Colourful plants for pots that will brighten up

YOUR dahlias and nerines may still be going strong, but if other annuals in pots are past their summer best, there’s a huge range of plants that can offer stunning autumn container colour.

From chrysanthemums and violas, to heathers, autumn cyclamen, ornamental grasses and evergreen foliage, not forgetting the stunning autumn leaf colour of acers, you can perk up your patio pots with autumn hues that will continue into winter.

“The colour you can get crammed into a pot, or a small collection of pots, at a time of year when some of the days are drab and difficult, can really lift your spirits,” says horticulturist Tom Harris, author of Pots For All Seasons (Pimpernel Press, £20).

“So many plants look great in autumn light, when the light is softer and more diffused and creates quite brilliant effects. To see a profusion of flowers, berries and foliage in pots close to the house in autumn, is quite life enhancing.”

So, which plants should help make a dazzling display in your containers this autumn?

1. CHRYSANTHEMUM

Chrysanthemums bridge that gap between late summer, when many annuals have started to look straggly, and autumn, when berried fruits and autumn leaves change the colour palette of the garden.

“They provide such a splash of colour. I wouldn’t mix them with anything else because they go over fairly quickly,” says Harris. “Some of the colours, like the rich russet orange varieties, sum up autumn in one flower.