The end of summer doesn’t have to mean the end of beautiful flower boxes. Even as the days shorten and summer wanes, these autumn flower box ideas can add gorgeous seasonal flair to your home, garden, and landscape.

Cleaning Out Flower Boxes for Autumn

Before you jazz up your flower boxes for a new season, old plants and spent blooms should be removed. Check that the flower box is adequately secured to the windowsill, fence, wall, railing, or shed, and make any necessary repairs to the box structure. If you use liners in the box, check their integrity and replace them if needed before refreshing soil for new plantings. Fall is also a great time to repaint window boxes to refresh their look and give your new seasonal arrangements a fun pop of color to turn them into autumn works of art.

Top Autumn Flower Box Ideas

There are many stunning looks you can create in fall flower boxes, depending on the box size, home style, sunlight levels, and overall fall climate. Top creative and lovely ideas include…

• Pretty Pumpkins and Gourds – It’s easy to add an autumn touch to any still-blooming flower box with a few small pumpkins or gourds. Pie-size or miniature pumpkins will work best without adding excess weight to the box, and you can mix colors, sizes, and shapes for more interest.
• Harvest Beauty – If pumpkins and gourds don’t appeal to you, you can create a harvest-themed flower box with other plant choices. Apples are a favorite fall fruit, while grape vines add texture and structure to the box. Accent the arrangement with grain sprigs or sheaves for more fall flair.
• Mums and Marigolds – Chrysanthemums and marigolds are favorite fall flowers, not only for their autumn hues but also for their mounding, compact shapes. Oranges, reds, and yellows are popular shades, or you can create more autumn elegance with purple or wine-colored blooms.
• Late Season Sunflowers – In milder climates, sunflowers can continue blooming even into fall. Planting shorter sunflowers in a window box can be an unexpected choice for seasonal beauty, or trim mature sunflower heads from larger plants to decorate a box.
• Go With Grasses – Instead of flowers, consider planting ornamental grasses in a fall flower box. Fountain grasses with red, orange, or yellow veins can be especially lovely and add height and movement to a box for more eye-catching drama.
• Creative Crotons – The autumn-colored foliage of crotons with their bright red, yellow, and orange edges add fall flair to flower boxes while simultaneously giving them a tropical touch. Choose smaller plants to fill in the box, and add flowers for even more beauty.
• Ornamental Peppers – The bright red, yellow, and orange shades of ornamental peppers add a brilliant pop of autumn color to any flower box or container garden. The sleek shape is also unexpected and adds textural interest to any arrangement.
• Hardy Herbs – Your flower box can be a tasty fall arrangement by using cool-weather herbs to fill in the foliage. Lavender, sage, cilantro, parsley, rosemary, and chives are all delicious choices, and clippings can add savory tastes to autumn stews, roasts, and sauces.
• Edible Greens – For even more flavorful options in a fall flower box, add late season edibles to the space. Greens such as kale, collards, and cabbages can perform well in fall containers and add beautiful foliage and lush color to the arrangement.
• Stick It – Add bare sticks, twigs, and branches to a flower box for a rustic arrangement that mimics how trees shed their leaves in autumn. For more glamour, spray paint the branches silver, bronze, or gold for a glittery accent.
• Super Succulents – In mild climates without harsh freezes, a lush succulent arrangement can be an amazing fall choice for any flower box. Choose succulents that have hints of red, purple, or yellow and group different shapes together for tantalizing texture.
• Terrifically Trailing – Add drama to fall flower boxes with trailing plants such as ivy, sweet potato vine, coleus, and creeping jenny. Mixing one or two varieties of trailers will add extra color and texture to the overall box design.
• Decorative Accents – Fall-themed decorative accents can add autumn highlights to a flower box. A burlap or plaid bow in fall colors is a great choice, or seasonal plant picks can easily be poked into the soil. Pine cones, cattails, or faux leaf sprigs are other great choices.

No matter what your local climate, how you celebrate the season, or what plants, colors, or accents represent autumn to you, you can add the beauty of fall to every flower box for stunning seasonal decorations. By extending the life of your flower boxes well into fall, you can enjoy and celebrate the season even as you enjoy the care and attention you give these versatile containers.