Temperatures and falling and so are the leaves. But there is still plenty of time to get in the garden before the first …
make life beautiful
Refreshing Your Container Gardens
An updated front entry makes a welcoming first impression. Repotting your containers on the back patio will give your backyard an oomph of energy. As summer heads toward fall, think about refreshing your container gardens.
Blackberry Ice and Primo Black Pearl Heuchera varieties are beside Superbells Tropical Sunrise.
Calibrachoa will shower your garden with thousands of blooms, up until the first hard frost.
The petite flowers grace cascading plants that are great in combinations and hanging baskets. Heuchera
varieties have an incredibly dense habit of shiny, jet black leaves with scalloped, ruffled edges and rosy purple undersides.
Choosing Plants
- When choosing plants for fall, their ability to withstand cool temperatures, including frost or even hard frost, is key to keeping your containers looking great for months.
- Another trait to consider is the ability of the plant to bloom under shorter day-lengths.
- Fall is a great time to look to foliage for color. There are many plants with foliage that is most colorful when the temperatures are cool.
Ornamental Kale
Kale’s purple splash will add a dramatic contrast to other plants planted in a container garden.
Its leaves come with beautiful variegations in pinks, purple and reds that blend beautifully with changing autumn foliage.
Planting
- As temperatures cool, plant growth slows or stops completely. This means that plants potted up in the fall aren’t going to show the amazing growth you get from those planted in spring.
- Plant your pots fuller, because your plants will not grow as much as in the spring and summer.
ColorBlaze Alligator Tear, Lime Time, Marooned, Royal Glissade, and Sedona Coleus.
Adding the vibrant colors of Coleus to a container will guarantee fall interest well into the chillier months.
Watering and Fertilizing
- Cool temperatures and smaller plants don’t need as much water. You don’t need to water nearly as often as you’ve become accustomed to during the heat of summer.
- The deeper into fall we go, the less often you will need to water. Don’t be surprised if you need to water only once or twice a week.
- Your plants will not need as many fertilizer applications. Switch to a water-soluble fertilizer, such as Proven Winners Water-soluble Fertilizer, rather than a slow-release fertilizer.
Superbells Frostfire Calibrachoa, ColorBlaze Keystone Kopper Coleus and Campfire Fireburst Bidens.
Superbells Frostfire Calibrachoa is a low maintenance plant that offers an abundance of small petunia-like flowers on cascading growth. The copper foliage on ColorBlaze Keystone Kopper Coleus is a fun contrast to many colors. Campfire Fireburst Bidens bear rich orange and yellow bicolor blooms on compact plants. It can be used in combination with other medium to high vigor plants, such as Supertunias or Superbells, or grown on its own in hanging baskets.
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