Squak 2026 Fall Container Design
Embrace the rich, lingering beauty of fall with a layered composition of texture and color. Echinacea ‘Merlot’ rises boldly at the center, its deep wine colored stems bring height and richness to the planting as your eye dances along the rose pink blossoms. Beside it, the silvery leaves of Hebe ‘Quicksilver’ catch the light, adding a cool, luminous counterpoint. Heuchera ‘Fyre Wing Jet’ brings depth and drama with its rich, dark foliage, while Uncinia ‘Belinda’s Find’ arches outward in graceful ribbons of burgundy and bronze, adding movement and texture.
Cheerful pansies nestle around the edges, their bright faces offering little sparks of color against the deeper tones. Together, the foliage, flowers, and grasses create a sophisticated fall tapestry – warm, textural, and full of seasonal glow.
Sun exposure of your mixed container in autumn is not a concern, as the sun is less intense and plants will be moving into dormancy. If you want to keep this container recipe intact next spring, plants will thrive with afternoon or full day sun. Alternatively, in a future season you may remove some or all of these plants from your container, and permanently plant them in your landscape.
All the plants in our exclusive design are grouped together at Squak Mt. Nursery to make for quick and easy selection as you build your personal container. Plant quantities in this recipe nicely fit a pot of about 14”-16” in diameter, but the size and number of plants can be readily adapted for any size of container. In addition our designers have pre-planted this recipe into decorative pots for you to select and take home. When your container grown summer annuals are tired out, join us at Squak Mt. to celebrate the arrival of autumn.
A ‘Merlot’ Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea)
1 plant
Huge 5″ wide, rose pink blooms centered with orange cones sit atop stunning, well branched, burgundy-black stems. Long lasting flowers attract pollinators. Hardy perennial. Grows 30”H x 34”W. Loves sun.
B ‘Quicksilver’ Hebe
1 plant
Evergreen shrub with striking silvery-blue foliage on wiry black stems and compact, mounding growth. It produces small lilac-purple flowers in summer. 2’H x 2’W at maturity. Loves sun. This variety of hebe is cold hardy in our area.
C ‘Fyre Wing Jet’ Coral Bells (Heuchera)
1 plant
Lacey, cut- leaf black foliage covered with silver hairs. Short flower spikes rise just above the foliage and hold sweet pink flowers in the spring and summer. Hardy perennial. 10”H x 10”W. Likes full to partial sun. See article in this newsletter.
D. ‘Belinda’s Find’ Red Hook Sedge (Uncina rubra)
2 plants
Striking evergreen grass-like perennial with narrow, arching, bronzy-green blades with red margins. Grows 1’H x 1’W. Likes partial sun. Tender perennial in our area.
E. Pansies
3 plants
Homegrown at Squak Mt., these cold hardy beauties bring cheerful blooms in fall, and again in early spring. Yellow, orange, and purple tones are ideal in this recipe. Full or partial sun.