Beyond Mums—Fall Containers with Style

Posted in Around the Garden on September 17 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Over the past few weeks, I have been coordinating with one of my colleagues at the Shop in the Garden regarding some attractive fall options for containers and the garden. We perused the availability lists from one of her vendors and came up with some refreshing changes for late season color. Traditionalists need not venture into our Shop with trepidation—my colleague also ordered plenty of the stalwart fall mums. I, however, was looking for something beyond mums. Here are a few suggestions that we came up with.

One of my first picks was Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’. It is an intoxicating variegated spurge that looks good from spring until frost. The variegated foliage is a green-grey color (more green with smoky overtones) with creamy yellow edges. In the fall, the foliage takes on a pinkish orange autumnal hue. This 20-inch perennial is hardy from zone 5 – 9 and is deer and rabbit resistant, as well as being drought tolerant. It makes a wonderful addition to a mixed container display as well as growing beautifully in your mixed perennial border.

In one of my home gardening demonstrations on fall container arrangements, I suggested pairing it with the lovely dark coral bell, Heuchera ‘Crimson Curls’ with its ruffled Chianti-colored foliage. I also had a sedum on hand and the variegated red fountain grass named ‘Fireworks®’, which screams fun and color all summer long. This annual fountain grass grows 24 – 30 inches tall in a border, but will probably stay slightly more compact in the tight space of a container. It is a pink and creamy white variegated grass that provides a striking focal point and looks splendid with almost anything that will echo its burgundy, cream and green highlights.

In another container, I used one of my favorite coral bells as the starting point—Heuchera ‘Caramel’. It is as delicious as the name suggests. This is one of those tough villosa hybrids that can handle sun to shade and moist to dry soils. It is a work horse in the garden. ‘Caramel’ has soft, fuzzy leaves, so for those of you plagued by deer, she is not at the top of their dinner list. Deer do not like plants with hairy textures—it rubs them the wrong way (on the tongue that is). ‘Caramel’ grows 18 inches tall and wide. Her foliage begins the season with a nice apricot hue and by fall matures to a good caramel color with a raspberry underside.

I paired this coral bell up with a blanket flower called Gaillardia ‘Arizona Apricot’. Blanket flowers are an underused perennial, and this one is a compact variety that grows 12 inches tall and flowers from early summer and well into the fall as long as you continue to deadhead. It is ideal for container arrangements. It is hardy to zone 3 and is heat and drought tolerant. The blanket flower’s best feature is its 3 ½-inch flower with its blend of yellows, apricots, and reds. Toffee Twist sedge, Carex ‘Toffee Twist®’ added a light airy dimension to the duo. ‘Toffee Twist’ is one of those plants that you either love or hate. Some people think it looks DOA (Dead On Arrival), but I love the subtle red overtones, the coppery tan color and its marvelous texture.

If you are looking to add some late season color into your life or are planning for next season, come pay us a visit at the Shop in the Garden. I recently purchased an enticing wandflower called Gaura ‘Passionate Blush’ that is known for its compact, dense habit and oodles of reddish pink flowers. This variety grows 18 – 20 inches tall and wide. We have wandflower growing in our Seasonal Border, spilling over the edge into the walkway in elegant sprays of color. It is borderline hardy in this zone, but has been coming back reliably for the past few years.

The Shop in the Garden also has a phenomenal selection of dwarf conifers that would look great in a container. It is a good reminder that even with the onset of cooler weather, the gardening season is far from being over.