Recently a client asked me to design a large fall container for her shady entryway that nothing would eat.

This immediately ruled out the two most readily available plants this time of year, mums and pansies, since neither blooms well in full shade and deer eat them both. I would have to rely on less traditional plants to fill the container.

Designing a Mixed Container

I started scoping out containers, perennials, and shrubs everywhere I went and decided to go with a purple color scheme after I stumbled upon some gorgeous little ornamental cabbages in 4-inch pots that I couldn’t resist. The key here was that they came in small pots.

One of the most limiting things about designing a mixed container, maybe even more so than shade and deer, is the pot size of available plants. Obviously, you can only fit so many plants in a container, so when shopping for plants, keep an eye out for those in 4-inch pots or smaller.

In this 22-inch container, I managed to fit one 1-gallon Wine and Roses Weigela, two 6-inch Dwarf English Boxwood, two 1-gallon Pacific Crest Trailing Tiarella, two 1-gallon Palace Purple Coral Bells, two 3-inch Fireworks Fountain Grass, and two 4-inch Ornamental Cabbages.

This may seem crowded, but there’s not much time left in the growing season, so these plants have to fill the container right from the start. The Fireworks Grass and Boxwood were only necessary because the Weigela was rather bare around its base and looked too leggy without something hiding it.

Finding Fall Perennials

Another challenge this time of year is that most nurseries aren’t restocking perennials, making the selection very limited. While I advocate shopping at local nurseries and tried to find what I wanted there first, I have to admit I hit the jackpot at Lowe’s for this project. They were the only place that had Heuchera in stock, and they also had many small shrubs to choose from. Oh well, at least I managed to find the Fireworks Grass and Tiarella at local nurseries.

This container should last into early winter, at which point I’ll transplant everything but the annuals into the garden before the potting soil freezes (probably early December in my Zone 6). Then I’ll fill it with evergreen boughs and other goodies to decorate her entryway for winter.