Fall Containers? Any ideas for different plants?

Hi,

Some of my containers are getting pretty ratty looking and I am just dying to pull plants out and put something new and fresh in. Hopefully something that will be a little frost tolerant and allow me to keep something growing into October.

I am really getting tired of the usual offerings of ornamental kale, pansies, mums, asters. Anyone have any new ideas? Have you seen any local nurseries that are stocking something unusual or at least some spectacular variety of the tried and true? [g]

Below is a photo of one of my containers when it started out in the spring. I wasn't happy with it then and less happy now, so ready for a change.

Thanks :-)

Hi buddie,
I don't have any suggestions for fall planters but I have been having fun mixing what are typical house plants and tender perennials so that they can be brought in doors when the weather gets cold. I noticed some real stunning planters in front of an Inn the other day I only had time for a quick glance but I believe they did the same thing. I'll try and take some photo's if your interested. kt

Hi kt :-)

Yes, getting ready to pull plants in here soon too. I was thinking about some 'outdoor' containers for the fall and a couple to go right through the winter. I have a couple of kales, and planning on adding something new to them. Than in November, I may add a couple of small evergreens with some evergreen groundcover or maybe a grass or something like that. Always up to see some stunning planters, but don't go to any trouble. :-) Thanks

I just remembered a trick that I have used in the past to fill in holes in the planter I have always added a small gourd or pumpkin at an angle. The color and texture is always a nice fix/addition. I am headed out and about tomorrow to get some fresh linens ect for the Polly Hill weekend which you will be truly missed at but I thought while I was out I would take as many pictures good & bad of planters that I see. If your up to it the next time your out and about it would be fun if you did the same. kt

Ok,
Took my camera today when out on errands I decided to take a photograph of all planters/boxes/pots on a two block stretch of main street. I recall thinking a few weeks ago that this community really did a nice job with their plantings this summer. As you will see most (there were over 50 pots/planters/boxes) are looking tired this time of year so perhaps we are in good company. The first few pictures are of the mixed house plants/annuals that I mentioned earlier. kt

love the color and texture.

I love the fern

I will ley you know how they update these planters as fall approaches.

These were probably very cute August 1st

Poor things are screaming to get out of the sun.

I like the dark colored box

mums

I like the little boxwoods I wonder what fall plants they will add

This one looks happy

Same planter around the corner

This one made me laugh the Poke Weed matches the geranium!!

This is a pretty one

Here is the other side of the same planter

vines

what kids don't notice

last one for now

Thanks for posting all those photos. Very very pretty! Some people are so talented at putting together containers. My favorite is the second photo. Wish I could post some too, but still without a camera. Yes, it would be interesting to see what they do for the fall.

Thanks kt :-)

I love the idea of them using perennials in the boxes too!

Praire,
I am sorry to hear your without your camera you must miss it I could tell by the photo's you took at your near by lake that you have an eye for photography. This summer I took a work shop with Rick Darke who wrote "The American Woodland Garden" and "Ornamental Grasses" on digital photography in the garden. He refers to himself as a "Landscape Ethicist" rather than Landscape Designer. His talent with the camera is of course evident in his books but when you understand that his passion with landscape photography is based on capturing natural light as opposed to using technical manipulations it just blows you away.One of the points he made was that in digital photography the camera works hand in hand with the computer and lasts about as long before it needs to be replaced....could it be time for a new toy??? kt
Anita, I love the idea of perennials too.. as long as I am using them for the leaf not the flower. I just bought some red swiss chard for a planter. In June when I was visiting Dunedin Botanical Garden in New Zealand there was a stone planter at one of the entrances that had a planting of this at eye level it was so beautiful I gasped. kt

Sorry old lady memory failing it was in the Wellington Botanical Garden.

Here is another one. kt

Thanks kt, yes, I enjoyed the camera very much and miss it more than I expected to. I have been looking but I am finding it more difficult to choose a camera than I imagined. The camera I had, was my first digital and had been a gift, so I didn't have to think about it at all. I am working on it. Thanks for the nice compliment.

Your workshop sounds like it was very interesting for you. I will have to see if I can find his book. I am planning on focusing on the shady part of my garden next year. I just checked out of the library, my favorite woodland garden book, 'Beth Chatto's Woodland Garden'. I would be content if she would just jet over here from England and recreate her garden in my yard. [g]

Have you seen the thread 'Monarch Collection' on the Photos forum? Some exquisite photos taken by a DG member called EarlyBloomer on that thread. He was also very interested in natural light, too.

