50 Gorgeous Fall Container Garden & Planter Ideas

Cooler temps are here to stay. Start planning your autumn container garden now with our favorite cool-weather flower combos, pretty planter designs and more.

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By: Chelsea Faulkner, Julie Martens Forney, and H. Camille Smith

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Change Up Your Planters With the Seasons

As spring and summer blooms sizzle out, it's time to pot up some pretties that'll add a big splash of autumnal color and fall curb appeal while being able to tolerate the season's dipping nighttime temps. One of our fave fall flowers for pots and planters? Rudbeckia (AKA black-eyed Susan), seen here. This pollinator-friendly perennial brings the blooms all summer long, then continues the flower show well into the fall. Learn more about rudbeckia, below, and browse our gallery for more gorgeous fall planter ideas.

learn more: Black-Eyed Susan: How to Grow and Care for This Cheery Perennial

From: H. Camille Smith

Double the Flower Power With Perennials

Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a member of the daisy family and is typically found in shades of purple-pink but is also available in white, seen here, and a range of warm, orangey shades. An extremely hardy perennial that's native to the U.S., echinacea is one of the easiest blooms to tend. Paired with nearly bulletproof rudbeckia (AKA black-eyed Susan), sedum and citrusy coleus, this is one planter that'll keep its sunny good looks until first frost, then the echinacea and rudbeckia will even return in the spring for another year of beautiful blooms. Learn more about echinacea, below.

learn more: Varieties of Coneflowers

From: H. Camille Smith

Cultivate a Fall Cutting Garden

Nothing says "fall" quite like coco baskets filled with beautiful peach dahlias and a colorful variety of blooming spillers (trailing plants). Shown here, award-winning 'Gallery Pablo' dahlias bloom from late summer through fall and make stunning floral arrangements. When first freeze hits, follow our tips to tuck away those precious bulbs until spring. Find more dahlia care tips at the link below.

Fall for Trendy Planters

Do you have a collection of chinoiserie? Show it off! Take a cue from blogger Michele Strauts and fill your prettiest planters with cold-hardy fall blooms, like fluffy fuchsia celosia, mounded mums and cold-loving ornamental kale. Check out more of our favorite fall porches and patios, below.

See More Photos: 60 Fall Front Porch Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Autumn

Curb Appeal: Simplify With a Single Planter

This warm-hued container is overflowing with 'Timeless-Fire' geranium, 'Kingswood Torch' coleus and 'Dreamsicle' calibrachoa — sun-worshipping blooms that will last until first frost.

Shop Our Picks: 52 Best Pots and Planters for Every Style and Budget

Or, Create a Layered Look

To really corner curb appeal, group multiple small, medium and large planters together along with candle lanterns and faux or fresh gourds and pumpkins. Get more inspo for fall-ifying your front porch or patio, below.

See More Photos: 60 Fall Front Porch Decorating Ideas to Celebrate Autumn

From: H. Camille Smith

Think Beyond the Front Porch

Fall planters aren't just for the front of the house, consider how you'll keep the color going in the backyard, too. Here, wood planter boxes filled with purple salvia, pink encore azaleas and white trailing bacopa create a living wall that separates the fire pit area from an adjacent outdoor dining room. Cozy up to more of our favorite ideas for landscaping around a fire pit, below.

See More Photos: 60 Gorgeous Fire Pit Ideas and DIYs

From: Casa Smith Designs, LLC

Rely on Thriller, Filler and Spiller

This can't-miss container gardening recipe is a favorite of both pros and aspiring green thumbs, alike. The thriller is a tall, central knockout plant or plants (here, we used a single croton), filler plants are lower plants that grow in to give the planter a lush look (we used fuzzy lamb's ear) and the spiller is a trailing plant that will spill over the container’s edge (we used both lime green and purple sweet potato vine). Tip: Planting just one multicolor croton plant in a container is an easy way to add a lot of bang for your buck. The brightly hued plants vary in color from burgundy to all shades of orange and yellow to citrusy green. They're tropical natives, though, so if you want to keep your croton going past a single season, you'll need to overwinter it indoors.

get the how-to: Halloween in a Hurry: Easily Mummify a Fall Planter

From: H. Camille Smith

Pick a Color ... Any Color

One easy trick for creating a cohesive planter is to select plants in a single shade. Here, we chose plants in the purple family. Purple fountain grass provides the height, while plummy coleus and sweet potato vine keep with the theme. But the crowning touch is gomphrena, or globe amaranth, that's an eye-catching central spiller whose gumball-like blooms are a long-lasting cut flower that can even be dried for waterless arrangements. Get more tips for potting up this planter, below.

