Nothing makes a front porch more welcoming than a gorgeous container arrangement. This is especially true in the fall when your porch has to compete with the stunning shades of autumnal foliage. There happen to be some glorious flowers that, like the leaves, put on their show during the cool fall months.
There are a surprising number of flowers that flourish in the cooler temperatures. It is now that the roses perk back up and put their energy into one last flush before the winter sleep. Many plants have this same characteristic. The cooler air is less stressful, so they are once again able to put energy into flowering.
Fall is all around, my favorite season. Between football tailgates and football mums, the bonfires, and the pumpkin patch, it’s simply the loveliest, coziest time of the year. Here are some flowers that are perfect for a spot on your porch to welcome family and friends.
Incredible! Swirl Coreopsis
Incredible! Swirl Coreopsis Seeds
Shock Wave Purple Tie Dye Petunia
Shock Wave Purple Tie Dye Petunia Seeds
King Size Apricot Aster
King Size Apricot Aster Seeds
Chrysanthemum ‘Perfectly Orange’
You already knew that mums would be at the top of the list. You can’t throw a stone without it falling into a display of chrysanthemums from September to October around my town. It’s no wonder why; they are such colorful bloomers!
Mums come in so many wonderful shades, shapes, and sizes. ‘Perfectly Orange’ is a decorative variety. It grows into a small shrub and blooms exceptionally. Small pumpkin orange blooms positively cover the entire crown. It looks gorgeous paired with the deep burgundy of ‘Belgian Mums Lava Red.’
Coleus ‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’
Coleus is a fall bloomer, but the flowers are not my reason for including them on this list. Rather, their bold and colorful foliage adds a perfect balance to container arrangements. It’s also stunning when interspersed with gold-toned florals.
It’s hard to choose just one variety. I adore the deep, velvety red of ‘Wizard Red Velvet.’ For a combination of that deep burgundy shade with some splashes of pink and chartreuse, ‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’ is a winner. You can leave the flower spikes for their textural interest or snip them off for more robust foliage.
Petunia ‘Shock Wave Tie-Dye’
The soft beauty of petunias makes a comeback when the temperature dips. These delicate blooms tend to look less than fabulous during those hot summer months. If you’ve managed to keep yours going this long, they are wonderful for hanging baskets.
My personal favorite variety is ‘Black Velvet.’ They are the absolute best Halloween porch flower to pair with pumpkins. For an extra burst of color, check out ‘Shock Wave Tie Dye.’ These bright purple petunias have splashes of bright white all over the petals. They add flash and sass to the muted tones of autumn.
Aster ‘King Size Apricot’
Asters are the birth month flower for September, and that is when they start to look their best. They will last through October in many climates, especially if you keep them under cover. Their daisy-like flowers come in shades of pink, white, peach, yellow, and famously—violet.
There is a range of plant and bloom sizes in this genus, as well. ‘King Size Apricot’ has large, fancy blooms in a perfect shade of pale peach. Pollinators love the pollen-rich centers, which provide them with plenty of protein for the coming hibernation.
Ornamental Kale ‘Condor White’
Ornamental kale doesn’t flower, but the entire plant looks like a giant garden rose. In my opinion, that qualifies them for this list! Kale has exceptional cold tolerance, so these will stick around and look beautiful well into the colder months.
In the ground, ornamental kale is hardy to 5°F (-15°C). They are slightly less tolerant if you plant them in containers, but not significantly. ‘Condor White’ is a combination of pink, white, and green. The outer leaves and sometimes the edges of mid-leaves are bluish-green, followed by a ring of creamy white. In the center is a lovely pink blush.
Marigold ‘Durango Red’
Marigolds are nearly always in season. They may pause in the mid-summer heat, but they love the cool temperatures of fall. Their finely textured foliage and densely petaled blooms are simply wonderful. They also come in the most perfect autumn color palette.
Deadhead your marigolds to keep them blooming. ‘Durango Red’ is a bold variety of French marigold. Those are the smaller types. Marigolds have special significance in Mexican culture in the fall. They are used to decorate alters during Dia de los Muertos, a wonderful holiday to honor loved ones who have passed on.
Heather ‘Dark Beauty’
Heather is a sturdy plant that blooms from late summer through the fall, often until frost. These are the plants that turn the mountains purple during autumn in Scotland, a true sight to behold. You don’t need to plant them on such a grand scale to appreciate their beauty.
Add some ‘Dark Beauty’ to your front porch arrangement. The deep plum-colored flower spikes add interest mingled with plants that have larger blooms. It’s also a winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
If you don’t have time to water every day, I can relate to that! When it comes to blooming succulents, sedum is a showoff. Tall varieties flower in late summer and fall, making these great for the front porch, particularly if you tend to forget to water.
