Plants that Make Up a Stunning Fall Container Pot
- Rebekah
- 14 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Sure to brighten up your porch or patio this fall, we're sharing 15 plants that make up gorgeous autumnal-themed pots!
Some pots are not large enough to hold many plants, of course. If you have a larger container pot that you'd like to fill with several plants this fall, we're here to show you how to put one together!
An example of "thriller, filler, and spiller" using spring annuals
Remember this simple mantra when putting together a larger container pot: Thriller, Filler, Spiller.
Thriller:
Your thriller is the tallest plant or object in the pot. It could be (depending on the size of your container) a small Japanese Maple tree, a skinny evergreen such as 'Sky Pencil' Holly, an obelisk or trellis, or even (in the case of autumn) a pumpkin!
Filler:
The fillers are what surround the thriller. Oftentimes, they take up the most room in the pot. Pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, Coral Bells, Dusty Miller- these are all examples of good filler plants. Depending on the size of your pot and the look you'd like to achieve, you can mix and match your fillers. It can be beautiful to maintain a consistent color scheme, but don't be afraid to use your imagination!
Spiller:
This plant spills out of the side of the pot. It softens the entire look and really makes the pot look finished. Examples to look for include Creeping Jenny, English Ivy, Wintercreeper, or trailing Cool Wave Pansies.
Fall-Interest Plants You'll Want to Look for at the Garden Center
Tucked into a container pot amidst Pansies, Creeping Jenny, and a tall ornamental grass, Coral Bells make an excellent filler. In our Middle Tennessee climate, they usually keep many/ most of their leaves all fall and winter. They are a perennial that comes in a variety of colors, and their foliage truly brightens up a container pot. They love part-sun to shade locations, making them ideal for a container pot that is under an awning or covered front porch.
Ornamental Grasses make excellent thrillers in a pot. They come in a wide variety of sizes, from small and wispy to large and full. Depending on the size of your container pot, you could use one in the center and add several other plants around it that complement.
Pansies and Violas create the main flower show in fall, winter, and early spring! Their colorful blooms cheer up any gardening bed or container pot! They love part to full sun locations and make an excellent filler in a pot.
Mums:
From September through late October/ early November, Chrysanthemums add beautiful color to container pots. They work well as a thriller or filler. We are nearing the end of their blooms as we type this, but our Mums here at the nursery are perennial, meaning you can plant them in the ground to enjoy them for years to come!
Mums love full sun locations and naturally bloom in summer. To trick them into blooming in fall, simply pinch back their stems a few inches around July 4th. Then they will give you ample color in autumn.
Nandina is an evergreen shrub that boasts beautiful fall colors throughout the entire year. There are many varieties, and some are larger than others, but to be in a container pot, you'd want to look for varieties that are probably no larger than 2-3' tall and wide. This plant can be an excellent thriller or filler, depending on the size of your container pot and the look you're going for. If you use it as a filler, we'd recommend also adding other textures with it, such as a small ornamental grass, Coral Bells, Bugleweed, or Pansies. See below- this is an example of Nandina as the thriller in a pot.
Bugleweed is a perennial that stays mostly evergreen during the winter. It can be used as a spiller in a pot (as shown above). Its beautiful foliage adds interest and texture to a pot. It thrives in part sun to shade locations, making it ideal for a covered patio or covered front porch.
What a beautiful spiller- Creeping Jenny is such a stunning perennial! It adds a finishing touch in container pots, as it spills out of them, softening the entire look. Creeping Jenny is easy to grow and loves part to full sun locations. It adds amazing texture and color from spring through late fall. It will die back for winter and come back the following spring.
Black Eyed Susan continues to bloom through mid/late fall and is a pollinator's favorite! You can add Black Eyed Susans as a thriller or filler in a pot. Many times, they grow to be 2' tall, so keep that in mind if you're using them as a filler- you'll want a taller obelisk or plant in the center as the thriller. Black Eyed Susans love full sun locations and make excellent cut flowers.
Blanket flowers bloom periodically from late spring through mid/late fall. They make an excellent choice as part of the filler in a container pot. They need to be in full sun locations to thrive and bloom their best. They require little maintenance, but you will want to deadhead any spent blooms to encourage new ones to form.
Coneflowers bloom beautifully until mid/late fall. They make a stunning addition as a thriller or filler in a pot. They need full sun to bloom best. Available in many colors, they can be used sparingly in a container pot to add height or texture.
Pumpkins make great additions to pots. They can be a thriller in a smaller pot (see above) or nestled in as fillers in a larger pot.
Ornamental kale and cabbage are stunning in fall container pots! Usually, they make up part of a filler. When planting, slightly plant at an angle (as shown above), so the entire head of cabbage can be seen. We love to make the plants in a container pot all work together; above, you'll see the purple Mum mimics the purple in the ornamental cabbage!
Not only beautiful, but edible, too, 'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard brightens up a container pot (see left side of the container pot above)! It works well as a filler (as shown above), but in smaller pots, it could act as a beautiful thriller.
Red twig Dogwoods are stunning in a landscape as well as a container pot. They really show off in fall and winter, when their leaves drop and you can see their brightly colored stems. Perfect for a holiday arrangement or fall/winter container pot, plant one in the center of your large pot as the thriller. Then add a multitude of plants around, such as Coral Bells, Dusty Miller, Pansies, ornamental cabbage, and Bugleweed. To have the brightest red stems, Red twig Dogwoods need to be in full sun locations. They can, however, also do well in part sun locations; just note that their stems may not be quite as bright red.
Dusty Miller is an interesting plant whose silvery leaves add a lot of texture to a container pot. It makes an excellent filler plant that brightens up a container pot. It is easy to grow and can be grown in part sun or full sun locations.