get the how-to: No Mums? No Problem! Pot Up This Fall Planter, Instead

From: H. Camille Smith

Break Out the Baskets

Inject your front porch with a dose of farmhouse style by filling oversized rustic wicker baskets with sweet seasonal blooms. And while you're at it, give your outdoor furniture a mini fall makeover by draping chairs and loveseats in cozy quilts that can be easily transported in and out of the house, depending on the weather. Take a tour of this farmhouse front porch, below.

See More Photos: Decorate Your Front Porch With Farmhouse Style for Fall

From: Marian Parsons

Or, Beautify With Barrels

Layer your entrance or walkway with a cascading arrangement of the season’s most popular gourds. Half of the pumpkins seen here were purchased from a produce stand while the other half are faux pumpkins that designer Jenny Reimold uses year after year. Decorating your porch with both real and fake pumpkins is a budget-friendly design trick that creates a full and vibrant display. This is also a great opportunity to use older or broken faux pumpkins, as those can be tucked in among the new ones. To give your real pumpkins more life, spray them with an acrylic spray, extending your fall presentation by a few weeks.

SEE MORE: 30 Chic, Crafty and Creative Ways to Decorate With Pumpkins

From: Jenny Reimold

Craft a Complementary Porch Pal

A tall concrete planter filled with gorgeous 'Orange King' zinnias makes a perfect companion to this adorable DIY scarecrow plaque. Finish the look with orange pumpkins and a seasonal doormat to welcome fall guests. Learn how to make your own reversible porch pal, below.

get the how-to: Snowman + Scarecrow: Two-in-One Front Porch Decor

Borrow This Planter From the Kids

A vintage little red wagon makes an adorable and mobile planter for fall blooms, like potted mums. Just line the bottom with heavy-duty plastic sheeting, or set each of the mums' nursery pots inside an appropriately sized saucer to keep the kiddos' wagon in working order.

Or, Put Your Porch Railings to Work

Look for new Skyfall mums to create the perfect porch-size garden mum orb. Traditional garden mums don’t always make the prettiest hanging baskets because their stems don’t naturally trail and can be brittle, breaking easily. Not so with Skyfall mums. These trailing mums adapt beautifully to hanging baskets, cascading naturally. The petite daisy blooms beckon butterflies to the frost-tolerant plants. Look for flower colors of yellow, white, pink, purple and red. Plants are garden hardy in Zones 6A to 11. Plant at least six weeks before frost to help ensure winter survival. Learn more about incorporating hanging baskets for fall, below.

See More Photos: 20 Gorgeous Fall Hanging Basket Ideas

Create a Cool Season Cornucopia

Pull inspiration from the horn-of-plenty itself and transform your containers into festive, floral cornucopias. Start with wicker planters to mimic the woven basket, and fill then with autumnal-hued plants such as croton, mums, cabbage, juniper and Supertunias. The end result will be a feast for the eyes.

See More Photos: 30 Whimsical Container Gardens Made on the Cheap

Light It Up

No time to maintain finicky fall blooms? Fill planters with an assortment of faux pumpkins, gourds and dried fall foliage that will stay gorgeous all season long. For an extra cozy touch, nestle beautiful lanterns and faux-flame candles into the greenery, then arrange small mums and cabbage plants around the base. Not in the mood to DIY? Shop these gorgeous ready-made wreaths from Grandin Road at the link below, then drop them right into your planters.

BUY IT: Grandin Road

From: H. Camille Smith

Add a Touch of Gold

Combine grasses with flowers for a sensory delight. ‘Red Riding Hood’ rose fountain grass provides a backdrop for pineapple coleus and strawflower. The spillers in this pot are ‘Yellow Ripple’ English ivy and dense-flowered loosestrife. Learn more about ornamental grasses, below.

See More Photos: 16 Ornamental Grasses You Should Grow

Echibeckia: The Best of Both Worlds

Combining the yellow daisy-like looks and fast growth of rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) with the disease tolerance of echinacea (AKA coneflower), echibeckia is a hybrid whose low-maintenance hardiness and long-lasting good looks make it a perfect pick for any fall container garden.

