The Martha Stewart Show

Fall Plants

The Martha Stewart Show

Martha demonstrates how to replace the summer annuals in your window boxes and containers with colorful fall plants.

Fall Plants 101

Since the nights have become cooler, the glorious shades of fall have emerged. Now is the perfect time to replace the summer annuals in window boxes and containers with fall plants. These plants love the cool weather, will thrive outdoors throughout the season, and in some places will even last all winter. All of these plants can be combined to bring out one another's vibrant colors.

Planting Fall Containers How-To
Begin by removing the fall plant from its pot. Gently loosen the roots; place in new container and add fresh soil. Add decorative mulch on top, taking into consideration the way the colors and textures of the fall plants work together.

Mums
Mums offer great blocks of color.

Ornamental Cabbage and Kale
Cabbage and kale plants come in purple, pink, and white. Their colors intensify as weather gets colder, and they will withstand light frost.

Sedum
Sedum plants bloom flowers that turn bronze, and will retain some leaves through the winter.

Ornamental Peppers
Peppers come in purple, red, orange, yellow, and green. They will die after the first frost but thrive indoors during the winter.

Boxwoods and Calluna
Boxwoods and calluna plants will remain evergreen throughout the winter and can be transferred into the ground.

Chard
Chard plants come in a rainbow of colors and look gorgeous when sunlight shines through their leaves.

Caring for Fall Containers How-To
Caring for these container plantings is easy because they don't need as much water as summer plants and fertilizer is not necessary. In places where frost is rare, these plants can be left in their pots throughout the winter. In colder areas, move perennials to the garden, water thoroughly, and add a thick layer of mulch to ensure they will thrive again next fall.

Resources
These fall plants can be purchased at nurseries or garden centers.

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The Martha Stewart Show

Fall Plants

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