10 Foolproof Container Garden Combinations to Try This Fall

For the classic "thriller-filler-spiller" container recipe, 'Jester' millet delivers thrilling height and drama with its strappy purple foliage and cattail-like plumes. Combine it with 'Morning Light' maiden grass for added show plus support for the stalks. Complete the look with purple mums, Redbor kale and pigeon white cabbage.

Tip: You'll notice small doses of mums are present in many of these fall container designs. "We go with smaller sizes, so there's not as big of pockets left when the plants are spent," says Gretchen. For a longer show (typically 6-8 weeks), buy mums when they're just "cracking color" instead of when they're in full bloom.

If orange and purple aren't your thing, try this all-green design. Here, a 30-inch low bowl is filled with flowering crane kale (a long-stemmed variety) and 'Icicles' licorice plant in the center. Clusters of white mums, white calibrachoas, 'Ice Dance' sedges, variegated English ivy and 'Gold Zebra' coral bells repeat four times around the circumference.

Take it from two pros who design 6,000 container gardens a year: An asymmetrical design adds unexpected impact.  Offset a larger plant like this 'Lacinato' kale to one side of your container and supplement with Angelina sedum, white calibrachoa, pansies and 'Mona Lavender' Swedish ivy. Gretchen says Swedish ivy is frost-sensitive, so cover the container if there's a threat of freezing temperatures.

Birch branches and chocolate eucalyptus create the backdrop for this striking 'Dragon's Breath' celosia (center). Surrounding plants include 'Tutti Frutti' nemesia, ornamental cabbage, creeping wire vine, 'Ice Dance' sedge, 'Sangria' ornamental pepper, 'Stormy Seas' coral bells and pansies.

Coral bells bring value to fall containers as perennials. "True gardeners love that they can lift plants at the end of the season and plant them in the ground," says Gretchen. Here, 'Caramel' coral bells combine with Redbor kale, pansies, Algerian ivy, mums and ornamental grasses.

Plant edible chard with mums, yellow pansies, birch sticks, red verbena and two-tone calibrachoa. Chard leaves can be selectively picked throughout the fall or saved for a full harvest at the end of the season. Enjoy them chopped in salads or sautéed in stir fries. Other ornamental edibles include 'Lacinato' kale, Redbor kale, leaf lettuces and herbs.

Throughout this design, an eye-catching acid lime color is repeated in creeping Jenny, 'Jade Princess' millet and 'Chilly Chili' peppers. 'Lacinato' kale, 'Purple Barron' millet, mums, 'Tutti Frutti' nemesia and ornamental cabbage introduce accents of purple and yellow.

Tip: Using a darker container? Mary suggests planting bright-colored plants like creeping Jenny along the pot's edge.

Save money by using houseplants in fall containers, then transitioning them indoors. Houseplants like mother-in-law tongue will endure temperatures to 40 degrees before they need to be brought inside.

Place on a covered porch for greater weather protection and to further extend the season. When freezing temperatures threaten, swap out the houseplant for a more cold-hardy ornamental grass. Round out this display with creeping wire vine, Algerian ivy, white mums, 'Gold Zebra' coral bells and white Japanese anemones.

Ruffled purple leaves and wispy burgundy grasses add lingering interest to extend beyond the mums' show. Try 'Obsidian' coral bells, 'Rubrum' fountain grass and flowering kale with gold and yellow mums, pansies, 'Gold Child' ivy and 'Jerusalem' cherry plants. Note: these super-cute rounded, cherry-like fruits are not edible.

Make a statement with an oversized thriller of dried pampas grass paired with contrasting Redbor kale, ornamental cabbage and a mix of pansies.