Thinking Mums? Go with Native Plants for Fall Containers Now and Your Garden Later!
Decor and more.
October may seem late for creating fall containers but give it a try and you may just have a few blooms through Thanksgiving and your garden will definitely benefit. If you are even thinking of buying any of the glorious selection of mums (Chrysanthemum) available seemingly everywhere, try these perennials instead! Your money will go a lot further. Whether your container is sunny or shaded and your preferred style is organic or classic, choosing plants for containers is fun and, after Thanksgiving, you can put those plants right in the ground if you'd like.
At our native nurseries and garden centers, native plants are still available. Many of these plants came from American Plant East in Bethesda, Maryland where the recently increased selection of native plants continues. You may also have plants in your garden you can use to fill out containers. This is a particularly great idea for any fall blooming perennials you'd like to divide. Use them in the container and divide when replanting or divide and use half in the container and replant the other half in the ground.
Sun
Sunny & Organic
This blousy mix of perennials could read summer or fall. These plants are widely available and very easy to grow. The color combination is a classic.
Guara:
Guara (Guara lindheimeri), sometimes called bee blossom, is native to Texas and Louisiana. In the central part of the Chesapeake watershed, guara often winters over but not always. Wet conditions with poor drainage can do it in. This perennial flower starts to bloom in early summer and flowers right through fall. It flowers best in full sun and deadheading spent flowers helps too.
Black-eyed Susan 'Americcan Goldrush':
Black-eyed susan 'American Goldrush' (Rudbeckia 'American Goldrush') is a cultivar of black-eyed susan bred to be smaller and more compact than the straight species. In my experience, black-eyed susans grow and bloom in sun as well as part shade. To keep black-eyed susans blooming in late fall, it is essential to deadhead the spent flowers so they don't start producing seeds.
Bluemist flower:
Bluemist flower (Conoclineum colestinum) is a self sowing perennial that is said to favor shade. In my garden, it thrives in both shade and sun. The bluemist flower in this container self seeded there. Unlike some self sowing plants, bluemist flower could not be easier to pull out if it lands in a place you don't like.
Sunny and Moody
Red and purple flowers provide a good contrast to all the yellow flowers of fall. Pair them together and you get a somewhat dusky look, perfect for shortening days. Combined with a cultivar of bluestem grass with red and purple hues, this combo says fall for sure.
Ironweed 'Iron Butterfly':
Ironweed 'Iron Butterfly' (Vernonia lettermannii) is a cultivar of ironweed bred to be shorter and more compact. It blooms in late summer and fall. It has feathery foliage and is native to Arkansas. Ironweed does prefer to grow in poor soils so I will not keep it in a container with potting soil for long. That richer soil would encourage it to grow taller and floppier.
Sneezeweed 'Hayday™ Red':
Yet another native perennial in need of a rebranding! It is apparently called sneezeweed because at one time it was used as a substitute for snuff. Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) is native to the U.S. and according to Mt. Cuba, has long been popular in Europe where many cultivars have been bred. These perennials grow best in rich and moist soil. Since I do not have those types of soils in my garden, this is a plant I'll plan to keep in a container.
Big Bluestem 'Holy Smoke'
This young plant is a cultivar of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii 'Holy Smoke') created to emphasize reddish purply toned foliage in fall. The color goes perfectly with both perennial flowers yet adds a different texture and height to the container. This grass is native to American prairies, grows up to 8 feet tall and is drought tolerant once established.
Note on fall containers: This is one of the plusses of fall containers. Usually, in creating a container that will last, you want to combine plants that have similar water, sun and soil requirements so they will be compatible and grow well. In fall, when plants will not be putting on growth, you can be a little lax on that. Combining a poor soil loving plant like ironweed with a rich soil loving plant like helenium will work for a short while.
Shade
Evergreen and Texture Filled
These are three fabulous semi-evergreen native plants that are excellent groundcovers. Plant them together in a container and the differences in texture sing.
Seersucker Sedge:
Seersucker sedge (Carex plantaginea) is one of my favorite groundcovers for shade. It handles poor soils and stays evergreen in the Washington D.C. area. It spreads slowly once established by creating small pups, small new plants growing on rhizomes. It tends to spread more readily in moister soils.
Heuchera 'Autumn Bride':
Heuchera 'Autumn Bride' (Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride') is one of the most reliable plants in my garden and the fact it blooms in August in dry shade is a huge plus. It does well almost everywhere except full sun. There it survives but the leaves crisp and brown. Otherwise, it does no wrong! It also is semi-evergreen in the central part of the Chesapeake watershed.
Wood's Sedge:
Wood's sedge (Carex woodii) is famous for being at the top of the Mt. Cuba Center sedge trial for both sun and shade. Here, I added it for its fine texture and contrast with the other plants. I have not grown this sedge before. It is reported to be a spreading sedge that grows best in part shade.
Shady and Classic
Woodland Stonecrop
Containers don't have to be complicated. Often a single plant makes a definite statement. Here woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) stands on its own. This native succulent thrives in moist shade.
Fall Container FAQs
Is it necessary to add fresh potting mix to containers?
No, most native perennials don't require particularly rich soils in the first place. Since the plants will not be putting on growth in the fall, using the soil you already have in pots so long as it is not compacted is fine. If it is compacted, you can use a fork of some sort to mix and aerate the soil a bit.
Is it necessary to fertilize fall containers?
No, for the same reasons fresh potting mix isn't required, there is no reason to fetilize your native plants. Fertilizing would encourage the plants to put on new foliage growth which would be tender and easiliy susceptible to cold weather. I have kept native plants in small and large containers for multiple seasons without seeing any need to fertilize.
Is it too late to move plants from a container to the ground after Thanksgiving?
Unless your ground is frozen, it is fine to move your plants from the container to the ground.
mums 
black-eyed susans
Planting native perennials in a container is such an easy way to build your garden. The mums are magnificent but, alas, they are grown in highly specialized conditions using lots of fertilizers with the goal of pushing an amazing number of flowers at one time. This means they typically don't fare well when planted in the ground. Native perennials, on the other hand, will grow well when planted in the ground, return year after year and help pollinators and other beneficial insects. And really, let's face it, it's more fun!
Happy Gardening.
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