12 Best Plants for Fall Planters and Container Gardens
As much as I love my summer blooms, there’s something special about switching over to a fall container garden. Those deep, rich colors, mixed with a pumpkin or two, can make your porch or patio feel completely transformed, even after most of the summer flowers have called it quits.
Today, I’m sharing 12 of my favorite plants for fall planters, plus a few extra tips for the season.
These are tried-and-true picks that look fabulous in pots, window boxes, and mixed containers, and they can handle the cooler temps of autumn without giving you the side-eye.
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What to Look for In Fall Container Plants
When summer fades, you want plants that keep things looking fresh, colorful, and full. The best container plants:
I always aim for the classic thriller, filler, spiller approach: something tall and eye-catching, something mid-height and lush, and something that trails over the edges.
A Quick note about my garden
Most of the flowers I share here are grown from seed in our greenhouse and planted in raised beds and containers throughout our cottage garden.
My 12 Favorite Plants for Fall Planters
1. Mums (Chrysanthemums): The Fall Classic
Mums are basically the pumpkin spice latte of fall flowers. Overdone? Never.
Psst: garden mums are hardy perennials in zones 5 to 9. Florist mums are just for short-term color.
2. Pansies and Violas: The Cool-Weather Charmers
These fall favorites don’t mind a chill and can bloom well into late autumn. In milder climates like my Pacific Northwest garden, they sometimes pop back up in spring.
Pansies and violas are perfect spillers for fall containers.
The difference between the two:
Pansies have much larger flowers and leaves, with only a few blooms open at a time. Violas have smaller flowers but more blooms at once.
3. Ornamental Cabbage and Kale: The Texture Superstars
If you’ve never added these to a fall planter, you’re missing out on some serious wow factor. These thrillers come in the most gorgeous sage greens with pops of pink, purple, and cream.
4. Asters: The Butterfly Magnets
Just when the rest of the garden is fading, asters show up ready to go. They’re the perfect fillers for your flower pots.
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5. Impatiens: The Shade Solution
Do you have a shaded patio but still want a container garden? Impatiens to the rescue.
6. Celosia: The Sunset Bloomer
With feathery plumes or crested blooms, celosia brings serious drama to a fall planter.
7. Coleus: The Foliage Artist
Coleus is proof that you don’t always need flowers to make a statement.
8. Ornamental Grasses: The Movement Makers
Whether you go for purple fountain grass or something more subtle, grasses add height, texture, and that lovely sway in the breeze.
Ornamental grasses can serve as both fillers and thrillers in your flower containers.
9. Marigolds: The Long-Blooming Workhorse
Marigolds bloom from summer right up to frost, and their scent helps keep pests (and deer) away.
10. Heuchera (Coral Bells): The Leaf Lover’s Dream
This compact fall favorite carries colorful foliage and shades from lime to deep burgundy, perfect for filling in gaps.
11. Creeping Jenny: The Golden Spiller
This low-growing plant’s bright chartreuse leaves trail beautifully over the edge of a pot, which makes creeping Jenny a natural spiller for any container.
12. Ornamental Peppers: The Showstopper
The perfect finishing touch on a fall container. I love these tiny peppers in bright shades. Just don’t snack on them unless you like things really spicy.
Garden Supplies and Tools
Check out my favorite garden supplies and tools for the growing season. Whether you’re looking for potting soil or deer repellent, you’ll find what I use in my own garden.
Pumpkins: The Easiest Fall Planter Upgrade
One of my favorite tricks for making fall containers look lush and full, without buying more plants, is to tuck in a few pumpkins or gourds.
You don’t need a big production. Just nestle them right into the soil between your plants.
Mini pumpkins add a playful touch to small pots, while medium-sized ones make a great focal point in larger planters.
If you grow your own, it’s basically free decor. I like to mix colors for extra interest: classic orange, creamy white, and those pretty muted blue-gray pumpkins.
The best part? You can swap them out or rearrange them all season, so your planters always look fresh.
A Few Quick Fall Planter Tips
For everything else on the fall garden list, my October gardening to-dos have you covered.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fall Planters
When Should You Plant Fall Containers?
About 6 to 8 weeks before your first expected frost, so the plants have time to root in while the soil is still warm. Here in Zone 8b, where first frost usually arrives between late October and mid-November, that means planting in late August through September.
What Flowers Last the Longest in Fall Planters?
