10 Colorful Container Gardens That Celebrate Autumn’s Arrival
As temperatures drop and life at home starts to move inside, give your outdoor spaces a festive update for fall with flowers and foliage in rich golds, deep reds and luxurious purples. You can start your containers from scratch or simply squeeze in some new plantings or accents to an existing container or planter box design.
1. Autumn Glow
Pansies (Viola sp.) in shades of yellow, orange, red and lavender — plus green-and-yellow ‘Angelina’ stonecrop (Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’) — bring fall-inspired color to a New York home’s entry. The bright and low-maintenance combination, by The Crafted Gardener, spills over the sides of its bowl-like container for an exuberant seasonal display.
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
2. Fabulous Foliage
Sculptural foliage adds a contemporary look to this classic terra-cotta planter outside a Seattle home. The arrangement, by Sunrise Container Design, includes heather (Calluna vulgaris), spurge (Euphorbia sp.) and ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea). A dark red pansy adds a bit of unexpected color.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Full sun
3. Colorful Cottage Style
Matching charcoal-hued planters filled with jewel-tone plants and flowers flank this Chicago home’s front door. The mix of asters, mums (Chrysanthemum sp.), celosia and ornamental grasses gives the designs, by The Inspired Garden, cottage-style charm.
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Sun to partial shade
4. Warm Welcome
This container at a Minneapolis home’s front door celebrates the season with a riotous mix of orange-and-red Echibeckia (a hybrid of Echinacea and Rudbeckia), purple-leaved ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea), golden mums (Chrysanthemum sp.) and the faded red foliage of coral bells (Heuchera sp.). Bright green Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa sp.) completes the design, from Garden Stories.
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Partial shade
5. Berries and Branches
One idea for spicing up existing containers is to add colorful berries and branches. In Chicago, KMS Gardens and Design tucked branches laden with bright red berries into terra-cotta pots for seasonal flair that perfectly plays off the pink kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) flowers.
6. Whimsical Window Box
Velvety red celosia and purple ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea) take center stage in this perched planter, while lime green ‘Everillo’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Everillo’) and darker green trailing English ivy (Hedera helix) round out the cast. Orange ornamental peppers make a surprise appearance in the design, by Magical Landscapes in New York.
Water requirement: Moderate to regular
Light requirement: Partial sun to full shade
7. Subtle Style
The Crafted Garden in New York state paired the red berries of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) with orange-petaled pansies for a restrained look in this design. The soft colors blend nicely with the rustic tones of the container.
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Partial shade
8. Fall Foliage Inspiration
Garden Stories in Minnesota took this container from summer to fall with a mix of complementary fall-blooming plants and other autumn-inspired touches. Toffee Twist sedge (Carex flagellifera) and Rudbeckia provide height toward the back. Red-striped leaves of croton (Codiaeum sp.) on one side of the container complement yellow mums (Chrysanthemum sp.) and orange ornamental peppers on the opposite side. Tucked in amongst the plants are lotus pods, pine cones, twigs and brilliantly colored preserved leaves.
Water requirement: Regular
Light requirement: Partial shade to full sun
9. Close-Up Views
Bring the autumn landscape onto your patio, deck or porch with a container-grown tree that’s celebrated for its fall color. The colorful dwarf pomegranate (Punica granatum ‘Nana’, USDA zones 7 to 10; find your zone) seen here is one of the edible choices that Sweet Smiling Landscapes in Santa Barbara, California, recommends. Other container-ready trees with standout fall color include Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, zones 5 to 8) and staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina, zones 3 to 8).
Water requirement: Light to moderate
Light requirement: Full sun
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10. Mirror Images
The same ornamental cabbage and mums (Chrysanthemum sp.) that fill a pair of blue ceramic containers also grow in a tiny nearby garden bed in this Chicago yard. The small space, by KMS Gardens and Design, feels seasonal and cohesive.