Save Money and Get More Out of Your Fall Flower Planters

As autumn approaches, the vibrant containers that adorned patios and front entrances through spring and summer often begin to show their age. After a long season of diligent blooming, it’s time for a refresh to welcome the new season. Savvy gardeners can rejuvenate these spaces and create stunning fall flower planters, often by looking to perennials for long-lasting value.

Many garden centers feature sales on perennials this time of year, alongside full-priced mums, pumpkins and cornstalks. These discounted perennials can adeptly fill gaps in summer containers, extending the season’s beauty.

Barbara Pierson, nursery manager and spokesperson at White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut, notes a growing trend. “Fall containers using perennials for color and texture are increasing in popularity,” Pierson said. Instead of opting for new annuals that will be composted in a few months, choosing perennials offers enjoyment now and the ability to transplant them into garden beds later.

How To Save Money With Perennials

Follow our advice, and you’ll save money and enhance your perennial gardens.

Divide large perennials

Slide a large perennial plant out of its nursery pot and gently pull apart the root ball into three plants. You can also divide a perennial by using a clean scissors or garden shears to slice through the root ball.

According to Burnett’s Country Gardens, dividing perennials “revitalizes growth, as perennials grow, they can become overcrowded, leading to fewer flowers and stunted growth. Dividing them gives each section more space to access water and nutrients.”

Each plant can go in a different container, or a window box as part of an arrangement. That’s three fall-blooming plants for the price of one!

Transplant perennials into the garden

The perennials in your fall flower planters can be moved to the perennial garden at the end of the season. Remove spent blooms as they fade while the perennials are in the fall flower planters. They will go through the blooming cycle and then be ready for relocation.

“I usually do this in my garden [in Connecticut] prior to Thanksgiving, so they have time to root in before the ground is frozen,” Pierson says. Here’s what she recommends:

• Dig carefully around each perennial and lift it out of the fall flower planters with as much root mass as possible.
• Plant the same day, keeping the depth the same as in the fall flower planters so the roots and top growth are the same level.
• Water the plants once a week for a few weeks while the plants root in. If you receive rain or soil stays moist, skip this step.
• Faded flowers can be cut, but not the foliage. Let that die down naturally

Expert Picks for Perennials for Fall Flower Planters

“There are a variety of plants like anemone and asters that flower in the fall,” Pierson says. “Others such as grasses and sedum also bloom and have interesting fall color as the temps drop.”

Here are Pierson’s top choices for perennials that do well in fall containers:

Flowers

• Anemone, ‘Curtain Call Deep Rose’: Features shorter, semi-double rosy pink blooms with dark green leaves.
• Aster (now Symphyotrichum), ‘Woods Blue’: A reliable compact aster, with light-blue flowers.
• Chrysanthemum, ‘Pumpkin Igloo’: Hardy, pumpkin-colored flowers and fully hardy.

Ferns

• `Dryopteris Brilliance’ (Autumn Fern): Provides festive fall color and interesting texture.

Grasses

• Hakonechloa, ‘Aureola’ (Japanese Forest Grass): Showcases striped yellow foliage that pairs well with other plantings. It also works well as a garden grass, low and mounding with bright color in part shade to shade.
• Heuchera, ‘Obsidian’ (Coral Bells): Delivers rich, dark color that creates contrast. In the garden, it works well as an edging plant.
• Sedum, ‘Angelina’: Ideal for draping over container edges and later filling in and creeping around other plants in the garden.

Another Thrifty Tip: Use Free, Natural Decorations

For the most beautiful and budget-friendly fall flower planters, incorporate elements from your own yard. Cut branches displaying colorful leaves or berries. Utilize trimmings from fall garden cleanup when shaping bushes and trees. Even bare branches can add a natural, structural touch to a planter. These branches can be inserted into the soil as filler in planters or laid horizontally in window boxes to create a bough effect around plants and gourds.

FAQ

Do fall planters need full sun?

Some fall plants, like chrysanthemums, asters, or ornamental grasses, grow well in full sun. Full sun means at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Other good plants for fall flower planters, such as heucheras, ferns along with certain kinds of sedum, accept or even favor some shade. You should pick plants that fit the light conditions of your planter’s spot. This helps them grow and bloom well.

How long will a fall flower planter last?

A fall flower planter lasts for a different amount of time – this depends on plant types, the care you provide as well as your local weather, especially when the first hard frost arrives. Fall planters that hold mostly annuals, for instance, ornamental peppers or some pansies, show color until a hard frost ends their season. If your fall flower planters contain perennials, you can move these plants into your garden before the ground freezes. Once in the garden, these perennials look good for many years. With the right plants and attention, your fall flower planters can show bright color and texture during the autumn months.

ABOUT THE EXPERT(S)

Barbara Pierson is nursery manager and spokesperson at White Flower Farm of Litchfield, Connecticut. She has extensive experience in horticulture and offers insights into plant selection and gardening practices.

Burnett’s Country Gardens is a family-owned garden center in Salem, Connecticut. Known for cultivating many of their own plants, they provide a diverse assortment of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees, as well as excellent gardening assistance.