Friday, October 16, 2015
Posted By: in Container Gardening

By October, your colourful spring and summer patio planters or hanging baskets are probably looking a wee bit shabby, if not down-right dead. If that’s your situation, don’t worry, we have the solution for you – the Fall Container Make Over! In this blog post, we'll introduce you to the world of fall containers and how to design and plant them. We'll also identify some of the best plants to use.

Fall Containers are actually easier to plant and maintain than the Spring and Summer varieties. We know we are living on borrowed time because of impending frosts. That time limit influences our selection of plants and forces all plantings to be temporary.

Fall Containers and Planters

Short Term Focus

Fall containers don’t rely as heavily on blooming annuals and therefore won’t focus as much on fleeting flowers. Instead they utilize long lasting, colourful foliage, attractive berries and other design elements to help them look good as long as possible. Since we know that the time span is shorter, it allows to get past the “what’s best for the plant” mentality and move into the different mindset of “what’s going to look good right now”.

Fall containers and baskets fall into 2 categories, mono-plantings and the traditional thriller-filler-spiller model.

Mono Planters

Mono-Plantings

Mono-plantings typically use the same colour, or the same plant to fill the container. For instance, you could have an all-white planter, or fill the planter with one type of plant. Consider a planter that utilizes white heather, white cyclamen and ornamental cabbage and kale with white tones in a single planter. Alternately, you could fill a planter with just Heuchera, Pansies or Sedums.

Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

Thrillers, Fillers & Spillers

For fall, the traditional thriller, filler and spiller planters are packed tight with plants to make them look good right away. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this style of planter, lets quickly define these terms:

Thrillers

Plants For Use as Thrillers

The tall centerpiece or focal point of the planter. The thriller can be either centre planted or positioned at the back of the planting because of its height and stature. The thriller is the element of the planter that grabs the most attention and captures the eye. While plants are great thrillers, you could also use inanimate objects like birch branches, contorted willow stems, lanterns or other types of fall garden accents.

Fillers

Plants For Use as Fillers

Filler – the fillers are the mid-sized plants that complement the thriller. They are typically ½ to 1/3 the height or the attention grabbing ability of the thriller. Most fall planters will use several fillers strategically positioned near or around the thriller. At this time of year, small pumpkins and gourds also make great fillers.

Spillers

Plants For Use as Spillers

The spillers are the plants that hang or droop off the sides of the planter. In the fall they are typically grasses, ivies, ground covers and similar plants that have some resistance to winter cold. They are usually smaller and several will be planted in a typical container.

10 Design Tips for Fall Planters

Fall planters are supposed to be temporary, you don’t need to worry as much about longevity or plant health. When a fall planter starts to look shabby, simply discard the spent elements or re-plant them in your garden. When creating your fall planters, here are 7 more design tips to think about:

Black Planter

1. Pick a Pot First

Planter choice is important and should be made first. Everything from the type, the colour, the size, and the width of planting area is important. Try to match the scale of the pot to the size of your plants. Make the colour complimentary to the type of plants you are going to choose. When choosing a pot, quality is critical - if you intend to keep the pot for more than one season. There is a reason there are “cheap” pots and “expensive” pots.

Pot Feet

2. Drainage Is Important

Given our typical fall and winter weather, good drainage is an essential component of fall planters. Fill the bottom one third of your planter with gravel, packing materials, broken pottery or anything else that creates air pockets and allows the water to drain. Separate this layer with landscape fabric to avoid contaminating or compacting it with soil. Lift the planter off your deck or patio with pot feet to ensure the drainage hole doesn't get plugged up.

Promix Potting Soil

3. Soil Choice Matters

Don’t use a garden soil in your planters. These soils tend to be heavy and will compact in a planter. As we already mentioned, drainage is critical. Plants need as much oxygen near their roots as water. If you insist on using a garden soil, at least amend it with perlite to create air pockets and improve porosity. Preferably, use a potting soil like ProMix or Miracle Gro. These products are already mixed with perlite and are specifically formulated to be lighter for planters, containers and baskets.

4. Simplicity Works

The KISS principle ... (Keep It Simple Stu@^@#) ... works. The best fall planters are simple. They only have a few types of plants and they avoid having "one of everything" in the container. If you like a plant, use it a couple of times in your planter as opposed to picking more types of plants. Enough said.

5. Odd Numbers Are Good

In design, odd numbers like 1, 3 and 5 always look good. For example, you may choose to plant 1 thriller, 3 fillers and 5 spillers in your planter. While this obviously depends upon the size of the planter, you get the general idea.

