I used to think that once you planted your flowerpots, that was it. Your flower babies were in there for the long haul.
But I’ve come to appreciate that you can swap out the flowers in your pots.
It’s like changing your wardrobe for the seasons.
If you want to change the flowers in your flowerpots, you can — especially in the late summer to early fall. You can change just one flower. Or, you can change them all.
Why would you change the flowers in your pots?
There are all kinds of reasons.
Let’s say:
- You want to spice up your flowerpots for a new season — like transitioning from spring to summer, or summer to fall.
- You have an empty gap in your pots. Some of your flowers didn’t fill in quite like you thought they would.
- You’d like to add in more color.
- You have perennials planted in your flowerpots. They’re done blooming for the season. (Perennials are the flowers that can come back each year, but often bloom for a short amount of time.)
- There’s a flower in your flowerpot that doesn’t look so good or it may have died. (No judgment! It happens.)
Late summer to early fall can be a good time to add in new flowers
As we transition to fall, one of my favorite flowers to add to my flowerpots is Black Eyed Susan.
(This plant goes by many names, including Rudbeckia and Gloriosa Daisy.)
You can find it in a lot of pretty colors, as you can see below.
Black Eyed Susans give flowerpots a bright pop of color. They can bloom for a long time.
Best of all, these flowers feel like fall — like a Sunday drive to go leaf peepin’ or the sweet smell of mulled apple cider after a trip to the pumpkin patch.
Give your flowerpots a fresh look for fall
If you’d like to freshen up your flowerpots for fall, you can pop in flowers like…
- Black-Eyed Susans (aka, Gloriosa Daisies)
- Mums
- Ornamental Cabbage
- Ornamental Kale
- Pansies
- Violas
You can see some examples below.
Helpful tips if you change the flowers in your flowerpots
1) Keep your new flowers well-watered
Flowers tend to like A LOT of water when they’re newly planted in flowerpots, especially in our late-summer heat.
You may need to water your pots more than you have been doing.
Keep your eye on your newly-planted flowers. They can get droopy or crispy quickly.
2) Keep your eye on temperatures
Many fall flowers are “cool season” flowers.
They’re happiest when our days and nights start to cool down.
This means you may want to hold off on planting flowers like Pansies, Violas and Ornamental Cabbage until temperatures start to cool off. For example, Pansies tend to be in their happy place when daytime temps are in the upper 50s and 60s, and nighttime temps are in the 40s.
3) Look for plants that have new buds on them (meaning all the flowers haven’t opened yet)
This is one way to ensure that you’ll get longer-lasting color from your new flowers.
If you’d like to see photos of what I’m talking about, check out these 3 simple tips to pick fall flowers that bloom longer.
Related topics that may interest you:
- What to do BEFORE you empty your flowerpots for the season
- What to do with old potting soil (the dirt in your flowerpots)
- Is it better to empty flowerpots in the spring or fall?
