Shift your container gardening into fall gear with autumn-blooming flowers perfect for your pots and hanging baskets.
When the air turns cool and crisp, it’s a good time to refresh containers.
The heat and humidity-loving plants of summer are fading with the cooling temperatures.
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We’re waving goodbye to themuntil next summer, at least.
We’ve collected a few of our favorite fall plants that will last in yourcontainer gardensall season long.
Read on for our September-to-November favorites.
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What are your favorite fall plants for pots and hanging baskets?
They bloom in late summer and fall.
Asters can require sun or shade, depending on the species, so double-check to check plant labels.
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Begonia
Most types of begonias have fleshy leaves and bloom in summer and fall.
Grow in full or part shade.
Chrysanthemum
When fall arrives, Southerners know that it’stime for mums.
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Mums like regular watering and full sun.Deadhead the flowersto keep your mums blooming.
Bury the bulbs in your containers in late summer for a flower show in fall.
This plant istoxic to peopleandpets.
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Cosmos
Cosmos is asun-loving annualthat will bloom all summer and into fall.
They also attract pollinators.
Pinch stems after the first bloom to reduce height and encourage branching.
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Globe Amaranth
These long-blooming flowers offer garden color from summer through fall.
The plants themselves are drought tolerant, and many selections make great container plants for full sun.
They are great choices for shady and partly shady container gardens as well as flower beds.
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French and African marigolds, particularly, produce an abundance of bright blooms in sunny spots until thefirst frost.
They’re even used in Day of the Dead celebrations on Nov. 1 and 2.
In the South, they can last through winter to provide another season of blooms in spring.
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Petunia
In warm climates that generally stay above freezing, petunias can be grown as winter annuals.
Bring containers indoors for the night when there’s a cold snap to prolong the growing season.
In very humid climates, zinnias can even have a resurgence during the dry months of fall.
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Place in full sun and cut off faded flowers to encourage additional blooms.
Crossandra
Also called firecracker flower,Crossandra bloomsfrom late August through early fall.
It can withstand late-season heat waves with plenty of water.
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Leave it planted until the first frost.
Here, we paired a spruce topiary with a fiery ‘Orange Marmalade’ firecracker flower.
Echinacea
Sun-loving coneflowers show off their perky blooms throughout the summer and until the first frost.
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Deadheading spent blooms from these perennials will prolong flowering.
If you’re craving fall color, newer varieties come in sunset-inspired hues sure to brighten your containers.
This drought-tolerant evergreen shrub produces tall, spiky purple flowers.
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Plant it in well-draining soil in a sunny spot.
Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
These cool-weather annuals perform well in containers and deliver leafy fall color.
Ornamental Peppers
Spice up fall containers with ornamental peppers.
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And they are remarkably resilient, surviving snappy temperatures in fall.
Snapdragons
Snapdragons prefercool temperatures, which you might have suspected when they fried in the summer heat.
Now is a great time to add them to containers, where they will bloom long after many flowers.
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Set them in a sunny spot and give them extra water whenever freezing temperatures arrive.
Goldenrod
Fluffy goldenrod shows off its bright yellow color in late summer and fall.
Its seeds attract birds, and butterflies and bees also visit the plants well into October.
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Goldenrod is not only attractive, but its also easy to care for.
Growing in pots helps control the plants spread.
Deadhead the flowers to extend the length of the blooming season.
Here, Sparkling Burgundy heuchera brings warmth to loropetalum, snapdragons, and violas.
They also feature more color when their red, white, orange, or pink flowers bloom through fall.
Deadheading will ensure continuous blooms.
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Coral bells like partial shade and well-drained soil to thrive.
Lantana
The bright colors of lantana add a bit of cheer to a fall-hued container.
Shown, yellow clusters of lantana accentuate more subtle shades of coleus.
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Lantana likesfull sunand moist soil.
Overwinter potted lantana in an unheated room that doesnt get colder than 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
They can bloom continuously year-round in warmer climates.
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Deadhead to encourage more blooms.
Coleus
Grow coleus in pots year-round.
They come in a variety of colors, making them the perfect addition to a mixed fall container.
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Place them in a sunny south- or southeast-facing window inside, and water only as necessary.
There are many varieties of coleus, and some prefer more shade than others.
Outdoors, check that to provide the amount of light your variety needs.
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