Image courtesy mahoneysgarden.com

With plants on sale this time of year it’s easy to get colorful curb appeal for fall.  Breath new life into your curb appeal with decorative garden pots and hardy, bright plants that last beyond the first frost.

Plant mums with mounds of yellow, rust or purple to celebrate the fall season and add instant blasts of bright color.

Gaining notice for their fall-like hues and textures are, aster, heuchera and coral bells, with foliage that ranges in color from peachy brown to burgundy red.

Image courtesty of lifebyluciene.com

Use edibles, like parsley, sage, miniature peppers and succulents.  Their color changes with the season as temperatures cool and become richer.

Mixing up leaf shape and color adds visual interest.  Small pots filled with colorful lettuce or decorative cabbage with heucheras looks lovely.

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The rule when planting your container –  a design technique called “thriller, filler and spiller”.

The “thriller” plant has height and provides the vertical element:   Ornamental grass, planted in the center if the pot will be viewed from all sides.  Planted in the back if to be viewed from three sides.

A “filler” plant is a mounding shaped that is planted around the “thriller” plant.  Use filler plants for the foliage not the color.

Draping over the edge of a planter is the “spiller” plant, much like Creeping Jenny.

Invite some colorful curb appeal for fall to your container garden party. Your guests will be sure to delight.

• Growth slows as weather cools, plant your pots full. Water, but not often as you did during the summer.

• Swap summer annuals for fall color: ornamental kale, a bronze heuchera, orange and red lantana, or miniature pepper plants.

• Use herbs such as sage and parsley and vegetables like spinach, chard and lettuce, they are cold hardy, edibles.

You can plant for the fall and have beautiful color for a couple of months.  If you are approaching the fall holiday and need some ideas check out the fall holiday home staging article for some great curb appeal tips.