As the vibrant colours and heat-loving blooms of summer container gardens begin to fade, many gardeners find themselves at a crossroads. What's next for your potted plants? How do you transition your containers for the cooler temperatures of fall? Should you simply let plants die back, or is there a way to prolong their beauty – or swap them out with fall favorites?
Deciding the fate of your summer container garden can be tough, but understanding how to manage potted plants at the end of the season is crucial for maintaining a healthy and beautiful garden. Below are several smart strategies for tackling flower pots at the end of summer.
How Do You Prepare Containers for Autumn?
As summer winds down, it's important not to neglect your containers. They will require either extra care or to be changed out completely. Your tropical annuals, in particular, won’t last forever, so it’s time to make a choice.
When deciding what to do next, consider several important factors: your willingness to continue maintaining the pots beyond summer, your desire to preserve the plants currently growing in them, and your local climate's fall weather, which will dictate what plants can realistically continue to thrive.
Clean and Store Pots
One of the most straightforward options is to clean and properly store your empty pots, so they’ll be ready to go next spring. This is an easy choice if you have non-frost-proof pots full of dead annual plants.
Begin by removing the dead plants, which can be added to your compost pile or garden waste bags for disposal. Crucially, if you spot any signs of disease, avoid composting the plants to prevent spread. Toss out the soil, or if the plants were free from disease, you can incorporate it into garden beds.
To clean containers, give them a good scrub with a stiff brush and soapy water. For disinfection, a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water can be used, followed by a very thorough rinsing. Allow the pots to dry completely before storing them. Pots are best stored inside, as the cold weather and sunlight can degrade certain materials over time. If indoor storage isn't feasible, cover and place them in a protected area outside.
Give Containers a Refresh
If your existing potted plants have more life in them, you can extend their growing season by giving them a refresh. This approach is particularly effective in milder climates and for plants, such as pansies and violas, that can tolerate cooler temperatures and light frosts:
- Prune and trim back any plants that need it to tidy up and encourage new growth. To do this, deadhead spent flowers, remove dead plant material, and cut back leggy stems.
- Pull out plants that can’t be saved or that will be particularly susceptible to the colder temperatures coming, such as impatiens and petunias.
- Refresh potting soil by gently mixing in compost or fresh potting soil. This replenishes nutrients and improves aeration. If there is enough room in the pot, add another few inches on top; otherwise, remove some of the existing soil and replace.
- Add a little fall fertilizer, choosing a product with low nitrogen and high phosphorus to encourage root growth and flowering rather than leafy growth. Scotts Super Bloom Water Soluble Plant Food, available on Amazon, is a popular product for container gardens.
Change Plants for Fall-Friendly Options
This is a great choice if you want to extend the enjoyment of your container garden well into fall, and if you’re willing to keep up with the maintenance. While flowers are always an option, remember that non-floral foliage plants can also create stunning fall displays. Try these suggestions:
- Hardy mums are widely available at this time of year and come in a varied color palette, including white, yellow, orange, pink, red, and purple.
- Asters are hardy perennials with daisy-like flowers and a late-season bloom.
- English ivy can be invasive in the ground, but it has a delightful trailing habit that makes it perfect for pots. Its evergreen nature offers year-round interest.
- Ornamental kale or cabbage offers interesting forms and vibrant colors that intensify with colder temperatures.
- Ornamental grasses are brimming with architectural interest and add texture and movement to pots.
- Coral bells produce pretty flowers, but it is their attractive foliage in varied leaf colors and ability to thrive in the shade that makes them so popular.
- Verbena is a lovely architectural perennial that lasts into fall and can survive light frost.
- Sedum blooms last into late season, and many varieties have striking evergreen foliage. These drought-tolerant succulents are also perfect for summer containers.
Furthermore, you can enhance fall containers by incorporating decorative elements such as corn stalks, gourds, and pumpkins for added seasonal charm.
Overwintering Perennials in Outdoor Containers
Consider this option if you grow perennials in pots. Even if plants are hardy in your USDA growing zone, potted perennials are more vulnerable to winter conditions than those grown in beds. They’ll need some protection to overwinter successfully. As a general rule, you should select plants that are hardy to at least two zones colder than your own to enhance their chances of surviving winter within a pot.
Begin by watering your potted plants very well before the soil freezes. To provide insulation and reduce the risk of ceramic or clay pots cracking, wrap them in bubble wrap or frost blankets, such as these from Amazon.
Grouping containers tightly together in a sheltered outdoor area offers added protection. Alternatively, burying the entire pot in the soil of a garden bed can provide insulation for the root ball.
Bringing Tender Potted Plants Indoors
If you’re up for a challenge, bringing certain container plants indoors for winter can be a rewarding option. Specific plant types, such as the tubers of dahlias or rhizomes of cannas, can be dug up from their pots and stored in a cool, dry, and dark location, ready for replanting the following spring
Plants that do not form corms or bulbs can also be brought indoors and encouraged into a period of dormancy. To facilitate this, trim the plants back appropriately and allow them to rest for approximately one month in a sheltered, dry area that is relatively cool but not freezing. Following this dormant period, move the plants to a bright, sunny window and gradually resume watering. New growth should then begin to emerge
Ultimately, the best approach for managing your summer containers depends on several key factors: the plant types you are growing, your local hardiness zone, and how much work you’re willing to put into garden maintenance. By carefully considering these various options, you can effectively plan how your container garden will evolve through fall and winter.