From: H. Camille Smith

Plant Pretty Window Boxes

Mounds of purple winter pansies and cold-hardy trailing English ivy add a lovely touch of color to this rustic wood window box. Snag our top pansy care tips here, then follow the link below to craft your own rustic window planter.

Start With Colorful Containers

Old world details, streamlined design and durable stone composite construction make these French country-inspired planters from Ballard Designs a foolproof pick for dressing up your entryway. Fill with striking cold-tolerant grasses, rich purple sweet potato vine and a multicolor mix of mums for an eye-catching fall display.

BUY IT: Ballard Designs

From: H. Camille Smith

Add Cottage-Style Charm

Bursting with variegated sage, ruby red calibrachoa and dainty wire vine, this sweet window box lends a welcoming feel to this rustic exterior. Each of these garden superstars will thrive well into autumn, with the wire vine maintaining its color year-round.

Shop Our Picks: 10 Best Window Box Planters for Every Style

Best for Warmer Temps

This moody floral combo shows off a mix of begonia, sweet potato vine, wishbone flower and coleus — a summer to early-fall stunner that thrives in temps above 50ºF.

Add Color With Foliage

Who needs flowers? Look to colorful foliage and leafy perennials to create a fall-worthy display. Here, coppery-bronze carex and peachy-toned coral bells (Heuchera) complement gold and green variegated sage. ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga adds just-right deep shades to make the whole arrangement sizzle. Recipe for a 24-inch planter (use plants in 4.5-inch pots): one 'Toffee Twist' carex and two each 'Peach Melba' heuchera, ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga and golden variegated sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’).

Window Box All-Stars

Nothing amps up your fall curb appeal quite like window boxes filled with lush, colorful fall favorites like dusty miller, ornamental kale, cabbage, pansies and English ivy. With regular watering, these plants will thrive in a partially shady spot all season and into winter.

Hitch Your Wagon

Filled with a seasonal display of pumpkins, pinecones, berries and greenery, this wooden wagon planter would make a beautiful statement on any fall front porch. Follow the link below to shop or, if you're feeling crafty, transform an old wheelbarrow or wagon into an autumnal container on wheels.

Buy It: Plow and Hearth, $199.95

Pumpkin Patch Charmer

Bring the charm of hayfields and pumpkin patches home by filling your front porch containers with gold 'Marguerite' daisies, 'Yellow Chiffon' calibrachoa, 'Blackberry Ice' coral bells and creeping wire vine.

Beautiful Pumpkin Topiary

Grab some faux pumpkins, dried fall flowers and your handy hot glue gun to craft a gorgeous fall topiary that will last all season long, zero maintenance required. Get the step-by-step instructions below.

Blaze of Beauty

Capture the colors of fall with a blaze of red, orange and bronze by combining Superbells million bells (calibrachoa) with a tuft of 'Toffee Twist' sedge (Carex flagellifera). All three plants tolerate temps down to 5°F (Zone 7). Expect the million bells to wilt away when a hard frost hits (28°F), unless you cover plants. Recipe for a 20-inch pot (two plants each in 4.5-inch pots): Superbells 'Dreamsicle' and red calibrachoa; 'Toffee Twist' sedge.

Make an Entrance

Brighten up your shady front porch with high-gloss black planters filled with tall evergreens, trailing ivy and fuchsia calibrachoa.

Upcycled "Pumpkin" Planters

Have your metal hanging baskets seen better days? Give them new life as decorative, pumpkin-shaped planters overflowing with fall blooms. Find the step-by-step instructions at the link, below.

GET THE HOW-TO: 3 Pumpkin Projects That Will Outlast the Season

Boho Beauty

Give store-bought mums a totally new look this year by planting them in a wheelbarrow. To ensure that her display would look less country and more boho-chic, lifestyle photographer Aniko Levai painted feathers and geometric shapes right onto the wood — something you can easily do, too.

GET THE HOW-TO: DIY Bohemian Wheelbarrow

SEE MORE: 40 Outdoor Fall Decor Ideas to Step Up Your Seasonal Display

Until First Frost

Many popular summer blooms can pull double duty in fall containers. This gorgeous hanging bakset, filled with dichondra 'Silver Falls,' 'Blue A Fuse' petunias and 'Breathless White' Euphorbia, will stay full and pretty until first frost.

