I just finished creating three outdoor fall planters and I didn’t even break a sweat! With fall fast approaching it was time to change out the summer annuals for something more seasonally-appropriate. If you’re ready for a little change of scenery too, here’s how you can create your own outdoor fall planters.
My planter of choice in this case was a half barrel, but you could use just about any wide-mouthed planter. For a more formal feel, you may want to use a 25-inch Cast Iron Urn Planter . Or for the cast iron look without the cast iron weight, try the Leighton Urn
. If you like the rustic and casual look of the half barrels, check out the Self-Watering Whiskey Barrel
. The self-watering feature is a terrific bonus and will save you from dragging the hose out every day. It’s important to remember that no matter which planter you choose, the opening at the top should be wide enough to allow you to group several plants together, but still leave some space for them to fill out.
Cover drainage holes in the bottom of your planters with pieces of broken pottery or stones. This will allow excess water to drain, but keep the soil in. Then, fill your planter with a good potting mix to about 3 or 4 inches from the top. For those who are using self-watering containers, there is Self-Watering Container Mix, otherwise you can use a widely available potting mix such as CIL Moisture Mix™ Premium All Purpose Potting Mix
. Depending on the depth of the planter, you may want to fill the bottom half of the planter with rocks or bricks, then fill the top half with potting mix. This will add weight to fibreglass urns to keep them from toppling in the wind and also save a little on the amount of potting mix you need to purchase. My half barrels were already used this summer for annuals, so I only needed to top them up a bit.
When selecting plants for your fall planters, pick items with different heights and textures to give visual interest. Here are the plants I used in each barrel:
- 1 tall ornamental grass
- 2 hardy mums
- 3 kale
The ornamental grass has a purple tinge to the leaves, and I chose a white mum and a yellow mum for additional color. The kale used in the half barrel planter shown above is green on the outer edges, changing to a creamy yellow in the center. In the other planters I used the same plants, but in different colors.
Set the potted plants in your planter and fool around with placement until you are pleased with the arrangement. Then working on one plant at a time, dig a hole in the desired location, remove the plant from its pot and place it in the hole. Fill in the area around the plant with soil and press firmly at the base of the plant’s stem(s). Repeat these steps for each remaining item. After pressing each plant firmly into position, add a bit more planting mix to fill in any spaces and even out the top. The final step is to give the plants a good soaking with water. Check the soil in your outdoor fall planters daily and water as required. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for self-watering containers.
Please note that to avoid breaking a sweat, you should do your planting in the locations where your fall planters are going to remain. Moving or attempting to move them after they’ve been planted could be pretty tough work!
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