Container Garden Ideas for Fall
Looking for container garden ideas for fall? I planted some cool containers for my front porch that look amazing! This is how I did it.
Container gardening is one of favorite things to do. It’s easy, they warm up empty spaces, you can change the plants out to match the season, and you don’t need much room to enjoy one.
But for me?
The best part about growing plants in containers is designing them. Because I really enjoy spending time at the garden nursery playing around with different plant combinations.
And when I’m shopping around, I look for plants that will add seasonal color, texture, and dimension.
In this post, I’m sharing how to plant a beautiful container garden idea for fall.
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For the last few seasons, I’ve decorated the front porch urns with plantings that are easy on the eye.
Because my front gardens are so vibrant and colorful, I usually like to keep my front porch planters simple.
I love to use small dwarf alberata spruces in the front porch containers because they are conical, create a focal point, and look simple.
Plus, they are green and look good all year round.
Since I’m decorating the porch for fall, I started thinking about last year’s outdoor fall decor for some inspiration.
And I loved what I did.
What Can I Plant in Fall Containers?
There is so much more to plant in fall container gardens than just garden mums!
Here is a great list of the best fall garden flowers.
And here are some fall planting ideas.
This year, I want to try something different and have a little more fun with my container gardens.
I can’t wait to show you the cool plants I used!
And guess what?
I did NOT use garden mums.
Container Garden Ideas for Fall
While this post shares how I designed and planted these particular fall planters for my porch, feel free to substitute with plants you want to work with, that are available to you and inspire.
And be sure to check out the additional container garden ideas inspiration at the end of the post.
Container Garden Idea for Fall Supplies
For this container garden idea, I chose plants with bold, bright colors and lots of texture.
Here’s what I used:
- millet
- celosia
- salvia
- ornamental kale and cabbage
- creeping jenny
- calamint
- pansies (the nursery didn’t have them when I first designed this, but I am adding them soon)
- potting soil
- plant food
Directions to Make Container Garden Ideas for Fall
First things first, you need to choose the type of planter you want to use. Do you want to use an urn, stone planter, terra cotta, all weather resin, etc.?
Once you have the container figured out, you are ready to design and plant.
When designing any container garden, it’s important to consider the thriller, filler and spiller technique for design.
Since my containers already have plants in them, I cleaned them out.
Instead of tossing the dwarf alberata spruces, I planted them directly in the ground in other areas of my garden.
I added some fresh potting soil to the container. then started with the thriller plant.
Designing the Fall Planter
For this fall garden container idea, the thriller is the millet. It is tall, leafy, creates a focal point, and adds movement, color and texture.
When I dropped the millet in the urn, I centered it towards the back since this is sitting on my front porch.
The plant’s root ball was a little bigger than I estimated for my container garden.
Ah well, I can work around it. Sometimes I get so excited about things I see at the nursery that I want to use, that I just go for it and figure it out later.
Since the root ball takes up a lot of container space, I have to squish the smaller ones in there around it.
I tucked the creeping jenny in front as the spiller.
I love that bright chartreuse green. It pairs well with the millet.
As an aside, creeping jenny can be a little invasive here. So keep an eye as it trails down over the edges of the containers.
I had it in one of my summer containers years ago in the garden.
It creeped down from the pot and rooted into the ground.
I’m still pulling it out – it grows quick and can be hard to get rid of.
But it should be fine in this fall outdoor planter because it will be located on my front porch.
Then I added the ornamental cabbage and kale as some low filler.
Aren’t they so fun?
I love the colors and leafy texture they add to the planter.
Next I tucked in the salvia and the celosia on one side with the billowy calamint and celosia on the other.
I really love this plant combination with the millet.
That beautiful purple with the bright fuschia of the celosia is really striking isn’t it?
And the calamint smells really good!
Before finishing up, I added plant food and watered thoroughly.
And that’s it!
I can’t wait to add some pansies, garden mums and pumpkins to the front porch.
That’s happening later this week.
And I waited to add garden mums until now because it was a little too early for them.
There’s a trick to caring for garden mums to help them last longer.
Fall Garden Tip: if you buy and plant pansies now, they will bounce back in spring when the daffodils start to bloom.
Now that my container garden for fall is planted, I am ready to decorate the front porch with some outdoor fall porch decor.
More Container Garden Ideas You Might Enjoy
Wait until you see these beautiful container garden ideas that will inspire for different seasons.
More Related Posts You May Enjoy
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- Easy Fall Table Decor Ideas
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- 7 Easy Ways to Spruce Up Your Fall Decor for 2021
- 17 Simple Fall Home and Garden Ideas
- How to Choose an Autumn Color Palette
- Easy Winter Container Garden Idea
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