Hanging containers were especially popular this summer, appearing on porches, patios, balconies, and in gardens of every size. Their appeal is easy to understand. They add flowers and foliage at eye level, use vertical space, and let even people with small outdoor areas enjoy gardening. The arrival of fall does not mean these containers need to be emptied and stored. With a few seasonal changes, a summer hanging basket can become a colorful fall display filled with flowers, foliage, and interesting textures.
Fall hanging containers require a slightly different approach from summer baskets. As temperatures cool and plant growth slows, choose plants that already look full and arrange them fairly close together. Combining upright, mounding, and trailing plants will give the container a balanced appearance. It is also important to select plants with similar sunlight and watering needs.
Here are eight of our favorite:
Pansies - Pansies are one of the most dependable choices for a fall hanging container. Their cheerful flowers are available in purple, yellow, orange, burgundy, blue, white, and many attractive combinations. Pansies thrive in cool weather and can usually tolerate a light frost, making them an excellent replacement for heat-loving summer annuals. Use several plants together for a colorful display or combine them with ornamental foliage.
Violas - Violas have smaller flowers than pansies, but they often compensate by producing an abundance of blooms. Their compact, gently mounding growth habit works especially well in hanging containers, where they can fill spaces between larger plants. Violas are available in many seasonal colors and frequently continue blooming through chilly fall weather.
Chrysanthemums - Few plants represent fall as clearly as garden mums. Chrysanthemums can serve as the focal point in a hanging container, bringing rich shades of yellow, orange, bronze, red, burgundy, pink, or white to the arrangement. Since some garden mums become quite large, check the plant’s mature size and select a variety that will not overwhelm the basket.
Ornamental Kale or Cabbage - Ornamental kale and cabbage bring bold texture to a fall container. Their colorful rosettes may feature green, white, cream, pink, or purple, and their colors often become more pronounced as temperatures fall. Look for a smaller variety that will remain in proportion to the container. These plants are particularly striking when paired with pansies, violas, or trailing foliage.
Heuchera - Heuchera, also known as coral bells, proves that a fall container does not need to depend entirely on flowers. Its foliage is available in burgundy, purple, caramel, lime green, silver, and nearly black. The leaves add lasting color and texture long after some flowering plants have faded. As an added benefit, many heucheras can be transplanted into the garden before the ground freezes and enjoyed for years to come.
Ornamental Sedge - A compact ornamental sedge can provide height, graceful movement, and fine texture in the center of a hanging container. Varieties with gold, bronze, green, or variegated foliage complement traditional fall colors beautifully. Be sure to check the plant tag because mature sizes and growing conditions vary. Choose a sedge that will stay relatively small and share the light and moisture requirements of its container companions.
Creeping Jenny - Creeping Jenny is an excellent choice for softening the edge of a hanging basket. Its rounded chartreuse leaves spill gracefully over the sides and brighten combinations featuring burgundy, orange, bronze, or purple. In cool fall temperatures, its foliage may develop attractive golden or reddish tones. Where creeping Jenny is perennial, it may also be moved into the garden after the display is finished.
English Ivy - English ivy provides an elegant trailing element that remains attractive during cool weather. Its deep-green or variegated leaves work well with both flowering plants and foliage-focused combinations. Keep the ivy contained in the basket, however, because it can spread aggressively and is considered invasive in some parts of the United States. Do not transplant it into the landscape without checking local guidance.
Creating a Beautiful Fall Combination
One of the easiest ways to design a fall hanging container is to combine a taller focal plant with mounding fillers and at least one trailing plant. For a bright arrangement, try golden ornamental sedge with purple and yellow violas and chartreuse creeping Jenny. For richer autumn color, combine a burgundy dwarf mum with caramel-colored heuchera and variegated ivy. White pansies, purple ornamental kale, and silver or variegated sedge can create a cooler and more elegant look.
Begin with a container that has adequate drainage and replace tired or compacted summer soil with fresh potting mix. After planting, water the arrangement thoroughly. Although containers usually dry more slowly in cool weather, hanging baskets remain exposed to sun and wind, so check the soil regularly. Water when the top inch feels dry, but do not allow the plants to remain in soggy soil.
As freezing weather approaches, move the basket to a protected area or cover it when practical. Cold tolerance varies among plants and regions, and a hard freeze may bring the display to an end. Perennials such as heuchera, sedge, or creeping Jenny can often be planted in the garden before the soil freezes, while healthy annuals can be composted.
A fall hanging container is a simple way to extend the gardening season and bring seasonal color up to eye level. By mixing cool-weather flowers with distinctive foliage and trailing plants, you can transform a fading summer basket into one of the most interesting features of your fall garden.
