If you’re looking for fall container ideas that don’t involve window boxes, you can convert any of these combinations to a standard pot. Use these ideas as a jumping-off point to create the ideal autumn display for your unique space, sun or shade preferences, and USDA planting zone.

Build a Seasonal Box

The structure and height of dwarf Alberta spruce can act as a foundational plant in your window boxes with supporting floral elements like pansies, violas, and trailing English ivy vines creating a blanket of texture and color below. Toward the back of the box, fill with kales to add volume. As the season progresses, be sure to remove frost-bitten, spent, or sunburnt flowers. Swap out the cool weather flowers in the springtime to evolve your boxes for a fresh season.

Give It the Arrangement Treatment

If you need to set up a window box in a flash, treat it like a living arrangement. Keep the flowering elements in their containers and arrange a variety of greens (again, still in their containers) like ‘Ogon’ sedum, creeping Jenny, and ‘Lemon Ball’ sedum around them. Mini-white pumpkins can be used to fill out the arrangement. When time allows, you can either choose to plant the elements or disassemble the window box and use the flowers, greenery, and vines elsewhere.

Go Green

When everything else is bursting in shades of red, orange, and yellow, add another hue with a window box brimming with green. Horticulturist Tracee Lund of Potted Pleasures in Charleston, South Carolina, created this arrangement with ‘Aaron’ white caladium, ‘White Nancy’ spotted dead nettle, ‘Key Lim Pie’ heuchera, light pink periwinkle, ivy, and holly fern.

Pack a Color Punch

This combination of ‘Penny Lavender Shades’ violas and ‘Strawberry Sundae’ twin spurs will bring cold weather color to your window boxes throughout the fall season, even if planted in a window box with shade. Don’t try to plant these varieties too early in the season though. They’ll need cool weather to thrive, so the ideal time to plant is during the autumn when scorching summer temperatures have officially made their way out.

Give It Legs

For window spots on a porch, consider using a rectangular, legged container to give the effect of a window box without the hassle of installation. To create a similar display, start with fall mums in an orange hue, and layer in both vines and evergreen elements for a mix of spillers, thrillers, and texture.

Make It An Attraction

Petunia hybrid ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum’ will attract pollinators to keep your garden buzzing well into fall. Plant it toward the front of your window box so it trails over the edges. Use coleus toward the back middle to build height. On either side of the box group together upright angelonia and textural geraniums.