Fall Hanging Baskets: Top 8 Plant Choices & Creative Ideas

As the hot temperatures of the summer wind down, fall hanging baskets provide welcoming colors, variation in your gardening methods, and a chance to combine your favorite showy blooms with gentle, cascading vines. Many flowers even prefer the fall temperatures, offering more blooms in the chilly months once the sweltering heat of summer has passed. I hope these fall hanging basket ideas inspire you to create your own colorful basket to celebrate the autumn months!

How to Create a Fall Hanging Basket

A fall hanging basket is such a natural and welcoming way to add warmth and festivity to any outdoor space. And once you know which flowers love the autumn months, it’s easy to combine them to create your own DIY hanging baskets using your favorite varieties. 

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Here’s how to create your own autumn flower basket in just 5 easy steps.

1. Choose a large hanging basket that provides adequate room for root space. Around 12-14 inches in diameter works well. If your basket doesn’t already have a liner, using coco coir or sphagnum moss can help maintain moist soil but also allow for adequate drainage. 
2. Next, fill your basket with rich, well-draining potting soil. I’ve found that making my own DIY potting soil tends to be much more affordable and provides a better product. But if you’d rather just order a bag of pre-made soil, Burpee Organic Potting Mix and Espoma Organic Potting Mix are a couple of good options to try.
3. When your planter is ready, transplant your favorite fall flowers from your garden, or pick some up from your local garden center. (Alternatively, you can plant seeds straight in your basket, but this should be done in the mid-summer, about 10-12 weeks before you want them to bloom—depending on the plant.) Some of my favorite fall flowers are wave petunias, snapdragons, and mums, but there are many more options to choose from! Arrange larger flowering plants, such as mums, in the middle, with trailing flowers like verbena along the edges.
4. Water in the mornings about every 2-3 days, or when the soil feels dry to the touch. 
5. For best results, rotate your basket once a week to ensure that each side gets adequate sunlight.

5 Places to Hang a Fall Flower Basket

While they may be the most common, porches are by no means the only place you can show off your fall hanging basket! Here are some of my favorite locations to display fall flowers. 

1. Porches. Of course, nothing says “welcome” like trailing blossoms and the sweet scent of fall florals. Screw-in hooks, hanging chains, or brackets make it easy to display autumn baskets in front of your home.
2. Garden fences. If you have a sturdy wooden garden fence (or any fence, really!), it’s easy to add decorative brackets for hanging baskets.
3. Shepherd’s hooks. A metal shepherd’s hook makes it effortless to place hanging baskets anywhere! Line them along a walkway, sprinkle them throughout your backyard, or place one next to your porch. 
4. Tree branches. Using sturdy, low limbs can be a dramatic and creative way to tuck in more autumn flowers throughout your outdoor space. Make sure to choose shade-loving varieties if the area doesn’t get much sun.
5. Garden arbors. Hanging flower baskets from a metal arbor or pergola is a wonderful way to greet visitors as the garden transitions to fall growth.

Here are some of the very best cold-hardy plants to fill your baskets with this fall season. Most of these flowers bloom up until the first hard frosts, and some even beyond.

1. Begonias
2. Million Bells
3. Mums
4. Pansies
5. Petunias
6. Snapdragons
7. Sweet alyssum
8. Verbena

1. Begonias

Late-season begonia varieties are an excellent choice for the fall season. Nonstop begonias, tuberous begonias, and other hardy varieties bloom into the cool weather of the fall, surviving even through light freezes. Begonias do well in partial shade and offer bright splashes of color in pinks, reds, oranges, and whites. 

2. Million Bells 

Million bells are reminiscent of miniature petunias. Perfect for hanging baskets, these stunning flowers are known for cascading over container edges with their bright, vibrant colors. These prolific, showy plants come in pinks, reds, blues, yellow, and whites. 

They’re ideal for growing in outdoor hanging baskets all year long. If you plant them in the spring, they’ll provide nonstop color from springtime until the first frost of autumn.

3. Mums 

Ah, mums! Possibly the most well-known fall basket plants. The classic look of these fall porch plants will never grow old. But did you know that mums are the perfect choice not only for your porch steps, but also for hanging containers? Trailing mum varieties such as skyfall, firefall, and snowfall are especially lovely when displayed in hanging baskets during the fall months. 

Most mums bloom for about 8 weeks, and alternating different varieties can give you constant blooms throughout the late summer and fall season. See my Youtube video on How to Care for Mums.

4. Pansies 

Pansies thrive in cool seasons and can survive many fall frosts. In fact, if you notice your blooms withering after a frost, be patient. They often come back and bloom once again.

These bright and welcoming flowers come in a wide range of colors and do best in rich soil with full sun or part shade. On a shady porch, you may consider rotating them every once in awhile to provide all sides with enough light. 

5. Petunias

Petunias are rich with fall color. Plant just one shade or mix up your basket by adding white, red, pink, blue, or purple flowers. You can also create an interesting hanging basket by combining large-flowering varieties with trailing plants such as wave petunias (a popular choice for hanging container plants).

Although petunias are fairly tough plants that can tolerate temperatures as low as 39°F, they typically don’t tolerate frosts and so do better in a warm climate. These sun-loving plants are ideal for fall planting in zones 8-11.

6. Snapdragons

You can start your snapdragons in the early spring and enjoy their showy blooms all season long! Snapdragons actually slow down in the hottest parts of summer, and perk up again with even more blooms as the climate turns cooler. They can tolerate light frosts and may even bloom into the winter in some climates (typically zones 7 and higher).

Snapdragons are a great way to bring eye-catching color to your hanging baskets. To extend their blooming season as long as possible, deadhead spent flowers and water them regularly, especially during the transition into the fall months.

7. Sweet alyssum 

This cool-season flower thrives in the moderate days and cool nights of fall. Be sure to provide your plants with high-quality, well-draining potting soil and at least 6 hours of sun per day. They’ll keep blooming up until the hard frosts! 

Sweet alyssum’s small but bountiful blooms come in a variety of colors, including whites, pinks, and purples. Best of all, in addition to their welcoming flowers, they also give off a subtle fragrance that adds a welcoming touch to your fall arrangements. 

8. Verbena 

Trailing verbena plants are one of the most cold-tolerant fall flowers. They love well-draining soil and full sun. Their lemon-like aroma combined with their gentle trailing habit makes them an excellent option for hanging baskets. 

Verbena, purple perennial flowers with many small flowers

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