SEE MORE: 20 Gorgeous Fall Hanging Basket Ideas

From: Lynn Coulter

Blue & Gold

This one's for all you UCLA fans! This Bruin-worthy pot showcases blue and gold plants that thrive in autumn’s football weather. Starting with a 12-inch container, add two 'Bluebird Nemesia' fruticans on either side, one 'Vanilla Butterfly' Marguerite daisy in the back, and one 'Burgundy Glow' ajuga in the front. In Southern California, plants bring color from football season to the bowl games.

SEE MORE: Team-Inspired Plant Color Combos

Pumpkin Planters

Aren't these faux pumpkin planters the cutest? Shop the link below to snag your own, then fill them with beautiful foliage like 'Golden Zebra' heuchera and yellow lantana, seen here. Fun fact: In Zones 7 and above lantana can bloom well into the winter months.

BUY IT: Plow and Hearth, $69.95

DIY Design

Up your fall curb appeal with a DIY house number planter painted in a fashion-forward cranberry hue and filled with low-maintenance autumn blooms. Follow the link below to snag our easy step-by-step instructions.

Autumn Drama

Add a touch of dramatic flair to your fall containers by arranging low-lying blooms around tall focal point plants like this purple 'Vertigo' fountain grass.

Snap Out of It

Bring stunning color to your hanging baskets or urns by filling them with different shades of ‘Candy Showers’ snapdragon. Look for blossoms in red, orange, rose, white, yellow and purple hues. Snapdragons are a great choice for cool-season planting, as they love temperatures in the low 40s at night and will thrive throughout winter, dying back when the heat of late spring arrives.

SEE MORE: 20 Gorgeous Fall Hanging Basket Ideas

Beautiful Boxwood

Visually stunning and easy to maintain, a clipped boxwood topiary and fluffy lime-green sedum make for a perfect pair in any container garden. Cut sedum back in late fall to make way for new growth come springtime.

Ribbons & Pearls

Steal the neighborhood show by filling containers with a texturally rich blend of plants. Perennial ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga (Zones 4-11) and 'Garnet Brocade' sedum (Zones 3-10) bring drama with dark leaves. Annual 'Soprano White' osteospermum adds a pop of brightness while perennial ‘Ogon’ acorus (Zones 5-11) shines in gold. Recipe for a 12-inch pot (using 4.5 inch pots): one each ‘Black Scallop’ ajuga, 'Garnet Brocade' sedum and 'Soprano White' osteospermum; two pots of ‘Ogon’ acorus.

Warm Up With Plants in Fiery Hues

This pretty duo from ProvenWinners.com blends two colors of Superbells brand million bells (calibrachoa) — the red and orange tones of 'Dreamsicle' and the gold blooms of 'Saffron.' Plants last until a hard frost arrives. Alternately, you can tuck pots onto a covered porch to provide a little frost protection and prolong the show. Recipe for a 12-inch pot (two plants each in 4-1/2-inch pots): 'Dreamsicle' and 'Saffron' calibrachoa.

Garden Accessories

As summer is winding down and garden pots are vacated, stack them up and use them as sculptural accessories. They can be strikingly beautiful when empty or filled with seasonal knickknacks such as pinecones and mini pumpkins.

SEE MORE: Decorate Your Front Porch With Farmhouse Style for Fall

From: Marian Parsons

A Blaze of Gold

Decorate your outdoor living spaces with a collection of plants in a continuum of gold tones. This container combination thrives in cool weather and can easily hold its own through a mild winter. Recipe for a 14-inch pot (one plant each in 4.5-inch pots): ‘Citrona Orange’ wall flower (Erysimum), ‘Easter Bonnet’ sweet alyssum, ‘Peach Melba’ viola, ‘Frizzle Sizzle Yellow-Blue Swirl’ pansy and ‘Sirocco’ stipa grass.

Take a Seat

If you're going for a country cottage look on your front porch, turn an antique white chair into a charming seat for cream-colored pumpkins and pretty fall blooms (like the Marguerite daisies seen here). Just make sure the chair doesn't hold sentimental value, as plants and other natural materials have a tendency to leak and stain.

Crowning Glory

Topped with a crown of dainty linaria, this pretty patio planter stuns in shades of burgundy, white and black. To re-create the combo, grab a favorite pot that's 12 inches wide. Plant two magenta 'Enchantment' linaria at the back of the pot, behind two 'Matrix Sunrise' pansies on each side. Fill the empty center spot with one '21st Century Buttercream' Phlox drummondii for a lush look that's fit for a queen.

