5 fall container designs

In the West's mild climates, fall color means deep red, rich plum, and vibrant gold. For a fresh twist on this timeless palette, combine these autumnal hues in pots with lime-, silver-, or black-foliaged plants. Container specialist Jean Manocchio designed these easy combos.

The plantings listed below do best in full sun, except for "Touch of Bronze," which prefers partial shade. All thrive in mild coastal areas; in hot desert and cold mountain climates, check with your nursery to find the best combos for your area.

1. Lime and chocolate

Chocolate brown and lime foliage mingle in matte-brown 26-inch-wide pots.

A. Agonis flexuosa 'Jervis Bay Afterdark'
A tree with feathery burgundy foliage.

B. Heuchera 'Crimson Curls'
Deeply ruffled plum-toned leaves grow in a mound that reaches about 1½ feet tall.

C. Grevillea 'Fanfare'
Saw-toothed leaves are coppery when young, maturing to a shade of lime. This low spreader grows 1 foot tall.

2. Black gold

Black mondo grass edges upright coprosma in a pale gold bowl that's 23 inches wide.

A. Coprosma 'Roy's Red'
This shrub's glossy purple-black fall leaves turn red in winter. The plant grows 3 to 4 feet tall.

B. Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'
Clumps of silky ebony blades make perfect edgings.

3. Touch of bronze

Bronze and chartreuse foliage mingle in a 16-inch rose-blushed celadon pot.

A. Pieris 'Forest Flame'
Fiery red new leaves fade to pink, then turn dark green when mature. This shrub prefers part-shade and can reach 10 feet tall.

B. Dryopteris erythrosora
The hardy wood fern's feathery new growth blends copper, pink, and gold tones that turn rust-colored in fall. It grows 2 feet tall.

C. 'Little John' azalea
Bronzy leaves make this azalea, which can reach 6 feet tall, a choice focal point.

4. Smoke and berries

Bright cotoneaster berries fringe a shapely Atlas cedar in pitted burnt-orange pots. (Large is 18 inches wide; small is 16 inches wide.)

A. Weeping blue Atlas cedar ( Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula')
Pendulous branches sport soft-looking silvery blue needles. Slow-growing; trained to form a spiral trunk.

B. Cotoneaster dammeri 'Coral Beauty'
Stiff branches with green leaves and red-orange berries add a playful touch to pots. It grows to 6 inches tall.

5. Shades of green

Soft textures and bright chartreuse tones light up bronze-colored 17-inch-wide containers.

A. Restio multiflorus
A wispy, grasslike plant that grows 3 to 4 feet tall or more, it develops brown seed heads that hang on through winter.

B. Libertia peregrinans
Stiff, narrow leaves have warm tones of olive and orange; plants reach 2 feet tall.

C. Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae
This spreading foot-tall plant has rounded grass green leaves.

D. Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
Feathery green-gold foliage glows in soft autumn light. Plants reach 1½ feet tall.

CONTAINER CARE

Planting
Don't feel limited to the exact pot sizes used here; just look for ones that are 18 to 28 inches wide and 18 to 30 inches high. For immediate effect, plant densely ― Jean Manocchio used 1- and 5-gallon plants and a 15-gallon weeping blue Atlas cedar. In large containers, these plantings can thrive for up to three years.

Water
Thoroughly soak plants' rootballs before planting by submerging them in a bucket of water until air bubbles stop rising. During the growing season, irrigate regularly to keep soil evenly moist but not soggy; irrigate less often in cool weather.

Fertilizer
Mix a controlled-release fertilizer into soil at planting time, then supplement it with a dose of liquid fertilizer every four months (follow label directions).

Pruning
As plants fill in, lightly prune as needed to keep them looking tidy.

Design: Jean Manocchio, Belli Fiori, Redwood City, CA (650/364-4043).

Resources: Pots from Pottery & Beyond, Emeryville, CA (no Web or phone orders; 510/428-1881).