The end of summer into fall can be a beautiful time in the garden, a beautiful time to continue enjoying the outdoors on your deck or patio, porch or front stoop. Living in Buffalo demands that we make the most of this time.  So your container plantings probably need some sprucing up, plant replacements, or maybe even a complete makeover to look their best for the next couple of months.

This week’s offerings from the potting bench are a pair of possibilities to meet this need.  First, we have created a window box arrangement with a purple chrysanthemum, ornamental peppers ‘Black Pearl’ and ‘Calico’, and polka-dot plant.  We have chosen a mum that is just beginning to show color so that it will be sure to keep blooming for weeks to come.  To complement the purple flowers, the two peppers (capsicum) bear both foliage and fruit in different shades of purple.  The pink spots on the taller bushy polka-dot plant give just a little contrast but fit in nicely.  This simple planting can take this window box to the end of the season just beautifully.

We have also planted up a very large terra cotta pot in vibrant yellows and reds. Chrysanthemum ‘Brilliant Tiffany Yellow’ is the central plant in this pot.  In front of the mum, spilling over the edge of the pot, is the annual ‘Gold Dust’. Reaching over the sides are vibrant red-orange ‘Bonfire’ begonias.  Whimsical ornamental eggplants (solanum) called ‘Golden Eggs’ and ‘Pumpkin on a Stick’ complement bright little red and yellow hot pepper plants at either side of the mum.  This is a fun planting that evokes images of harvest and halloween.