Fall Container Makeovers: 7 Ideas for Refreshing Summer-Tired Pots
Keep your outdoor spaces lively and colorful as the seasons shift by giving a fall refresh to your containers. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss for some ideas on giving those containers a makeover for the coming season.
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By the end of summer, many garden container arrangements look tired with overgrown roots and leggy stems. Most of our summer-blooming annuals are reaching the end of their blooming period. Even some perennials may need a bit of TLC to take them into the cooler months. If your containers are looking worn out, it’s probably time for some fall container makeovers.
While the onset of fall may bring major shifts to your plants, it doesn’t have to mean the end of container gardening. With all the upcoming holidays and gatherings, it’s nice to have a welcoming front porch. Fall is also the time to dine al fresco, so you want those patio containers looking their best as well.
You may choose to have a full-on reset for your containers, and that’s perfectly fine. However, if you want to preserve some plants you already have, that is possible, too! There are plenty of ways to makeover your potted plants to showcase the beauty of fall. Here are some tips for giving your fall containers a makeover.
Switch Up Your Color Palette
Fall container makeovers can be as simple or as complicated as you like. If you don’t want to spend a great deal of time or money, adding some autumn tones is a great way to do it. You don’t have to go all out. If your potted plants still have some life in them, a simple addition may be the best kind of makeover.
I love marigolds and chrysanthemums for adding bold pops of orange, gold, yellow, and red. These warm shades complement the changing foliage of the trees and shrubs. A bit of yellow or red celosia is another great addition.
Simply switching up the color combination can take your containers from summer to fall seamlessly. You don’t have to stop at flowers.
Consider adding other autumnal accents to your containers, like a small pumpkin or some ornamental corn. All of these elements give a quick and lovely fall container makeover.
Fertilize Lightly
Depending on what you have in your containers, a light fertilizer can give your containers a boost. For summer annuals that are still healthy, a nutrient boost can help invigorate them. You may even extend the flowering season this way.
Give a light dose of a water-soluble formula that will act quickly. While this won’t lead to instant fall container makeovers, it will give them a boost as the season wears on.
If you’re growing cool-weather flowers, moderate fertilizing this time of year can also be beneficial. If you’re swapping out summer annuals for cool-weather ones, fertilizing will help them to establish roots faster.
In this case, mix a slow-release fertilizer into the top layer of the soil at planting time. You can also give a light application of liquid bloom booster to keep them flowering.
Perennial plants require different treatment, as they naturally slow their growth for the winter. Giving them too much fertilizer now can cause them to waste energy producing new growth. This is a time for them to work on root development instead.
As a final step for all plants, top-dress with compost, worm castings, or a thin layer of mulch. This is to help regulate moisture and slowly feed the plants as they grow into fall. These nutrients will break down slowly and feed the soil for a longer period.
Refresh Your Potting Soil
Refreshing soil in potted plants in the fall is one of the best ways to keep your containers productive and healthy. This is another way to create a slow improvement rather than an overhaul. But it’s a fall container makeover nonetheless.
Over the summer, soil in pots becomes depleted of nutrients. Soil gets compacted by watering, and sometimes even develops salt buildup from fertilizer use.
The first step is to scrape away the top 2 to 3 inches of soil, which often contains the most residue and tired roots. Replace this with fresh potting mix along with compost to restore organic matter.
For plants staying in their pots year-round, loosen the soil surface with a hand fork before adding amendments. This improves aeration and drainage. This helps the roots prepare for cooler, wetter conditions.
If your container plants have been in the same soil for several seasons, fall is a good time to repot. Gently lift the plant, loosen the roots, and prune away any circling or dead ones. Then replant in a mix of old soil and new potting medium. This helps to retain beneficial microbes while boosting nutrients.
For annual containers you’re refreshing with fall bloomers, it’s best to completely replace the soil. Your old summer soil may harbor pests or diseases. Always use high-quality, loose potting mix so containers drain well through the cooler months.
Swap Out Leggy Annuals
To give your pots an instant fall container makeover, swap out old, leggy annuals for fresh ones. Many warm-season flowers are fading by late summer. They tend to stretch out, lose leaves, and bloom less as they age. Once they look like this, it’s worth swapping them rather than trying to rejuvenate.
Pull those leggy annuals and add in some cool-weather annuals or perennials that flower in the fall. When you remove the spent annuals, scrape out some soil with them, without damaging the roots of other plants. Compost the remains and work some fresh potting mix in before replanting.
Add Some Ornamental Grass
Adding ornamental grasses to autumn containers is one of the easiest ways to give them a makeover. These plants add height, texture, and movement that pair beautifully with fall flowers and foliage. If you want a low-maintenance makeover, this is a perfect way to do it. Minimal effort and maximum impact.
In the classic thriller–filler–spiller container design, ornamental grasses make excellent thrillers. They stand tall in the center or back of a pot and draw the eye upward. They also provide contrast against rounded blooms or trailing plants.
Many grasses have fine texture and interesting seed heads. These catch the light, adding shimmer and softness to arrangements. Many ornamental grasses thrive in cooler weather. Even as frosts arrive, their seed heads and plumes remain attractive well into winter.
Choose compact or dwarf varieties of ornamental grasses for your fall container makeovers. Full-sized varieties are beautiful, but can overwhelm. Pink muhly grass is a favorite for its sprays of ethereal pink flowers. Switchgrass adds a nice vertical accent.
Give Perennials a Light Pruning
If your potted perennials are looking worse for wear, you can refresh them with a light pruning. Deadheading is an easy way to spruce things up and make your perennials look neat and healthy. Sometimes the best fall container makeover is one that works with and cares for what you already have.
Don’t do any major shaping this time of year. Pruning foliage too much can leave plants vulnerable to the cold. Pruning encourages new growth, which we don’t want from our perennials this time of year.
Focus on leggy stems and spent flowers if you want to give the most effective makeover. Removing these helps to channel the plant’s energy back into the roots, which is important in the fall. Remove any damaged plant parts as well.
Add Frost Tolerant Elements
Adding frost-tolerant elements to your fall containers is a great way to give them a makeover. It ensures they look attractive long after your summer annuals have faded. In cool climates, your first frost is likely not far off. If you’re going to plant new flowers in your containers, make sure they will last through some cold weather.
Pansies and violas are wonderful for cold weather. They are frost-tolerant and continue to flower in freezing conditions. Snapdragons are also tolerant of cold temperatures. I’ve had these remain green after several days of temperatures reaching into the low 20s (~-7°C).
Consider frost-tolerant foliage plants as well for fall container makeovers. Ornamental kale is great for standing up to cold weather. Its colors intensify with cold. Dusty miller is a gorgeous, silvery, small shrub that looks beautiful mixed with autumn tones. Many herbs also thrive in cold weather. Rosemary, thyme, chives, oregano, and others are frost-tolerant and beautiful.