Plant Colour Palettes - Hot Colours and Cool Colours

6. Pick A Colour Palette and Stick To It

Spring and summer planters tend to use the hot colours. In other words, the yellows, the oranges and the reds. These are called stop colours because the eye naturally focusses and comes to rest on them. They grab attention and scream look at me! This is also the reason why fire trucks tend to be red and people in red cars tend to get more speeding tickets – they are simply more visible to the eye. Now you know!

The cool colours tend to be more dominant in the fall. These are the greens, pinks, purples and blues to name a few. They move away from the eye and perceived to be more peaceful, relaxing and calming. They work well with the neutral colours like white, black or grey.

Neutral colours (the grays, the whites and blacks) are the perfect compliments for both hot and cool colour palettes. Use them for affect and as contrasting elements in your planters. You can also choose to create mono plantings. All white and all black planters are in style (especially for Halloween)

If you choose a colour palette, stay in that palette. In other words, a cool colour planter should not have yellows oranges and reds as they will clash. It’s ok to mix a palette and neutrals, but don’t mix the two palettes. An easy way to tackle this is to pick a theme. For example, a Halloween planter may have lots of oranges and yellows complimented by black. Remember to include the pot colour in your design. A pink pot with a halloween colour theme would look ridiculous wouldn't it?

Lanterns

7. Lighten It Up

As the sun sets earlier and earlier in the fall, it is important to choose brighter colours and even accent lighting. Add a few solar or led lights to your planters for added effect! Lanterns or even faux-candles can also be used. This is a great look for winter. For obvious reasons, just be careful if you are mixing anything electrical with water, or anything burning near foliage!

Hand With Bulbs

8. Think About Spring

While we have already stated that fall planters are fleeting, there is no reason why they can’t be designed to give additional interest. For example, you could fill the planter with daffodils and tulips to come up after all the top growth has either died-off, has been cut back or re-planted after winter. Simply plant the bulbs and then add your other materials on top. The bulbs will come through the top growth when the time is right.

10. Relax and Have Fun!

As we have already said, fall planters are temporary works of art. There are no right or wrong answers or bad designs, as long as you like it! Experiment, try new plants and have fun with it!

For More Information:

For more information and a great read, check out this e-book created by our own Shelley Levis.

One Planter - Four Seasons e-Book

If you want to spruce up your planters this fall. Drop by and pick out some great materials at Art’s. We’d be happy to help you make a few design choices or recommend the best plants. Or, if you prefer, we can even plant them up for you. Each fall planter is unique and is based on your design choices and budget. Get yours growing today!


Blog Archive


Recent Blog Posts

Thursday, May 11, 2023
Tips And Tricks: Growing Vegetables And Herbs At Home

Tips And Tricks: Growing Vegetables And Herbs At Home Are you interested in growing your own herbs ...

Friday, February 24, 2023
How To: Pruning Blueberry Bushes

Are you looking to add a touch of sweetness to your garden? Look no further than the blueberry shrub...

Friday, February 24, 2023
Magnificent Magnolia Trees

As we step into the spring season, it's time to explore the world of Magnificent Magnolias. Magnol...

Thursday, January 19, 2023
Three Slow Growing Dwarf Conifers

Dwarf conifers are a fantastic option for adding a little bit of sunshine to your winter garden. The...

Thursday, November 3, 2022
Winter Fountain Care

Thursday, October 27, 2022
Hardy Palm Tree Winter Care

Hardy Palm Tree Winter Care For most of our winters here on the BC Coast, our hardy palms (Windmill ...

Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Stink Bugs In B.C.

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs In B.C. Let's talk about stink bugs. Like me, stink bugs prefer to g...

Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Everything You Need To Know About Planting Garlic

We Have 9 Varieties Of Garlic This Year! Garlic is an exciting and a super easy crop to grow if you...



