Dynamic Fall Hanging Baskets – 7 Plants and Plant Combos for Spectacular Vertical Displays

Hanging flower baskets aren’t just for summer, and they aren’t just for flowers either. We obviously identify hanging baskets primarily with massive summer displays that can showcase our favorite ornamentals. To a lesser degree, we may also use hanging baskets for indoor trailing or bushy houseplants like pothos and Boston fern. But there is so much more you can do with vertical containers – and so many plants that are worthy of admiration and appreciation in fall hanging baskets.

As the summer transitions and temperatures drop, you can replace warm-weather annuals with colorful and highly textured foliage plants and fall flowers for hanging baskets. These plants will tolerate colder temperatures and even frosts. Enjoy creating some epic fall hanging basket ideas with these stunning plant and plant combinations that emphasize both hardiness and dazzling autumn color.

Best Plants for Fall Hanging Baskets

There are a few important things to keep in mind if you’re new to growing plants in hanging baskets. Consider lighting when choosing plants for a fall hanging basket. Will the baskets get full sun, partial shade, or even deep shade? You may not have to worry about this quite so much with summer, when you’ll generally look for full sun hanging baskets. But you can still create attractive and long-lasting vertical displays in the fall, as long as you consider plant hardiness in relation to hardiness zones.

Make sure you have a sturdy frame or strong fixtures to support fall outdoor hanging baskets. Consider that they will drip water from their drainage holes on whatever is underneath. Hanging pots dry out faster than soil in the ground – you’ll need to water them frequently, so they should be easy to reach. Fall offers an opportunity to change out some of your container annuals. You can replace hot-weather flowers with those that love the colder days. Or, just change up the arrangements to enjoy more fall colors. Here are some inspired plants and fall flowers for pots to get you started, combining classic favorites with contemporary twists.

1. Pansies

Container-grown pansies fit the bill for both growing cold-tolerant flowers and enjoying autumnal shades. You can find these colorful little flowers in many fall-friendly hues, often with multiple colors per flower: deep purple, burgundy, red, gold, bright yellow, peach, and orange. Pansies are annuals that thrive in cooler weather and will survive a few frosts.

You can find trailing varieties that spread and are ideal for spilling over the edges of hanging baskets to complement thriller options for the season. This will come down to personal tastes, but we love the bright golds and oranges that can fire up patios at this time of year. Buy a pack of 5 live plants of HilroQG Store’s Pansies from Amazon, for lush floral shades of tangerine, burgundy, purple and yellow.

2. Hardy Mums

Hardy chrysanthemums (or mums) are staples of autumn beds and container gardens, and often selected first as summer flowers that look amazing through fall. While technically perennials, most people grow mums as fall annuals. Depending on where you live, they may last right up to the start of winter. Mums are also known for their fall colors: sunny yellow, burnt orange, rust red, cream, and lavender.

While mums are often grown in containers or in beds, they are actually great in hanging baskets, thanks to their bushy, three-dimensional potential. You can even try trailing mums. ‘Skyfall’ is a unique cultivar that grows horizontally and trails instead of growing upright, so it’s perfect for hanging. For neat, tightly branched growth and seasonally lush bronze, russet, and gold fall color, buy Chrysanthemum ‘Fireworks’ as live plants from Burpee.

3. Sweet Alyssum + Oxalis

Sweet alyssum is a sweet-smelling annual with a profusion of small, delicate flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. They are popular in the summer along edges and borders and as the fill or spill element in a thriller filler spiller container.

This is an annual flower that tolerates colder temperatures, making it perfect for autumn baskets. It will last even after a few frosts and temperatures that dip into the 20s. Sweet alyssum grows in mounds that spill nicely over the edges of a hanging container. Try ‘Crystal Clear’ for big flowers and a strong, sweet smell. You can also buy live plants of White Sweet Alyssum from Amazon in packs of 6 pots.

Try mixing your sweet alyssum with oxalis, and even caladium (pictured). Just bear in mind with any tender plants like oxalis that you might need to bring the hanging basket indoors before first frost to protect the longevity of the plant. You can buy live plants of Meadow Decor’s Purple Shamrock Oxalis from Walmart.

4. Lettuce Mix

Here’s a unique option! You may have seen strawberries or tomatoes in raised containers – but there are other great vegetables to grow in hanging baskets. Why not grow something that thrives in the cooler temperatures and that you can harvest for the kitchen? There are so many visually dynamic lettuce varieties, so you can pair different types to make a unique basket with varied textures, sizes, and colors.

‘Speckled Amish’ is a butterhead variety with red-speckled green leaves. ‘New Red Fire’ is a loose leaf lettuce with deep red, ruffled leaves. ‘Red Cross’ is a pretty butterhead type with green leaves edged in red. ‘Angel’s Ear’ is red and green with unique, lance-shaped leaves. Combine purple ‘Lolla Rossa’ Lettuce by Survival Garden Seeds from Amazon with frilly, curly, mixed color ‘Mesclun’ Lettuce Mix by Ohio Heirloom Seeds, also available from Amazon.

5. Ornamental Grass + Flowers

For another unique and visually dynamic combination to try in a fall hanging basket, try combining floral options with something highly textured. Pair an ornamental grass that will spill over the sides with an upright fall flower for a highly creative container. Good choices for the grass include Japanese forest grass with green and gold leaves, bright red Japanese blood grass, and various types of dwarf fountain grass.

For the upright flowers, try small mums, pansies, or even marigolds, which last longer into fall than most people realize. Try Averar’s Purple Fountain Grass as live plants, combined with Ella’s Homes’ Bronze Ruffled Marigolds as live plants, both available from Amazon.

6. Verbena + Ornamental Kale or Cabbage

For another brilliant combination of upright with trailing plants, try this combination of foliage and fall flowers for your front porch or patio. Ornamental kale comes in a range of gorgeous colors and will take center stage in the middle of a container. Surround it with the trailing stems and delicate flowers of verbena. You can buy 2-packs of RedCrocus Kale ‘Kamome Pink’ live plants from Walmart for gorgeous ruffled plants with pink frilly centers.

Ornamental kale is very hardy in cold temperatures and will last into winter in many places. As an alternative, you can also try ornamental cabbage. Varieties like pink ‘Osaka’ or serrated ‘Peacock’ create a gorgeous focal in three dimensions that can be enjoyed even when elevated.

Verbena can be annual or perennial, but even the annual types tolerate some cold weather. Choose from among several colors to complement the ornamental kale. Buy compact Direct Gardening ‘Homestead’ Purple Verbena by Gardens Alive as live plants from Amazon, for puffy purple clusters of blooms until first frost.

7. Sweet Potato Vine + Million Bells

Sweet potato vine, or ornamental sweet potato, has been developed to produce beautiful, vining foliage in a range of shades rather than tasty tubers. You can find several varieties in different colors, from chartreuse green to deep purple shades, perfect for fall. Try Black Heart Sweet Potato, available as a starter plant from Amazon. The colorful leaves will spill over the edges of a hanging basket. Cold tolerance is not great for this vine, though – it’s best for warmer climate gardens.

Pair your sweet potato vine with million bells for a stunning warm climate fall basket. Million bells grow mounds of colorful flowers, perfect for the center of the basket. You can find it in beautiful fall colors, including bronze, orange, purple, and deep red. We love the deep sizzly tones of RedCrocus Lia Dark Red Million Bells, available as live plants from Walmart. For an extra splash of trailing color in hanging baskets, add some bright lime Three Company Store Creeping Jenny as live plants from Amazon.

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