How To Spruce Up Fading Summer Container Gardens With Minimal Effort And Expense

By the end of summer, your container garden might not look as stunning as it did in the season's peak. Flower crowns wilt, production of edible plants slow down, and your planter can look bare and lifeless. However, you can spruce it up in no time by adding autumn-loving plants. Flowers and foliage that thrive in the fall season will bring new life to your summer garden, and you can enjoy the beautiful blooms for a few extra months.

To keep your potted garden looking its best, you want to avoid the biggest container garden mistakes. Stuffing the planter with vines, grasses, and flowers seems like a good idea to achieve a full look, but you'll end up with plants competing for limited resources and not getting all they need to thrive. Adding fertilizer or compost to your pots is also important, as the constant watering container plants need can often drain the soil of its nutrients. With the proper soil amendment and container garden design, your fading summer plants will be full of life.

Flowers that will bloom in your garden during the fall are your best bet for reviving your planters. The short days trigger flower buds to form in these types of plants, letting us enjoy the dazzling crown until winter. Chrysanthemums (mums) are a popular autumn favorite. These flowers add all the traditional red, orange, and yellow fall colors as they bloom. Asters are a great filler option for your planters since they grow up to six feet tall. They'll introduce a pop of white, blue, and pink ideal for brightening up your front porch.

For added texture, ornamental kale and cabbage will do the trick. They can fill out your planter and provide ground coverage. These plants are also ideal if you'd like a flower alternative. After all, petals aren't the only way to enjoy the vibrancy of nature. The deep green and purple hues of these leaves only get richer as the temperatures drop, the very opposite of your fading summer pots.

To spruce up your container garden, first remove any dead or dying plants, roots and all. Next, you'll need to refresh the potting soil. You can do this by adding new soil, fertilizer, or compost. Then, nestling your new fall plants in the container and water thoroughly. Follow the plant care instructions for the different species in your planter, so all their needs are met. Finally, enjoy the beautiful blossoms and foliage until winter takes over.