Downtown Port displays prove fall planters are worth it

Every year at about this time I ask myself the same question: Are fall planters worth it?

Most years, and especially in a year like this when autumn weather seems slow to arrive, summer planters still look pretty good. They might be a little overgrown and very thirsty, but there’s usually a fair amount of life left in them.

And with unpredictable first frost dates, which are, on average, only about a week away, there’s always the question of just how long a fall planting will last.

After years of ruminating on this dilemma, I know the answer: emphatically, yes. 

Maybe not every planter benefits from a new fall planting, but switching out at least one can breath new life into a tired garden.

Fall planters are far more fleeting than those of any other season, which can be freeing. Materials don’t have to last for months and nothing is off limits. Pumpkins, dried or faux florals and other out-of-the-box materials partner well with the standard floral and foliage fare.

There’s lots of inspiration to be found in downtown Port Washington, where businesses decorated some of the planters that line Franklin Street. Designs range from whimsical to harvest bounty, but what is notable is that each of the 14 planters had its own take on autumn, putting to rest any illusion that fall planters are relegated to mums and ornamental cabbage.

Some of the planters incorporated stacks of pumpkins along with ornamental grasses and fall flowers. Others used faux florals along with natural materials for a colorful display. Still others used creative additions like vintage watering cans, scarecrow decorations, painted pumpkins, gourds naturally shaped like swans (or maybe geese) and even art. That’s right, real mini art canvases held by crows fashioned on a branch decorated the planter outside an art gallery.

With so many autumnal takes, you might think the overall look could be a bit disparate, but on the contrary, it serves as proof that in fall, almost anything goes.

No fall planter is meant to last as long as one made for summer, but you can extend the life of a planting by sticking to cold tolerant options. In addition to the usual suspects — mums, cabbage, grasses — asters, kale, Swiss chard and pansies can withstand a frost and will look good usually until a hard freeze.

Perennials also make good additions to fall containers. Coral bells (Heuchera), which conveniently come in a variety of autumn-themed colors like purple, orange, red and lime green, have frilly foliage that adds important texture. Blanket flower (Gaillardia), coneflowers (Echinacea) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) should all stand up to cold temperatures and offer some longevity.

  Fall is the time to experiment with planters in a way you might not the rest of the year. So stop asking if you should create a fall planter: Just do it.