white kale, small yellow mums, orange and yellow preserved leaves, ornamental grass and peppers.
Lets face it. When we think of fall flowers, we think chrysanthemums. Hardy mums. They fill up door steps and haystacks, grocery store fronts and landscape beds. Not that there is anything wrong with them, they come in all different beautiful shades and are the quintessence of the season. It's just time to get creative with our fall pre-hibernating thinking when it comes to autumn's frost proof plants (to mix in with the mums of course!). I've gathered a list of my favorites and why:
Kale/cabbage- beautiful texture and colors. Very modern when clustered in a container alone. They often will outlast all other plants in a fall container. They have become more and more popular each year and are relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
Bittersweet berries- These are beautiful twisted around the finished planting design (see photo above). They make the design truly unique. They start in their shells yellow and then burst open to shades of orange and red. These are often hard to find unless you are a florist. I would try asking your local florist for a bunch or two. Although expensive, these berries last for weeks and weeks and are also great to use in decorating your harvest thanksgiving table.
Bittersweet berries- These are beautiful twisted around the finished planting design (see photo above). They make the design truly unique. They start in their shells yellow and then burst open to shades of orange and red. These are often hard to find unless you are a florist. I would try asking your local florist for a bunch or two. Although expensive, these berries last for weeks and weeks and are also great to use in decorating your harvest thanksgiving table.
burgundy mums, mixed ornamental peppers, large kale and yellow pansies
ruby red ornamental peppers
ruby red ornamental peppers
Ornamental pepper plants- they have bright vivid colors and add a warm and extra element to fall container designs. Perfect for an added surprise. Growers are catching on to their popularity and hopefully we will see more available in the years to come in the retail market.
Pansies- a tough flower through and through (it's ironic they are called pansies). Pansies offer a variety of shades of color and withstand colder temperatures and light frosts.
English Ivy- Many times the ivy I plant in the summer carry throughout the winter and begin to sprout new growth in the spring. This classic green is not to be overlooked! A secret. Any ivy plant, even ones in the indoor plant section of a store will do!
rust mums, small plum kale, multicolored pansies and orange preserved leaves
Preserved glycerin leaves- Don't be afraid to liven up a design with added elements such as preserved oak leaves or sugar pumpkins. I didn't say silk flowers and pumpkins though. Lets keep these organic! The preserved leaves give an instant pop of fall color. They can be found at many stores with a dried flower selection. I have even seen them in my local super market floral department.Grasses- I often use them as the filler height needed in the center of larger container plantings. Their wispy effects are perfect for fall's casualness and blow in the cool breeze.
rust ornamental grasses, large kale, burnt mums, bittersweet berries, ornamental red peppers and yellow preserved leaves
for more about container planting DIY, check out previous posts here.
all photos and containers in this post are taken and designed by me
all photos and containers in this post are taken and designed by me
when do you plant all of this?? so it's ready for fall
ReplyDelete