Black ’ calico aster ( Symphyotrichum lateriflorum‘Lady in Black ’ , zona 4–8 ) has an interesting cascade down habit and dark foliage that complement fall ’s warm tincture . Also , most asters are very hardy and can successfully be plant out as late as November to fill gaps in perennial plantings .

table mustard leafy vegetable

moolah and kale tolerate Robert Frost well , but my preferred showy fall edible is mustard green . Sow mustard green in a garden bed in late August , and transplant into container in September . Sizing up quickly , they do good from lessen dirt ball insistence in cool temperatures . ‘ Garnet Giant ’ has substantial , glossy burgundy leaves with great encroachment in the container and in the kitchen .

Heuchera

Heucheras ( Heucherasspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) can be chance in a rainbow of colors to complement any color scheme , and their tidy mounded wont can anchor an otherwise gangly free fall container . Most Heuchera are semi - evergreen and showcase lovely colour change into November .

Violets

With their numerous kickshaw peak , violas ( Viola cornuta , Zones 5–9 ) perform considerably as temperatures cool off than their larger - flower cousins , faggot ( Viola ×wittrockiana , Zones 5–9 ) . The variety of color combination and nuances available in the world of viola is enough to harmonize any color palette . Sorbet ® violas are a favorite for their round-the-clock blooms despite weather condition vagaries , and they get in every shade under the sun .

Container gardens and gardeners like benefit from a late - summer makeover . Like pair your comfiest careworn jeans with a spunky new sweater , the nicest crepuscule containers retain the heartiest of the summer ’s plantings with some coloured new additions . And with lessen humidity and mess of sunshine , containers and gardeners alike can both look their best going into fall .

Erin Presley is a plantsman at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison , Wisconsin .

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‘Raydon’s Favorite aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’, Zones 4-8) weaving through gloriosa daisies (Rudbeckia hirta, Zones 3-7) and ornamental grasses. Photo: Erin Presley

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Ornamental grasses like this Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima, Zones 7-10) look beautiful even in death, with their silky threads catching the frost. Photo: Erin Presley

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Coir chips are an excellent potting soil amendment for absorbing moisture in root-bound containers. Photo: Erin Presley.

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The cascading habit of ‘Lady in Black’ calico aster and the blue flowers of ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ aromatic aster pair well in this texture-filled fall container. Photo: Erin Presley.

‘Garnet Giant’ mustard greens in dramatic combination with orange pot marigolds (Calendula officinalis, annual). Photo: Erin Presley.

This perennial-based container design will sail through light frosts; ‘Cherry Cola’ heuchera (Heuchera‘Cherry Cola’, Zones 4–9) provides contrast in color and form. Photo: Erin Presley.