Tag Cloud

growing vegetables at home how to grow tomatoes how to grow basil how to grow lettuce how to grow peppersPruning Blueberries Blueberry Gardening Berry Care Garden Pruning Fruit Gardening Plant Pruning Berry Pruning Tips Gardening Tips Fruit Tree Pruning GardenCaremagnolia tree dwarf magnolia trees magnolia trees in surrey bc magnolia trees in vancouverDwarf Conifers Garden Design Landscaping Winter Gardening Conifers Garden Inspiration Garden Ideas Garden Plants Outdoor Living Home Gardeningfountain pump temperature drain submergedmarmorated stink bug stink bugs stink bug invasion stink bugs in B.C. How to plant garlic how to plant garlic in canada how to plant garlic in the fall how long does it take to plant garlic where to buy garlic bulbs for planting Lion’s Head Maple Alpine PinePerennial Hibiscus (Rose Of Sharon) Silver Show Korean Fir Weeping Japanese Maple Cole’s Prostrate Canadian Hemlock Iceberg Climbing Rose by Monrovia with a portable Trellis Euonymus Emerald Gaiety Sea Heart Brennera Forget Me Not Western Maidenhair Fern Alpine Water Fern Amazing Parrot Tulips Water Hyacinth Variegated Gold Japanese Forest Grass Prairie Flame Switch Grass Shadowland Diamond Lake Hosta Revolution Hosta Granny’s Ringlets Japanese Cedar Fatsia Japonica Dwarf Golden Sweet FlagB.C. Native Plants Western Sword Fern or 'Polystichum munitum' Salal or 'Gaultheria shallon' Evergreen Huckleberry or 'Vaccinium ovatum' Salmonberry or 'Rubus spectablis' Nootka Rose or 'Rosa nuthana' Pacific Madrone or 'Arbutus menziesii' Oregon Grape Holly or 'Mahonia aquifolium' Beach Strawberry or 'Fragaria chiloensis' Thimbleberry or 'Rubus parviflorus' Pacific Madrone (Arbutus) or 'Arbutus menziesii' White Snow Berry or 'Symphorkarpos albus' Long Leaf Mahonia or 'Mahonia nervosa' Ancolie columbine or 'Aquilegia canadesi 'Ancolie' Bearberry Kinnikinnick or 'Arctostraphylos uva-ursi' Bunchberry or 'Cornus canadensis' Red Twig Dogwood or 'Cornus sericea' Eddies White Wonder Pacific Dogwood or 'Cornus nuttalli'paper making seed cards earth day craftToxic and Non-Toxic Plant List - Dogs Calathea spp oya carnosa Hoya kerrii Davallia spp aintpaulia spp Chamaedorea elegans Spider Plants Boston FernsSoil pots drainage shape repotting potting up potting well plants dormant oil dormant spray kit dormant oil application lime sulphur superior lime sulphur and dormant oil spray insecticide kit dormant oil spray kit instructions green earth dormant spray kit where to buy dormant oil spray green earth dormant spray kit review green earth dormant spray kit instructions horticultural oilgardening trends in 2022 gardening 2021 resolutions gardening 101Hyacinths Crocus Daffodils Paperwhites Amaryllis winter blooming flowershummingbird feeder annas hummingbird how to take care of hummingbird in winter winter bird care hummingbird feeder heaterStewartia pseudocamellia – Japanese Stewartia Acer griseum – Paperbark Maple Cercidiphyllum japonicum - Katsura Parrotia Persica - Persian Ironwood Liquidambar Styraciflua - Sweetgum Fall Tree Planting Planting Trees In Fall Small Trees Trees For Sale In Surrey Trees For Sale In Langley Treeshow to mulch best mulch mulching your garden mulching your vegetable garden why to mulch benefits of mulch benefits of mulching your garden understand mulch why mulch why mulching is important why mulch around trees why mulch garden best mulch for vegetable garden best mulch for landscaping best mulch for garden straw mulch bark mulch garden mulch ideas garden mulching tips red mulch black top mulch fall mulchLawn lawn care lawn care program fall lawn care fall lawn care program fall lawn care tips fall lawn fertilizer complete lawn care program step by step lawn care what to do to my lawn in the fall how to fix my lawn how to fix an ugly lawn with results fix your lawn what fertilizer should i use when to fertilize in fall when to fertilize lawn lawn care schedule lawn care calendar arts nursery lawn care in british Columbia

Blog Roll

Other interesting gardening blogs that we follow include:

RSS Feeds

Keep in touch by subscribing to our RSS/Atom News Feeds


Arts Nursery Logo
Address
8940 192nd Street,
Surrey, BC, Canada,
V4N 3W8

Phone
Tel: (604) 882-1201
General Email
info@artsnursery.com
Sales/Order Inquiries
orders@artsnursery.com
Contact Us
Contact Us
Visiting Us
Hours of Operation
Map & Directions

Art's Nursery is dog friendly

REG HOURS
Mon closed - closed
Tue closed - closed
Wed closed - closed
Thu closed - closed
Fri closed - closed
Sat closed - closed
Sun closed - closed
Holidays closed - closed

Art's is open all stat holidays except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years

KEEP IN TOUCH
Copyright (c) 2025 Art's Nursery Ltd.  | 8940 192nd Street, Surrey, BC, Canada, V4N 3W8  | tel: 604.882.1201  | SiteMap  | Privacy Statement |

Cart Preview

Your Cart Is Empty