5 Steps to Creating a Fall Container

Fall means holiday season with guests coming over, outside fire pits, patio sitting, and apple cider on cool days!

Why not adorn your porch and bare beds with fall containers. Place them by door for a warm welcome or in your garden where thriving annuals once bloomed.

Everyone loves a colorful fall container, but be careful with the plants you are placing together. Think of your future landscape.

Fall Container Building Instructions

Making a fall container is time-consuming but rewarding work. The colors will look beautiful throughout winter, and when spring arrives, you can place it in your landscape.

Choosing a Container

The material of the container should be frost-proof. Materials such as ceramic, terracotta, and clay can get dry and crack if placed outside at a cold temperature. So, make sure to buy a frost-proof container that will last all four seasons and many years to come.

Selection of Plants

Selecting plants that will thrive the winters in a fall container is a difficult task. Most plants don't survive winters, and even if they do survive, they don't last in spring. The rule of thumb here is to pick plants that will survive the cold winters along with breezy spring. Purchasing plants that have not reached full maturity is a fun way to fill containers with four-season interest. Some of my favorites are baby gem box wood, arborvitae dwarf golden, and dwarf Alberta spruce.

These shrubs will last throughout four seasons if you provide them with the love and care that they need. Something to keep in mind is planning for future landscape options for these shrubs. They will be happy in the container for a couple years then will want more space.

Flowering Plants

Choosing flowers that will last from early fall through late spring is the best bang for your buck. Pansies and Violas will do the trick. These flowers come in such a wide range of colors that your options will be endless. Vinca Major vines are also great on the edge of you containers to give you some vining interest.

Ornamental cabbage and kales bring such a unique texture to containers. In the spring they will shoot up bloom stalks before they are ready to be removed. These plants are very cold hardy and will give you winter interest.

The last flowering plant is the heuchera or coral bell. This is an evergreen perennial and generally likes some protection from the heat. They are best known for their full foliage, but in the spring they have tall bloom stalks that are so whimsical. There are so many varieties; you’ll sure find one that fits your taste. 

Food Requirements

The general rule of thumb is to water shrubs when they are growing. So, water your fall container only when the soil feels dry. Avoid excessive watering in winters as the sun isn’t drying out the soil. Use a good-drainage soil as the fall container will be frost-proof, and it is optimal to have soil that is of good drainage. Because plants don’t put on a lot of growth in the fall and winter, fertilizing isn’t as frequent. Always use a slow release fertilizer when you plant and that will carry you through until spring.

Plant Placement

If your fall container is new then it is better to place it on the entrance so that it can get adjusted to the surroundings. You can have the fall container on full display when spring arrives. In the fall and winter flower beds go to rest and can look bare, you can also place your containers in the bed to fill in bare spots where annuals once bloomed.