3 Keys to Fall Container Garden Success

A foolproof formula for container gardening is to plant thrillers, fillers and spillers. Thrillers are the tall, dramatic elements in container plantings.

Here are some ideas for fall container thriller elements:

• Ornamental grasses. Perennial or annual, ornamental grasses make great choices for containers with annuals like pansies. Fountain grass' swaying fronds bring movement and height to your design. Unlike many ornamental grasses, purple fountain grass is hardy only in zones 9 and 10. Try maiden grass, pink Muhly grass or zebra grass if you’re looking for perennial grasses in cooler climates.
• Shrubs like nandina and arborvitae. Small boxwoods and holly can be used, too. At the end of the fall season, you can plant the shrubs in your yard to establish over the cold season.
• Black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia) and sunflowers (helianthus). These bold flowers bring the color of sunshine to your containers.
• Flowering cabbage and flowering kale. Make room for the stunning rosettes and dramatic coloring of flowering cabbage and flowering kale. Choose the largest sizes and plant the base a little deeper than you would the other plants. Cool weather intensifies the colors of the leaves.
• Perennial ferns like autumn fern and Christmas fern perform well in pots. Be sure to use a well-draining potting mix and place pot in a shady area of your yard.
• In warmer zones, look for tropical crotons in a carnival of autumn-ready colors like red, peach, burgundy and yellow.

Filler elements imbue the arrangement with masses of color. Ideas for fall container fillers include:

• Pansies. These big blooms thrive when nighttime temperatures begin to dip into the 60s (Fahrenheit). Look for colors like deep reds, yellows, oranges and purples, with and without face markings.
  
• Pansies’ little cousins, violas, make sweet fillers in containers. Pansies and violas are both hardy to about 28 degrees Fahrenheit and will last well into winter. If they get bitten by a hard freeze, revive them with a quick trim when weather warms.
• Mums like cool nighttime temps, too. The irresistible and brilliant mounds of color add height to containers. Pop nursery plants into decorative containers and huddle around larger containers for a harvest display. In the Garden Center, select mums with unopened buds for the longest color display. You can plant them in the garden when they finish blooming.
• Coleus' bronze and burgundy foliage keep until the first frost. After that time, you can make cuttings to root in water throughout the winter, or bring small coleus plants into the house as indoor plants.
• Ornamental greens. Plant rainbow-colored chard where the afternoon sun will hit the stems, casting a spectrum of red and yellow light. The red and yellow veining on the dark green leaves is a bonus. Ornamental greens like mustard have a pebbly texture and sturdy upright growth for filler. Greens may flag during cold snaps, but rally again when temps warm up.

Spillers are softer plants that cascade over container sides. Ideas for spiller plants for fall container gardening include:

• Sedum. This plant is a cold-tolerant, drought-resistant choice for a fall container spiller.
• Calibrachoa. The trailing stems and peachy-pink colors of calibrachoa are perfect for spilling over the edge of your planter.
• Chartreuse sweet potato. This vine is welcome in a fall container. You'll want to pull it out after the first frost bites it, though.
• Creeping Jenny is another yellow-green favorite for spilling over the edge of containers. It's hardy in zones 3 to 9.
• Creeping rosemary (sometimes called trailing rosemary) is a vigorous grower in dry climates. It's hardy in zones 8 to 11 and produces small blue flowers in summer.

Once you've picked out your thrillers, fillers and spillers, it's time to plant.

Follow these tips for refreshing your containers:

• Gently remove spent summer annuals and toss them in the compost pile. If you planted summer bulbs like caladiums, pull them out, trim them, brush off the dirt and spread on a tray. When dry, place in a labeled paper bag and keep in a cool, dry place. In spring, plant again, tucking into potting mix.
• If you plan to repurpose viable plants in the containers, use garden scissors shape them up. If they're overgrown, pull them up by the roots and break up the root ball.
• Refresh stale potting mix with compost, peat moss and slow-release fertilizer. Try adding worm castings for a boost.
• Sometimes it's better to fully replace the potting soil. In this case, dump the old soil into an unused garden bed or compost pile.
• Make sure there is adequate drainage in the bottom of your containers. Use a cordless drill to add more holes to your planter.
• Fill container three-quarters full with quality potting mix, then nestle in plants. Top with more potting mix and mulch. A top layer of dampened sheet moss adds a finished look and helps hold in moisture.
• Feed once with a slow-release fertilizer or every week with a liquid fertilizer.
• To complete the harvest look, just add pumpkins.