Great fall plant ideas

Fall is a great time to have fun with warm and colorful container gardens. Incorporate different colors and textures, use perennials or try some cold-loving annuals. By grouping containers, you can change the look of an entire area—whether it's a deck, stoop, or patio.

You can move containers around to change the appearance of the group. This is especially handy when popular fall plants like asters and mums start to fade. You can easily move them outside and display your best looking containers.

1. Snapdragons and Nemesia

Add some fun to your fall container garden with snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus), which look like candy corn. Nemesia 'Bluebird' contrasts beautifully with the brown and orange snapdragons in this flower arrangement. And while 'Crown Red' snapdragons add a little pop, meadow leatherleaf sedge (Carex buchananii) pulls it all together.

2. Combine the mums and pumpkin

Is there anything more traditional than having chrysanthemum varieties in your fall container? Their buds match the golds, bronzes and reds of autumn, making them look even more festive next to a pumpkin or two. These flowers can withstand the coldest temperatures of the season and are very low maintenance.

3. Birch log container garden

This rustic group includes planters made from hollow birch logs and shades of red and purple blade fall festivities. This particular plant includes coleus, fuchsia, impatiens and purple shamrock. But you can choose any favorite plants with warm, rich tones to mimic the look.

4. Flowering kale and mums

Speaking of mums, plant these with flowering kale for a beautiful fall container garden. Ornamental kale blooms best in fall because it likes cool weather, and next to the dark hues of the mother, the green and purple leaves look deep and rich.

5. Sunflower Assortment

Although the sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is primarily a summer flower, it still has its place in autumn. The golden blooms and dark brown center are reminiscent of an autumn color palette, adding to the fall vibe with other seasonal plants such as pumpkins and ornamental cabbages. Create a container with a variety of sunflowers, asters, blanket flowers and more for a colorful arrangement.

6. Marigold and Spinach

We love this idea of marigolds (Tagetes) and Bibb lettuce for beauty and the benefits of keeping your crop free from pests. The brightness of the marigolds adds colorful life to the greens of the spinach for a lush look.

7. Fall container with a pumpkin

This fall container from New York City's VSF is imaginative and beautiful. The use of bittersweet, twigs, moss and ivy gives the gardener texture. And the giant pumpkins and blooming kale really inject a sense of autumn into the house.