Now is a great time to start considering your summer displays while also assessing the weather. Tell me something, when do you typically start emptying your summer flower containers so you can replant them with cold hardy plants suitable for fall and winter seasons? 

I think once temperatures are no longer going above 20°C it is a great time to start transitioning from your summer plants to your fall and winter plants. Your summer flowers by this time have started to look bedraggled so why not start changing them out? It’s the best to do so now since plants will root well into a container during September and early October before the cold weather sets in.

What Type of Plants to Choose?

Violas and Pansies are great options because they offer a long season. They tend to be very easy to find almost everywhere now that plants are sold. They do best in a bowl shaped container approximately 30 cm wide. These containers are also ideal for use with petunias. 

What to Do with Mixed Winter Plantings

You can also opt for mixed winter plantings. For these you will need larger containers such as the patio tubs one uses for mixed summer flowers. Look for tubs that are 25 cm deep and 40 cm wide. You should be able to find suitable ones at your local garden center easily. 

For your mixed pots you can choose one slender evergreen that will create height and stand out of the pot. Think of a slender golden cypress, a red-twigged dogwood, an Irish yew, a broadleaf evergreen or an upright ornamental grass. 

Around this taller plant you can add winter flowering heathers, coral bells, skimmia and small ferns. If you want to create more focal depth you can choose plants that spill over the edges of the pot. Consider trailing plants such as Carex ornamental grasses, small leaved ivies, trailing euonymus or small ferns that cascade over and downward. 

What will you be planting this season and what are your favorites to see in other people’s gardens?