There is something magical about autumn, a season filled with vibrant colors and cozy charm. It’s the perfect time to transform your outdoor space into a picture-perfect place, and one of the best ways to embrace fall’s splendor is by creating stunning container gardens.
Pair seasonal favorites like ornamental grasses, cabbages, kale, heuchera, chrysanthemums, and pansies to create a beautiful blend of colors and textures. Layer plants of varying heights; place taller plants like grasses in the center or back of the container, surround them with medium height ornamental cabbage and lower-growing options such as mums and pansies.
Why not plant an edible container? Fill it with a rainbow-colored stem Swiss chard. Add Lacinato kale, commonly known as Tuscan Kale, an heirloom variety Thomas Jefferson grew at Monticello. Show your commitment to preserving our democracy by planting a Jeffersonian favorite, like our Republic kale, which is hardy and tough enough to withstand stressful conditions.
The beauty of containers is you can move them to chase the sun or place them in a heat sink against a wall to extend their season. Chances are you will harvest leaves into January. Then again, with global warming and the right sunny spot, you may harvest all winter long.
Remember containers dry out quickly. Water regularly to keep plantings at their best. Also, place saucers underneath to retain water.
It is time to bring in houseplants. First check them for any disease or insects. Clip off infected and damaged leaves. Replant as needed. Most homes are dry as deserts, making winter watering important. Place waterproof saucers under all pots, fill them with gravel to offer humidity and protect furniture. Never place plants in a drafty location. Never allow leaves to touch cold windows.
Back outside, plant more deer-resistant flowering bulbs starting with late winter blooming Chionodoxa, and snow drops, followed by daffodils. Add alliums of various heights with their globe shaped blooms. Continue the spring bulb flowering season with Spanish bluebells. They are easy to plant small bulbs. Bluebells actually come in white, pink, and blue color, multiply quickly and are great neutralizers.
For an exotic look consider fritillarias. The Crown Imperials stand tall with downcast yellow or orange flowers topped with spikey pineapple-like leaves. They thrive in semi-shade or open areas. Do not be timid, plant a bunch. The smaller Fritillaria meleagris are equally exotic with their checkered board leaf display. They handle poorly drained spring soils, sun to dappled shade, and planted en masse provide a distinctly different look.
Keep bulbs blooming into summer with Lilium henryi, also known as Henry’s lily. Augustine Henry, Irish plant explorer in 1887 discovered this lily on the summit of Moji Shan in Yichang, Central China. At that time, the flora and fauna of China was not well known. About 500 new species were identified from his specimens. Henry is best known for collecting over 15,000 dry specimens and seeds and 600 plant samples from China that he sent to Kew Gardens.
Henry’s lily is a lily species producing stalks to over 5 feet tall, topped with dozens of medium-sized orange flowers in August. While not deer resistant, they are tall working best at the back of border, against a house or structure where it is difficult for cleft footed creatures to casually chomp away.
QUICK! Right now, get off your knees from bulb planting. Grab clippers to prune Rose of Sharon seed pods. They are easy to find weighing down branch tips. Remove seed pods PDQ. The same goes for Morning Glory seeds. Gingerly remove the vines to reduce seed release.
After which, back on your knees to clear the garden of Rose of Sharon and morning glory seeds that fell. Otherwise, next spring, like star ship Enterprise Captain Kirk who was overwhelmed by Tribbles, you will be overwhelmed by too many unwanted plants.
