Fall Containers Add Beauty and Versatility

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - Sept. 2, 2016 - PRLog -- About this time of year, the summer containers on your patio or porch are starting to look like they've seen better days. It's time to add some beautiful fall colors to perk up your pots.

There's no wrong way to make your fall containers stand out. Tried and true mums are unbeatable for a classic fall look but there are many other cold tolerant annuals and perennials that you can mix in.

Try adding in some ornamental kale or cabbages. Their color gets more vibrant as it gets colder especially after the first frost. You can even keep them in the container through winter to add a surprising accent to your holiday greens. Other great cold tolerant annuals to add: petunias, calibrachoa, pansies, celosia, rudbeckia, ornamental pepper, stock and even dusty miller.

Perennials can also add some wonderful textures and colors to your containers. Sedum with their long-lasting bunches of pink or white flowers or plumbago's bright blue flowers combine nicely with the shades of orange in fall. Choose your favorite color and pick a Coral Bell. Their leaves come in a wide variety of greens, purples and reds for added interest. Variegated ajuga is another great foliage addition. Ornamental grasses provide a soft touch of texture, yet will stand up to frost and snow. Preserved leaves or pumpkin accents may be tucked in for a festive porch display. The combinations are endless! You can even add some fall edibles like lettuce, swiss chard or even sage for interesting and tasty leaves.

Need help creating a fall container? The Growing Place in Naperville is throwing a Fall Container Fest, September 3, 2016 classes and demos to get you inspired. At 10am, attendees can make a hypertufa trough. Hypertufa is a lightweight concrete that can survive outside in the winter. At 11am, make a fall container with the help of their expert container designers. All participants will be entered to win a winter switch out for their container. At 12pm, learn how to prepare your containers for winter and also watch as they create a unique container using a broken pot. At 1pm, kids and adults can make a fall themed mini garden. The Growing Place, Naperville is located on Plank Rd, 2 blocks south of Ogden Ave (Rte 34) and 2 blocks west of Naper Blvd. Call 630.355.4000 to register for the classes or for more information visit http://www.thegrowingplace.com/calendar.

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About The Growing Place Garden Center
The Growing Place celebrates its 80th year in 2016. With two locations, one on Plank Road in Naperville and the other on Montgomery Road in Aurora, IL the family-owned, independent garden center serves customers from local communities.  In 1936, Emma and Fritz Glatzhofer opened Emma's Perennials, specializing in field-grown perennials, at the current Naperville location on Plank Road. In 1973, their nephew, Rich Massat, and his wife, Carol, took the reins and expanded the nursery. They changed the name in 1976 to The Growing Place and committed to delivering uncompromising quality, selection, and customer care. The Aurora production farm and retail garden center were opened in 1989. Both locations feature beautiful display gardens, called Learning Gardens, with nearly 1,000 varieties and user-friendly signage to educate and help spark imaginations.  To learn more, visit the website at http://www.thegrowingplace.com