Seasonal showstoppers that thrive in containers
Spruce up your fall garden with these stunning fall plants. Get creative with seasonal favorites like mums, flowering kale, and pansies, or play with dynamic combinations of annuals, perennials, and grasses that make great fall container plants.
1.Defining the Time
Adorn your front porch with pots of French hydrangeas. This popular shrub also grows well in containers when given morning sun, afternoon shade, and regular watering. Line the steps with a mix-and-match collection of neutral containers planted with mophead flowers in a variety of colors For a dramatic display.
2. Winning Combination
Get your patio ready for spring with a vibrant arrangement that will bloom again year after year. Wildly colorful Combine small pink French hydrangeas with English ivy. Both prefer a shady spot and regular watering. Trim evergreen ivy occasionally so it looks neat. Prune hydrangeas after they bloom in fall and before new buds form in early spring (between November and January) to keep them healthy.
3. Putting down roots
Brighten up your yard with a mound of wavy flowers. A large container gives your roots plenty of room to grow. Water your hanging flowers well. If you place a planter with holes in the bottom on top of soil or pea gravel (shown at left), the roots will grow into the ground over time, making it a permanent part of your display garden. This will help keep your plants hydrated for longer.
4. Stay Hydrated
Pair your containers together to help your plants lock in moisture when you’re not around to water and maintain them. “This helps them create their own moisture,” says horticulturist Linda Vetter, who also recommends using a soil with high water retention. Drought-tolerant picks anchor each planter on the left, with a spiky ‘Skyscraper’ Senecio (a succulent) on the left, a flowering ‘Ever Amethyst’ Acabanthus on the right, and a ‘Touch of Gold’ holly (an evergreen shrub). For even more color, we also added flowers that change with the season, such as ‘Little Lucky Pot of Gold’ lantanas, ‘Million Bells Trailing Blue’ calibrachoas, and angelonias. Instead of going with pansies or petunias, we used dwarf ‘Little Blanche’ periwinkles, which require less water.
5. Encourage blooms
“Before you leave town, deadhead, remove deadhead, and remove any brown leaves to allow for growth when you leave,” says Vetter. “The more often you deadhead, the more blooms you’ll get.” In the container on the left, we paired ‘Ever Amethyst’ acacias with golden moneywort. ‘Sandastic Peach’ abelia serves as the main element in the second container, which features fan flowers and ‘Million Bells Trailing Blue’ calibrachoas. The licorice plant spreads out on the right side for a balanced look.
6 Made for space
Assess where the pot is placed and how much light it gets during the day. “Choose plants for the area they’re going to live in,” says Vetter. The mix above is a great choice for a slightly shaded site, as it features selections that thrive in full sun, like the low-maintenance ‘Charlie Boy’ cordyline. To soften its thorny appearance, we filled the base with bicolor and white lantanas, esperanzas, several varieties of coleus, and sweet potato vines.
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