Pansies and violas are the marathon runners, blooming well into late autumn and sometimes returning in spring in mild climates. Ornamental kale and cabbage actually improve after a light frost, and mums deliver weeks of color if you buy them in the budding stage rather than in full bloom.
Can Fall Planters Survive Frost?
Many can handle a light frost. And a few, like ornamental kale, gain more color because of it. A hard freeze is another story. Move pots against the house or under cover on the coldest nights, and expect tender plants like impatiens and coleus to bow out first.
What Do You Plant With Mums in a Container?
Ornamental kale or cabbage is my go-to pairing for texture and contrast. Add an ornamental grass for height and a trailing plant like creeping Jenny over the edge, and you’ve got the whole ‘thriller, filler, and spiller’ formula in one pot.
Final Thoughts on Plants for Fall Planters
If this post has you itching to refresh your containers, my advice is to grab a cart, head to your local nursery, and mix colors and textures until your heart says that’s it.
Then enjoy every cozy, pumpkin-spiced day those planters bring you.
Until next time.
Happy Fall Gardening!
I’m a self-taught hobby gardener. Everything I share on my blog is my opinion and what has worked for me.
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Thank you. You gave me a lot of ideas for a beautiful fall garden. I rushed to order hardy mums, aster, and ornamental cabbage plants, which are coming this week. I got some Echinacea too. I can’t wait to create some lovely fall scenes. Peonies in a large area at the front of my yard, had botrytis blight, and so I cut them all down, and I’m treating the soil. In the meantime, that area looks awful and bare. So I started brain storming about what to put there. As I can’t plant anything there for a year, I thought I’d put together some pots with stunning flowers, pumpkins, and other fall elements. That’s how I ended up on your blog. I’m so glad I did!
Hi Bobette! Thank you so much for reaching out! I’m so happy you found my blog. I think that the idea of having pots in that area is a fabulous idea. I’m so sorry to hear that your peonies had blight issues. Sounds like you have taken care of it. Thanks for being here!
Awesome inspiration! So excited for Fall!
What an informative post! Thank you fir providing such a great library to refer to. I fell in love with celosia this year. I will have a lot more of them next year. My summer garden is still going, but I am starting to grow indoors. Chilly mornings are making the garden so cozy, but keeps reminding me that fall is around the corner
I literally don’t know which of these containers to pin first, Kim, wow – they are gorgeous! One of my favorite things about your posts is how you make gardening seem attainable no matter what the climate or skill set. I’m always encouraged to work with what I have and in a way that feels sustainable. Love your style sweet friend, CoCo
Thank you CoCo. I think I can make it look like anyone can do it is because I literally knew nothing about gardening up until we bought this house 9 years ago. If I can do it, anyone can! I always love your kind words.
Everything looks so beautiful, and as always, your Greenhouse is stunning. My mums are doing really well in their containers & I can’t believe I have so many new bloooms on my geraniums. Autumn is looking good! Have a great week.
Hi Marguerite! Thank you for the sweet compliments. I’m so excited that everything is looking great for fall. Especially the geraniums. You know I always like to hear how they’re doing. Hope everything is well, so good to hear from you.
I’m so glad your plants are doing well Marguerite! I love to hear your updates and follow along.
Kim,
I’m loving these plants. Thanks for all the tips.
Thank you for being here Rachel!
Please give an example.using cabbage/kale and other fall plants in a common container that we all have access to, say a galvanized bucket. Please! I never know how to place plants. Particularly large kale with cocks comb, pansies. If it all one flower I can make rows. Ha! Ha!
Help. Everything you share is appreciated. Thank you.
Ps I can do ok with road in window box, too.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I am one of those wild planters who does not follow the rules when it comes to garden containers. And that’s probably why I didn’t talk more about how to plant them. There is the thriller, filler, spiller rule. For thrillers, you can use grasses, celosia, and cabbage. You can also use an evergreen shrub. These can be placed towards the back or in the center of the container and are the stars of the show because of their height, color, or texture. Spillers can be something that hangs over the sides of the container like ivy. And then pop in other plants where they fit.
What a great post Kim! These are all stunning and beautiful flowers. Our growing season in the fall is strange because we get fluke snowstorms that kill everything, then back to 75. I would love to have more plants during the fall. Hugs
I’ve heard that about your area. That would make me so sad. We usually don’t have to worry about anything freezing until November so that still gives me time to get things done. Hugs right back Chas!
I love all your plant options for all and the greenhouse always looks so pretty decorated for fall!
Thank Stacy! Love that we were basically thinking about the same thing to post. Great minds think alike!