Plant a colorful, butterfly-friendly fall container
Looking for an out-of-the-ordinary fall container idea? Try this autumn stunner! Butterflies can't resist the butterfly bush and asters, and the cool hues of this eye-catching container make a real splash. Jazz up a combination of plants with similar colors by throwing in different textures and plant forms. Long, arching stems of butterfly bush contrast well with the bunchy New York asters, round ornamental kale and the ivy trailing over the edges of the urn. And the blocky kale and asters keep it all from looking messy.
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Invite butterflies with late-season blooms
Check out the circle planting diagram and the lettered plant list below to re-create this stunning late-season butterfly container, packed with nectar-rich flowers that pollinators will love.
Butterfly container plant list
A) Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
Shrub; red-purple late summer through fall; 4 to 6 ft. tall, 3 to 4 ft. wide; full sun; cold-hardy in zones 5 to 9
B) New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Purple Viking’)
Perennial; blue-purple daisy-shaped flowers late summer to early fall; 1 to 2 ft. tall and wide; full sun; cold-hardy in zones 3 to 8
C) Variegated ivy (Hedera helix ‘Variegata’)
Perennial; insignificant blooms; 6 to 8 in. tall, spreading; full sun to full shade; cold-hardy in zones 4 to 9
D) Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea ‘Color-Up Purple’)
Biennial; insignificant blooms; 10 to 12 in. tall and wide; full sun to part shade; cold-hardy in zones 7 to 11
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