‘Autumn Joy’ sedum is a very popular and easy-to-find variety. You shouldn’t have to hunt much for this pretty plant. The succulent foliage of this variety is bright green, and the flower umbels are the perfect shade of warm pink. This is a winner of the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.
Oxalis ‘Ebony Allure’
Oxalis plants do bloom, but not in fall. These are spring bloomers. You’re probably wondering why I mention them. It’s because their foliage rivals any flower in color and delicacy. Many varieties are purple, or a combination of purple and chartreuse. Their nickname, false shamrock’ is due to the leaf formation.
When growing in the ground, oxalis can be a bit competitive and it is classed as invasive in certain areas, so it works best as a container plant. It truly shines in this way, as well. Allure™ ‘Ebony’ has the most striking, nearly black, purple foliage. In spring, it also produces pretty, delicate pink flowers. It’s a joy of a plant and tolerates winters as far north as Zone 7.
Tickseed ‘Incredible! Swirl’
Tickseed is very cold-tolerant, and it blooms great in the cooler months. It should flower right up to the first frost and possibly beyond. I’ve had them last through the winter in a container, and they survived several nights of temperatures in the 20s (~-7°C). They have soft foliage and produce an abundance of small, single-petaled blooms.
The most common color for tickseed is yellow, but ‘Incredible! Swirl’ didn’t get that name by being basic. This variety has white petals with deep burgundy toward the center. They add a nice pop of bright white to a muted color combination.
Purple Fountain Grass ‘Rubrum’
Fountain grass makes a fantastic thriller in your container arrangements, and it has a wonderful autumnal vibe. Large containers of this plant flanking the porch steps look casually elegant. Mixed with some white mums and trailing petunias or calibrachoa it’s a beautiful textural element.
I can’t say enough good things about fountain grasses. I just love the look of them in any organized space because they add a touch of wild refinement. ‘Rubrum’ has deep burgundy foliage and stems, with plush, light pink plumes in the fall. It’s an Award for Garden Merit winner.
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’
Rudbeckia also goes by the name black-eyed Susan. This is a terrific fall bloomer that comes in all shapes and sizes. The flowers are typically yellow but can be shades of orange, red, and brown.
‘Goldsturm’ is a classic variety with golden yellow ray petals around a deep brown eye. It was the Perennial Plant of the Year with the Perennial Plant Association in 1999. It’s a strong, reliable summer and fall bloomer.
African Daisy ‘Serenity Bronze’
African daisies are attractive, shrubby plants that produce beautiful and uniquely colored blooms. Their shape is like a traditional daisy, but in more vivid shades and often bi-colored. They stop blooming for the summer, but as the weather cools, they spring back to life.
When African daisies bloom, they do it with all their might. The flowers can completely obscure the foliage. ‘Serenity Bronze’ has petals that fade from purple in the center to flaming orange at the tips. It’s a gorgeous, autumnal combination.
Calibrachoa ‘Tangerine Punch’
Calibrachoa is the little sister of the petunia in terms of appearance. The plant is smaller in scale but has a similar look in foliage and flowers. It has a bit of a trailing habit, so it makes a beautiful spiller in your porch container arrangements.
Superbells ® ‘Tangerine Punch’ is a cheerful hybrid with pumpkin orange flowers. In the center is a dark red heart and a small yellow eye. It blooms continuously up to the first frost. Keep it under cover to extend that time a bit.
Marguerite Daisy ‘Pure White Butterfly®’
For a true daisy look, Marguerite daisies do the job. They will add a clean pop of pure white to your arrangements. They also come in other shades, but the white is my favorite. The flowers are dainty and classically charming.
Speaking of white varieties, ‘Pure White Butterfly’ is the purest white Marguerite daisy I’ve seen. It’s a pretty little shrub that looks similar to a decorative mum, but the blooms have cheery yellow centers.
Purple Coneflower
Purple coneflower is a well-known member of the pollinator garden, and it makes a great potted plant, too! If you want to bring butterflies to your porch, place a container of these out there, and you’ll get plenty.
Coneflower is typically a summer bloomer, but with proper care and deadheading, it will bloom again in the fall. The purple ray petals and spiky orange cones pair well with other autumn bloomers.
Mexican Bush Sage ‘Midnight’
If you have a large container to fill and want something a little less structured and manicured, Mexican bush sage is perfect. This species of salvia has all the best qualities of its genus. Attractive, bushy foliage in silvery green forms a small shrub and will spill out over the container.
Mexican bush sage is not typically seen as a container plant, but I think it’s a wonderful one. It makes a bold statement. ‘Midnight’ has glowing violet plumes of tubular flowers that are attractive to hummingbirds and bumblebees.
