Fall Ensemble: Container Plantings in Smoldering Autumn Colors

Container-design specialist Jean Manocchio filled a trio of pots with foliage and flowers in fall colors. Centerpiece: Phormium ‘Platt’s Black’ (3-4 ft New Zealand flax) with deep burgundy leaves amid yellow gloriosa daisies and ‘Profusion Orange’ zinnias. Loropetalum ‘Plum Delight’ spills from two pots, echoing the flax. Southeast Asian-style containers in muted colors complement the plants.

Plant Palette

• A. Phormium ‘Platt’s Black’: 1 plant, 5- or 15-gal.
• B. Loropetalum ‘Plum Delight’: 3 plants, 1- or 5-gal.
• C. Gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta): 10 plants, 4-in. or 1-gal.
• D. Zinnia ‘Profusion Orange’: 12 plants, 4-in.
• E. Creeping fig (Ficus pumila): 2 plants, 4-in. or 1-gal.

Planting tip: Fill containers with potting soil mixed with controlled-release fertilizer. In mild-winter areas, daisies and zinnias bloom until late fall; then replace with cool-season bloomers in pink/purple to coordinate with spring Loropetalum flowers. In zones 4-6, protect from freezing under overhang or in frost-free area. In zones 1-3, enjoy until hard freeze.