9 Unique Plants for Beautiful Fall Containers

It’s the perfect time to refresh your patio planters and containers to keep them looking fresh throughout the fall. Pull out those tired-looking spring and summer annuals, toss them into the compost bin, and replace them with vigorous fall flowers in rich jewel tones. These gorgeous plant options will have your containers looking vibrant and beautiful right through the frost. Depending on the weather, some of these plants can take a surprising amount of frost and may last right up to Christmas.

Asters

These delicate but vibrantly coloured daisy-like flowers are some of the best fall flowers around. Their tiny dense petals and yellow centers are the perfect contrast of fine and coarse texture. Asters bloom profusely and often keep on producing their fantastic flowers right through October.

fall container ideas Mother Nature Powell river

Ivy

Ivy is the perfect spiller foliage plant for fall planters. The leaf shape, the colour variations, and the dense cluster of trailing leaves make them a dynamic addition to planters. Ivy is a plant that transitions well into late fall Halloween decorations, helping achieve that natural, slightly spooky atmosphere.

fall container ideas Mother Nature Powell river

Heuchera

Heuchera, or Coral Bells, are an excellent plant for fall planters or fall garden beds. Heuchera is a hardy perennial, and may stay evergreen through our Powell River winters. Their leaves are lush and almost succulent-like, and they come in a vast range of gorgeous jewel-tone colours, from rich copper to bright red to almost black purple.

Euphorbia 

Euphorbia is commonly called Spurger, and there are so many different cultivars in the family. They’re pretty hardy plants, and they vary significantly in appearance and colour. There are several different shades of green in the foliage, and many of them have bright red or yellow flowers—a perfect addition to containers, and add unique texture to your plantings.

fall container ideas Mother Nature Powell river

Ajuga

Also known as Bugleweed, Ajuga is a lush foliage plant that stays low and helps accentuate taller plants in your containers. Colours range from nearly black to red to pink to white, as well as green. This vigorous grower will fill in empty spots in a pot quite quickly.

Ornamental Cabbage 

These beautiful little cabbages are one of the best fall plants you can get. They have ruffled leaves and come in gorgeous creamy white, deep purple, dark pink, and rich green. Ornamental cabbage lasts for such a long time and can survive temperatures as cold as -15 celsius! Technically they’re a biennial, so if yours make it through the winter, they’ll send up a flower shoot next year.

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Pansies 

Pansies are still one of our absolute favourite cool-weather plants. These unfussy flowers will last for a long time; they put out cheerful flowers in almost any colour you can imagine. Deadheading encourages more blooming.

fall container ideas Mother Nature Powell river

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus adds colour and texture variation to your fall planters, as well as the fantastic scent. The silvery leaves and upright growth habit contrast beautifully with jewel-toned plants. Eucalyptus is not frost-hardy, so if it’s going to freeze overnight, you may want to bring your containers indoors or snip off your eucalyptus stems and tie them into a refreshing shower bundle to enjoy for a while longer.

fall container ideas Mother Nature Powell river

Chrysanthemums

We can’t forget about chrysanthemums for fall planters. They’re so quintessentially autumnal and come in such great jewel-tone colours. In addition to outdoor containers, you can bring your chrysanthemums indoors to use in seasonal home decor.


We’ve got lots of time left for beautiful outdoor planters and containers, so don’t empty yours just yet. Take full advantage of our long Powell River growing season. New fall plants are hitting our shelves now, so stop in soon to make sure you get the ones you really want.