I absolutely adore the fall months here in Iowa.  We get that nice mix of weather that allows you to put on jeans but still enjoy plenty of warmth and sunshine.  The fall colors are absolutely gorgeous and I get to use those beautiful fall colors when creating my stunning fall container gardens!

The pot below has a mix of warm fall colors and I was able to reuse some of my plants from the summer months which is always a bonus.  The bright colored plant in the back with the bright orange/green/yellow leaves is a Croton.  It can take part sun to full sun and is one of my “left over” plants from the summer months.  It can also double as a houseplant if you want to bring it indoors during the winter months.  I do not winter mine over because the leaves are toxic and I’m not taking any chances that our one year old daughter or dog might get into it.  I’ve also used Rudebeckia (gold colored flowers), ornamental peppers, orange pansies (I’m obsessed with anything orange) and a dark red mum that is not yet cracking color.  The trailing plant over the side is creeping jenny or lysmachia another plant from my summer pots.  All of these plants can tolerate cooler fall temperatures and will last into the fall months.

This is what the mums will look like when in bloom.

In the pot below the tall red flower is a Celosia.  The two taller orange plants on each side of it are zinnias.  There are also three house mums and a purple kale.  Kale is one of my favorite plants to use in pots because it lasts and last and last some more! Last year my kale lasted in my pots through the New Year.  I swear next year I’m doing some pots with just a bunch of beautiful kale in them.   I’ve also added some natural twiggy balls to add a little more rustic flair to this pot.

This pot below has a mum (that will have yellow blooms), shoestring croton (tropical houseplant), rudebeckia, carmel coralbells (a perennial you can plant in the ground before it freezes), and kale.  Its been accented in the back with curly willow and orange broom corn.

A few weeks later after them mums are in bloom.

The pots below are in a separate area away from the pots pictured above so it allowed me to change the color theme from the warm red and orange colors to pinks and purples.  There are so many great fall plants in shades of pinks, burgundy and purples too so it is fun to have a mix!  In this pot, the tall towards the back of the pot is Celosia ‘Intenz’ one of my favorite varieties because the purple color is just so vibrant!  This pot also has a purple kale and burgundy pansy in it.

Check out my Inspirational Container Garden Pinterest Page for more fall planting ideas, happy planting!