10 Tips For Planting Your Fall Containers
CONTAINED
BRILLIANCE
Fall reminds us that change can be beautiful.
While fall brings opportunity for fresh starts, new beginnings and rejuvenation, it's always a little hard to say goodbye to summer. For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, gone are the long days of sunlight, and host of outdoor activities, dining and socializing. It's natural that we as humans mark this change in seasons. We do this instinctively through food, celebrations and recreation. The summer-to-fall change brings coziness, new enjoyments and a lush palette of colors.
The new season also brings noticeable changes to your plantings and with that change, the opportunity for a refresh. It's the perfect time to revisit your containers and give thought to plants that will prevail through fall and winter. Consider moving to a fall-esque color palette that reflects the earthy rich colors and textures of the fall landscape, planting bulbs for spring bloom, and trialing new plants.
With all that in mind, here are 10 design tips for your fall container refresh.
- Remove and compost tired-looking summer annuals by digging them out with your hori-hori knife or soil saw. This process allows you to better assess the remaining plants, determining what should be kept, relocated, edited or eliminated.
- Repeat or blend the lush and deep colors and textures of autumn. Incorporate dry grasses, leaves in reddish, mustard and olive hues, and branches like curly willow or red-twig dogwood.
- Keep to two or three foliage colors.
- Layer plants to create interest and depth.
- Integrate plants that will delight your senses in the winter months. Try Sarcococca for fragrance, Miscanthus or ferns for texture and Camellia Yuletide for a feast of color
- Bulbs can be an incredible source of optimism. Under plant your container with spring blooming bulbs for an abundance of bloom when the rest of the landscape is still quiet.
- Pack plants tighter in your container without having to worry about whether they will outgrow the pot for a while. Fall plantings are slow growing until spring.
- Contemplate focal views from your favorite or well-frequented interior spaces, such as your kitchen, dining or living area.
- Consider accessorizing your plantings with décor that corresponds with each upcoming holiday.
- Purchasing new containers? Choose carefully with the weather in mind. Best choices are frost-proof containers and containers that age well.
Whatever your approach, make a plan before you go shopping. It will reduce the overwhelm and likely save you money. Don’t worry about following the plan to the letter. It can be fun to follow impulses and your local garden center will be a valuable source of inspiration, but ultimately having an idea in mind before you arrive is best.
There’s no time like the present! You'll want to plant your containers while the soil is still warm and the weather still mild for the best success.