Simple Succulent Garden

This easy mix pairs sedum with hens and chicks for a container of plants that can stay outside all winter in most places. Sedum's glossy chartreuse leaves are a lovely contrast to the spikey ruby red sempervivum plants. Use a wide dish to accommodate the spreading habit of each plant. Recipe: Golden Japanese stonecrop (Sedum makinoi 'Ogon', Zones 6-9), three plants; ‘Pacific Shadows’ hens and chicks (Sempervivum ‘Pacific Shadows’, Zones 5-8), four plants.

See More: 9 Succulent Container Garden Combos

Cool Season Kicker

This fragrant purple and gold combination dances through winter without missing a blooming beat. Start with a 14-inch (or larger) container. Fill the center with ‘Citrona Orange’ wallflower, spacing four ‘Matrix Purple’ pansies evenly around it. Plug ‘Orange Duet’ viola into the empty spaces between pansies, and finish the container with a ring of ‘Easter Bonnet Violet’ sweet alyssum. Snip blooms as they fade for the longest flower show.

SEE MORE: Team-Inspired Plant Color Combos

Mod Thrillers

If you prefer the modern look, go all out with tall, dramatic thriller plants (like fountain grass and boxwood) and trailing fall foliage (like English ivy and heuchera) displayed in sculptural metal containers.

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Pumpkin Tower

Want to make a seasonal statement? Fill whiskey barrel planters with a stack of pumpkins and gourds held in place by a willow tower plant support. Fill in around the centerpiece with a stunning assortment of fall-hued calibrachoa and cold-hardy grasses for a head-turning display.

‘Diamond Mix’ Dianthus

Color your autumn scenes with a splash of pink by filling containers with a ready-made dianthus mix. This pretty annual thrives in cool fall weather and opens blooms that offer a spicy clove scent. The blend of pinks and white is created at the grower level, which guarantees you get great looking containers. Recipe: Purchase the number of cell packs needed to give your pot a lush, full look. A rough guide is one 4-cell pack per 6-inch planter.

Autumn Majesty

This colorful container sparkles with hues of the season found in perennial coral bells (heuchera) and annual strawflower (bracteantha). Strawflower is the most frost-tender of the two, bowing out when temps tumble to 20°F. Coral bells can hold its own through winter in Zones 4 to 9 when planted in the ground. In containers, a hard freeze will take it out. Transfer it to planting beds if you want to grow it as a perennial. Recipe for a 12-inch planter (one plant each in 4.5-inch pots): 'Cinnamon Curls' coral bells and 'Sundaze Blaze' strawflower.

50 Gorgeous Fall Container Garden & Planter Ideas

Related To:

Shop This Look

Change Up Your Planters With the Seasons

Double the Flower Power With Perennials

Cultivate a Fall Cutting Garden

Fall for Trendy Planters

Curb Appeal: Simplify With a Single Planter

Or, Create a Layered Look

Think Beyond the Front Porch

Rely on Thriller, Filler and Spiller

Pick a Color ... Any Color

Break Out the Baskets

Or, Beautify With Barrels

Craft a Complementary Porch Pal

Borrow This Planter From the Kids

Or, Put Your Porch Railings to Work

Create a Cool Season Cornucopia

Light It Up

Add a Touch of Gold

Echibeckia: The Best of Both Worlds

Plant Pretty Window Boxes

Start With Colorful Containers

Add Cottage-Style Charm

Best for Warmer Temps

Add Color With Foliage

Window Box All-Stars

Hitch Your Wagon

Pumpkin Patch Charmer

Beautiful Pumpkin Topiary

Blaze of Beauty

Make an Entrance

Upcycled "Pumpkin" Planters

Boho Beauty

Until First Frost

Blue & Gold

Pumpkin Planters

DIY Design

Autumn Drama

Snap Out of It

Beautiful Boxwood

Ribbons & Pearls

Warm Up With Plants in Fiery Hues

Garden Accessories

A Blaze of Gold

Take a Seat

Crowning Glory

Simple Succulent Garden

Cool Season Kicker

Mod Thrillers

Pumpkin Tower

‘Diamond Mix’ Dianthus

Autumn Majesty

Grow an Olive Tree

How to Plant a Cactus Container Garden

How to Grow Patio Roses in Containers

Design a Striking Succulent Container

34 Shade-Loving Plants for Containers and Hanging Baskets 34 Photos

Start a Mason Jar Herb Garden

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