• Grab a fresh bag of Tonka Terra and a 12-14” pot
• Pick your mum. The first and easiest choice should be the color of your mum. Build your container design around that. Hot tip: always choose a plant with tight buds so you can enjoy your mums long into the Fall.
• Keep the design simple and just make everything chunky. Chunk of Mum, chunk of grass…chunk of this, chunk of that.
• Add height with birch twigs or birch poles, or with faux fall leaves & berry stems.
• Pack it tight. There is not much growing time in the Fall, so pack your containers full from the start for instant impact.
• Stick a pumpkin (or gourd) in it! Just tuck it right in among the plants.
• Fall containers will do well in either sun or shade. The more sun your planters receive, the faster your mums will open. However, in too much shade, your mums might not open at all. A nice balance of bright light to full sun is best.

Garden Mums

Mums are phototropic meaning that they flower in response to day length - specifically short days and long nights. Buds form when the photoperiod drops below 12 hours, and continue to develop as the days get shorter and the nights get longer. Cool temps are a bonus too because it helps hold blooms longer. Think about a ripening fruit – fruit will ripen more quickly on the counter, than in the refrigerator.

Mums come in a variety of colors – yellow, orange, red, white, pink, and even purple. Shop several sizes of these colors available in-store at Tonkadale here!

Ornamental Kale & Cabbages

Leafy kale is upright, adding height to containers and garden beds. Cabbages are lower growing and more crown-like. The colors of kale and cabbage range from pinks and purples to blues and green. As the nights get cooler, their color deepens right before your eyes. Shop cabbages and kale here.

Ornamental Peppers

Ornamental pepper plants are such a fun addition to Fall containers. Cute little peppers come in red, orange, yellow, and purple. Shop here!

Herbs

Some herbs such as basil can't handle cool temps, but herbs like sage, parsley, and rosemary can handle even a little frost. Add herbs to Fall containers for an aromatic pick-me-up! Shop here.

Sedum

Sedums also respond to cooler temps by deepening in color. Though they seem like they could be fragile, they stand up well to the cold and can withstand a light frost. Lemon Ball Sedum is an annual in our area, but adding perennial sedum to the mix is another unique way to change it up!

Lysimachia

Also called Creeping Jenny, the bright, chartreuse coloring and pretty, trailing habit will lighten and liven up any design. Shop here.

Grasses

There are a wide variety of grasses that are an excellent choice for Fall containers. The unique, tawny brown coloration of Toffee Twist sedge is a perfect upright choice, which is best for cascading over the edge of a container. Try perennial grasses for added height and interesting seed heads. Shop annual 5" grasses here.

Heuchera

Heuchera (also called Coral Bells) add interesting texture and a touch of Fall color to containers. Choose from yellows, greens, reds, and purples. Heuchera are a perennial in our area, so if you get the chance, plant them in your garden before the ground freezes solid. Shop here.

Faux Accessories

Add faux leaves, berries, pods, and other fun elements to your Fall designs. Simply tuck them in among the living plants for an extra dose of Fall. Pluck them out when the season is done, and save for next year! Shop in-store for our full selection of silks and funky faux stems.

These plants and elements can be arranged together in any way you choose, and you really can’t go wrong if you keep it simple. If you need a helping hand, feel free to reach out to our design department (design@tonkadale.com) to order custom-made pots. Happy planting!  

If you would like assistance picking out plants for a fall container garden, feel free to stop in and ask. Otherwise, email us at hello@tonkadale.com - we're here to help!