Thanks for the idea of the swiss chard in your planter for the fall. I would be surprised if many nurseries would be selling that this time of year, but I will keep my eye out for fresh vegetable seedlings. I wanted to start some fall seedlings myself, but, another year where it just didn't fit in. Thanks again for all the photos. :-) Really enjoyed seeing all those containers.

Buying a digital camera can become quite a task! Here is a website that might help - http://www.dpreview.com/ . I am in love with my Canon Powershot Pro. I would also consider the Canon Rebel SLR if I wanted to replace my Pro. The Rebel gives the opportunity to change out your lenses. I am considering the A620 to have a smaller version that will fit in my bag or pocket when I don't want to lug around the big one. Rich Swanner has pics taken with that one here http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/639022/ .

Another choice is the used camera market. I bought mine, not knowing if I'd like digital photography since I have a closet filled with my SLR Nikons and associated equipment. Of course, I love digital. I bought it through www.keh.com and the guy there was excellent with telling me what it was capable of and the pros and cons.

Back to the flowers: I have the same downhill problem with my planters. Many burned up during that 10 day blast of heat. Scouting out local nurseries was a big disappointment. I do love the gourd idea and since I haven't ever used the colorful cabbages I might do that. Smaller dahlias can also be used and leap into color at this time of year. They'd need to be planted in May to be of any use now so maybe some dahlias and swiss chard would be great for next year.

Some ideas at my local nurseries for plants besides mums, asters and cabbages:

-Ornamental peppers (with purple peppers and foliage and one with red/yellow/orange peppers with green foliage)
-Snapdragons will flower until covered by snow!
-Winter Heath and Heathers that flower in fall
-Brand of plants from a company called 'Winter Garden' - selling dwarf conifers for putting in window boxes and planters. Will overwinter if put in ground according to the tags. At Cataldos Nurseries in Littleton MA.
-Pansies (old reliable)
-Gloriosa Daisy (dwarf kind - Toto, Goblin)
-Ornamental Grasses (Rubrum Fountain Grass, others)
-Chinese Lanterns
-Colorful Swiss Chard and other winter vegetables (At Lake St. Nursery)
-Sedum angelina (trailing sedum) and other sedums. Sedums can be planted in ground before total freeze to overwinter.

Some of the local nurseries where I saw ideas:
-New England Nurseries, Bedford MA
-Cataldos, Littleton MA
-Jones Farm, Chelmsford MA
-Erics Greenhouse and Garden Center, Westford MA
-Lake Street Nursery Salem, NH

Edit: Forgot a couple of things...

This message was edited Sep 11, 2006 2:32 PM

Went for a dog walk today and came home with a number of natives/local weeds that look great in the fall planter I have been trying to create. kt

Thanks Anita, dpreviews is a great site. Little bit 'too much' information for me, my head spins...lol...but I am using it. Thanks for the Canon recommendations. I was looking at the A620 too at one point. I had a Nikon before and wish they made a camera like the A620. Thanks for the link to Rich's photos too. :-)

Thanks for sharing that website, pirl. I will check it out. :-)

I did get to a local nursery and found they had a great selection of fall offerings. I came home with some pretty brown carex, aster, pansies and they did have swiss chard, and added that to orn cabbage I already had. Very traditional and not very different looking yet, but I just did two containers, I couldn't stand looking at them any more. I have a few more containers to go. They had a gorgeous container of millet there. It sort of looks like corn but not. It was very dark purple and upright. I may try to grow some of that next year. I am also going to give pumpkins another try. They have some cute decorative white pumpkins that would look great with that black millet. Plan on buying some as soon as it is cold enough to leave them outdoors without rotting.

I have one window box that I am going to work on next. Sedum, thanks for the ideas and the nursery list. I am definitely going to get to some of them. I had forgotten about heath, that is a great idea. I was thinking I might change at least a couple of the containers once again before winter and add dwarf conifers and heath and something with berries on it. I did stop at Lowe's and although their selection of mums was not appealing, they did have small little conifers in containers for very reasonable prices.

kt...photo of your containers when you are through. As soon as I get a camera, I will be posting. Might end up being spring containers at this rate. [g]