If you have been enjoying containers full of colorful blooms through the summer the chances are that they will now be starting to look a little tired and past their best. While there may be some plants that are still performing others will be ready to be replaced. For advice on the best way to perk up your planters read this article by Master Gardener Lisha Utt which I found on The Master Gardeners website.

I love container gardening, too, and with many annuals still blooming this fall here are some ideas for your containers.
If your deck or patio is filled with containers like mine, you’re probably finding some plants look very tired and need to be replaced, while others still look good.

Unfortunately, the flowers that are still growing well are usually spread amongst all the pots, so consider combining them into one, three or five pots (depending on how many you have to start with). You might also like to add some new plants such as pansies, fall kale or even small evergreens.
The tired plants can be removed, and containers you don’t use can be put away for the winter. Place your “new” containers in strategic locations where you can best enjoy them, like by your patio door, outside a kitchen window or grouped by your outside seating area.

There are many summer annuals that can handle the cool temperatures, including verbena, nemesia, bidens, million bells (Calibrachoa), lantana, zonal geraniums (Pelargonium x hortum), red grass (Pennisetum rubrum), diascia and gerbera daisies.

Even if you haven’t planted any of these particular plants this year, you may want to consider including them in your containers next spring. Like your perennial borders, where you plan to have something(s) blooming throughout the summer and fall, the same idea can be used with your containers by including annuals you know will look great throughout fall.

See more at The Master Gardeners