This Colorful Fall Porch Plant Looks Beautiful Long After Your Mums Have Faded – And It's Frost Hardy, Too

A fall doorstep or porch container with colors that reflect the season is a joy to behold, and while chrysanthemums have been a go-to for all self-respecting homeowners for decades, there are other options. And some of them, dare I say, are better, longer-lasting and just as colorful.

Of course I'm talking about heucheras, or coral bells, whose foliage in tones of burnished copper, rich wine and flaming amber sit perfectly with fall's smoldering end-of-season vibe. They're also such sociable plants, mixing and mingling gracefully with all kinds of annuals, perennials, shrubs and bulbs.

I've gathered together a few garden experts to help create some stunning containers for fall using these failsafe, low-maintenance perennials, stalwarts for small front porch ideas. But let me step in first for a container recommendation: namely this handsome Barnacle tall modern planter from Anthropologie, which I'm itching to plant up with my favourite coral bells, combined I think with ornamental grasses for movement and airy good looks.

Why You'll Love Coral Bells in Fall

Have you ever noticed your neighbor's coral bells appearing to become even more handsome around this time of year? You may have thought you were imagining it, perhaps a trick of the light or a result of there being simply less competing interest in the garden.

The fact is heucheras become more colorful in fall. In many varieties, cooler weather triggers their foliage to become richer and deeper, turning those caramel, gold and purple leaves into glowing mounds ideal for firing up your patio and porch pots.

Sara Gottlieb, founder and CEO of Liminal Gardens, explains how heucheras mature into fall:

'While coral bells have a spray of flowers blooming from tall, thin stems, typically from mid-spring to mid-summer, the leaves in fall are the star of the show. Foliage colors intensify on many cultivars in October due to the UV weakening and decreasing sun ight exposure: 'Palace Purple', ‘Forever Purple’, Caramel', and 'Obsidian' (available at Garden Goods Direct) are especially striking in the fall.'

Mirela Bajic, senior garden designer at House Designer, agrees:

'Coral bells keep going long after most flowers finish. The foliage color actually gets stronger as nights cool – reds, purples, copper are more noticeable the colder it gets. They're also a better bet than mums. Mums give you one big burst and most are basically treated as disposable. Heuchera is a perennial.'

More heuchera varieties that are particularly noteworthy for this seasonal transition include 'Autumn Leaves', which begins the year a pinkish red, then shifts to warm tan over summer. Finally, with fall it becomes a rich, vibrant ruby red.

'Tiramisu' is another favorite of mine that really comes into its own in fall. Most of the year its foliage is a zesty green color, but with the arrival of October comes brick-red veining on the leaves and red-tinted margins that gradually seep in towards its lime-green centres.

Then there's 'Fire Chief', a warm claret red in summer, which turns deep burgundy-russet in the colder months. Perfect for fall containers.

'Berry Smoothie' is another seasonal star turn, it's broad berry-pink foliage of summer slowly shifting to deeper, moodier wine tones.

I'm also a fall fan of 'Midnight Rose', whose glossy deep purple leaves with hot pink splashes become an intriguing creamy burnt raspberry color. Definitely one for the coral bells connoisseur. 'Midnight Rose' and many others are included in the heuchera collection at Nature Hills.

Why Heucheras Are Perfect For Porch Containers

London garden designer Oliver Burgess recommends coral bells as an ideal plant for a porch or fall patio arrangement where sunlight levels are on the low side:

'Heucheras do very well in shady environments, so under a porch they're particularly well suited. They're also drought tolerant, so again suited to a place where watering might be more sporadic, and under a porch means less rainwater.'

Sara agrees: 'Perfect for covered areas of your outdoor spaces, like a porch or patio, coral bells thrive in containers. They have a short rootball, so do well in shallow pots too. Make sure to keep them in damp, but not overly wet soil, a container with a few inches of perimeter to grow, and leave the foliage intact over winter.

'Their leaves come in a seemingly unending color array from black to bright green, red, orange, gold, silver, purple, and more. These can mimic or complement the fall foliage senescence color starting to surround us, reminding us that the season is still full of vibrant life.'

While patios and pots are definitely included in the the best ways to grow and care for heucheras, sometimes all those colors can seem almost overwhelming, so it's good to get a steer from a pro. Mirela advises burgundy or copper for fall displays:

'They sit with the season without feeling like you've filled every pot with orange. Amber's good too if you want something a little warmer in tone. When I'm doing a container I'll pick one strong colour and build round it rather than mixing a few. The leaf's already got enough going on.'

If you want to appreciate that color and the veining of coral bells' foliage, Sara has a clever little tip:

'Placing containers on an elevated stand or surface to bring them closer to eye level creates a great opportunity to observe their spectacular leaves.'

The tall metal plant stands from Amazon would work brilliantly for that little bit of extra height.

How To Use Coral Bells In Porch Containers

As if their wonderful vibrant foliage and easygoing nature weren't enough, heucheras are also brilliantly companionable in fall containers. All that's needed for a winning fall container recipe is either toning color from cool-season annuals such as pansies or violas, a touch of majesty and movement from ornamental grasses or a partnership with equally handsome shade-tolerant evergreen perennials such as ferns.

Oliver opts for a particularly tempting-sounding trio over the winter months, adding in little spring color bombs for future-proofing:

'Coral bells are a great companion plant with the fronds of ferns and winter cyclamen, which provide pops of pink and lilac. The other important factor when planting in pots is to include bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and crocus, which mean, with no extra effort, you have a spring display before you change the planting over for some summer colour.'

Mirela leans on ornamental grasses route when planting up fall containers with heucheras:

'Heucheras are compact and mounded, so I'll put one around something taller, an ornamental grass works well, and they fill the base of the pot.'

I love both of these planting ideas. If planting with ferns, I would highlight the Japanese painted fern from RHS Plants or Ghost fern from Garden Goods Direct as a particularly stunning choice with coral bells, as their silvered tones complement a huge range of heuchera cultivars. The golden leaves of creeping Jenny are also a lovely option for softening the edges of pots of heucheras, especially any cultivars with golden/lime green tones or veining.

For color contrast, try plants such as calluna/heathers, the silver foliage of helichrysum, Blue Cushion sedums, euphorbias and the crazy colors of coleus.

What to Shop

Above all, have fun with your autumn container plantings, and enjoy thinking up colorful heuchera combination that will lift the spirits.

As long as you have color, height and some textural contrast, you're guaranteed pots that will welcome you home warmly for weeks on end.

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