Fall in New Hampshire doesn’t mean your flowers have to fade. These 15 vibrant blooms thrive in pots, keeping your porch and garden colorful as the season changes.
I’ve planted a few myself, and they make a big difference in brightening up cooler days. Try some in containers this autumn and enjoy a burst of color all season long.
1. Chrysanthemums
The quintessential fall favorite comes in countless colors that perfectly complement New Hampshire’s autumn landscape. Available in rich golds, deep burgundies, and fiery oranges, these hardy blooms withstand light frosts with ease.
Local garden centers across the Granite State stock an impressive variety of mums starting in late August. Their rounded, cushion-like shape makes them ideal for solo container planting or mixing with ornamental grasses.
2. Pansies
Surprisingly tough despite their delicate appearance, fall pansies actually prefer New Hampshire’s cooler temperatures to summer heat. Their cheerful faces in purples, yellows, and whites continue blooming through light frosts and sometimes winter.
Many New Hampshire gardeners plant these resilient flowers in September for continuous color. With proper mulching, they often survive to bloom again in spring, making them an excellent value for container gardeners.
3. Asters
Looking like miniature daisies in vibrant purples and pinks, asters attract late-season butterflies to New Hampshire gardens. Their star-shaped blooms provide crucial nectar for migrating monarchs preparing for their journey south.
These native perennials thrive in the Granite State’s climate and continue flowering until hard frost. When choosing containers, select deep pots that accommodate their somewhat extensive root systems while allowing good drainage.
4. Ornamental Cabbage
Not technically flowers, these dramatic plants develop intensely colorful leaves as temperatures drop across New Hampshire. Their ruffled rosettes in purples, pinks and creamy whites become more vibrant after frost touches them.
Hardy enough to last until December in many parts of the Granite State, ornamental cabbage provides structural interest in containers. Pair them with trailing ivy or small evergreens for sophisticated fall arrangements that withstand New Hampshire’s early winter weather.
5. Helenium
Sometimes called sneezeweed, this native perennial produces daisy-like blooms in rich autumn hues that perfectly match New Hampshire’s fall palette. The copper, gold and russet flowers attract beneficial pollinators well into October.
Many gardeners throughout the Granite State appreciate helenium’s resistance to deer browsing. When growing in containers, choose varieties reaching 18-24 inches tall rather than the taller meadow types for best results in New Hampshire’s sometimes windy autumn conditions.
6. Sedum
Succulent foliage topped with long-lasting flower clusters makes sedum perfect for New Hampshire’s unpredictable fall weather patterns. Their star-shaped blooms in pinks and reds mature to rusty hues that persist through early winter.
Requiring minimal water, these drought-tolerant plants thrive in the Granite State’s sometimes dry autumn conditions. Combine upright varieties like ‘Autumn Joy’ with cascading types for container arrangements that evolve beautifully throughout the season.
7. Verbena
Clusters of tiny, vibrant blooms cover these trailing plants well into New Hampshire’s fall season. Their purple, pink, or white flowers spill beautifully over container edges, softening arrangements and adding movement.
Many varieties continue flowering until frost hits the Granite State’s gardens. For best results in New Hampshire’s cooling temperatures, choose cold-tolerant selections like ‘Homestead Purple’ that maintain their color and vigor as summer transitions to autumn.
8. Rudbeckia
Better known as black-eyed Susans, these golden daisies with dark centers bring sunshine to New Hampshire’s autumn containers. Their cheerful blooms persist through September and often into October, especially in protected locations.
Native to North America, rudbeckias thrive in the Granite State’s climate and attract beneficial pollinators. Choose compact varieties specifically bred for containers rather than the taller meadow types that may become top-heavy in New Hampshire’s fall winds.
9. Heuchera
Grown primarily for its stunning foliage, heuchera (coral bells) provides exceptional container interest throughout New Hampshire’s fall season. Available in burgundy, caramel, purple, and chartreuse, their colorful leaves intensify as temperatures drop.
These native perennials handle the Granite State’s fluctuating autumn temperatures with ease. Small, delicate flower spikes add vertical interest above the mounded foliage, making heuchera perfect for sophisticated mixed containers that transition into winter.
10. Snapdragons
Often thought of as spring flowers, snapdragons actually perform beautifully during New Hampshire’s cooler autumn months. Their vertical spikes in reds, yellows, and purples provide excellent height in fall container arrangements.
Many Granite State gardeners find snapdragons bloom more profusely in fall than summer. They tolerate light frosts and continue flowering until harder freezes arrive, making them perfect for extending the container garden season in New Hampshire.
11. Dianthus
With their spicy clove scent and fringed petals, dianthus adds charm to New Hampshire’s fall container gardens. Available in pinks, whites, and reds, these compact plants continue blooming well into autumn’s cooler temperatures.
Many varieties rebloom vigorously in the Granite State’s fall weather after summer’s heat subsides. Their neat, mounded habit makes them perfect for container edges, where their delightful fragrance can be appreciated up close on New Hampshire’s crisp autumn days.
12. Ornamental Peppers
Colorful fruits in reds, purples, oranges, and yellows make ornamental peppers eye-catching additions to New Hampshire fall containers. As temperatures cool across the Granite State, their vibrant colors intensify, creating living ornaments.
Compact and bushy, these plants maintain their decorative appeal until heavy frost. While technically edible, these peppers are grown for their ornamental value and provide unusual texture in container arrangements throughout New Hampshire’s autumn season.
13. Celosia
Flame-like plumes or crested blooms in fiery colors make celosia a standout in New Hampshire’s autumn container gardens. Their unusual textures in oranges, reds, and golds perfectly complement traditional fall décor throughout the Granite State.
Heat-loving celosia surprisingly continues blooming into fall if protected from early frosts. For New Hampshire gardeners, they provide exotic-looking flowers that maintain their shape and color even as they dry on the plant, extending their decorative value into the season.
14. Cyclamen
Delicate-looking but surprisingly tough, hardy cyclamen produces butterfly-like blooms in pinks, reds, and whites above marbled foliage. Their nodding flowers add unexpected elegance to New Hampshire’s fall container displays.
These cool-weather lovers actually prefer the Granite State’s autumn temperatures to summer heat. Place containers in sheltered locations around your New Hampshire home where cyclamen can continue flowering until winter’s coldest temperatures arrive.
15. Calibrachoa
Often called million bells, these petunia relatives produce masses of small, trumpet-shaped flowers that continue blooming through New Hampshire’s early fall. Their trailing habit in purples, yellows, and oranges cascades beautifully over container edges.
Many calibrachoa varieties demonstrate surprising cold tolerance in the Granite State’s autumn weather. For New Hampshire gardeners, they provide continuous color until harder frosts arrive, especially in containers positioned in sheltered, sunny locations.