Spooky season is in full swing and Halloween is right around the corner. If you haven’t got around to decorating your porch just yet, or feel like something is missing from your display, turn to seasonal planting.
This isn’t just the best fall flowers for pots, though, but rather plants that complement and enhance your outdoor Halloween decor. And while you may cringe at the idea of spooky gimmicks among these plants, these Halloween porch planting ideas are much more subtle and classy, yet still deliver a touch of holiday celebration.
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5 Stylish Halloween Porch Planting Ideas
These Halloween porch planting ideas take fall planters to the next level with spooky plants. They embody the fun of this spooky holiday without leaning too far into the likes of creepy spiders, ghost statues, or an overload of pumpkins.
1. Celebrate Harvest Season
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Halloween lands right in the midst of harvest season, so why not celebrate this on your front porch?
To give it a spooky twist, gather unusual vegetables with intriguing colors and shapes. For example, ornamental cabbage, with its bright purple center that will have passers-by doing a double-take.
‘Ornamental cabbages (seeds from Amazon), add color and unique texture to any fall container,’ says Laura Janney, CEO of The Inspired Garden Masterclass. ‘Their soft yet sturdy, waxy leaves, and rounded growth habit make them unlike any other fall annual,’ she adds.
‘Though most people dismiss them as mere winter greens, their rich purples, silvers, and dark greens inherently remind one of a gothic, nearly witchy color scheme for this time of year,’ adds garden designer David Barbera.
Other crops to add to your harvest season display include ornamental kale (seeds from Amazon) and even stems from shrubs for fall berries.
To enhance this look, place your crops in wicker baskets and rustic planters. I particularly love the idea of using a wooden harvest trug (like this one from Amazon).
Laura Janney
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Garden Designer
Laura Janney is a renowned landscape architect and designer, and CEO of The Inspired Garden Masterclass. Laura has left her mark on the cottage garden landscape design scene, winning the 2023 Houzz Best in Design award for her work in the New York area.
David Barbera
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Garden Designer
David is a garden designer, plant expert, and the president of Artificial Turf Supply.
2. Plant Colorful Foliage
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Just like unique-toned vegetables, there are plenty of plants perfect for striking foliage, including shrubs and trees for fall color.
Above, red, green, and pink variegated coleus take center stage. You can find a wide range of coleus plants on Amazon.
Just be aware they won’t survive beyond the first frost, so they’re best suited to a milder fall climate. When they do start to fade, don’t forget to cut back coleus for winter.
Other fun foliage options for Halloween porch planting ideas include coral bells (see heuchera varieties) and spirea, which earns its place on our list of unexpected plants for fall color.
‘Heuchera comes in so many moody colors like smokey purples and even some varieties that are almost black, which is perfect for any Halloween porch scene,’ Laura says. ‘I recommend using them as a trailer and have the leaves cascade on the outer edges of your containers.’
To extend this fall color beyond your porch, use these plants to edge your path leading up to your porch.
Find heuchera plants at Walmart.
Find a spirea shrub at Nature Hills.
3. Spook Visitors with Black Mondo Grass
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Ornamental grasses bring movement and texture to Halloween porch planting ideas.
A stand-out choice is black mondo grass (plants from Walmart). As its name suggests, it’s a grass purple-black in color, and it even develops dark, shiny blue-black berries after summer.
‘As a discreet but dramatic accent, I use black mondo grass at the edges of stairs or in small pots,’ says David. ‘Its leaves are perfect for contrast with orange pumpkins.’
The best part is that black mondo grass is evergreen and will continue wowing after Halloween as one of the best ornamental grasses for winter interest.
For a monochrome, stark display this Halloween, grow black mondo grass in white planters. These large outdoor ceramic white plants from Amazon are perfect for positioning your black mondo grass either side of your porch stairs.
4. Use Corn Stalks for Height
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While this might not be a living Halloween porch planting idea, there’s no doubt that dried corn stalks offer a styled approach to spooky decor. The best part is, if you grow corn, you’ll be left with these dried stalks to put on display by the end of October.
The more corn stalks, the more drama, so try tying them together with twine (from Amazon). You can actually purchase dried corn stalks from Walmart, or go down an artificial route with these corn stalk decorations from Amazon for a reusable option year after year.
Pair them with other architectural plants, including the best plants for seedheads and the plants you should never deadhead.
As well as embracing the fall season through these plants, the fact that they are fading and dying leans into the Halloween theme while looking beautiful in their own right.
5. Fill Gaps with Violas
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Spooky season doesn’t have to be so creepy; there are lots of Halloween colors that can be found in stunning fall flowers. Violas, for example, come in all colors from purple, yellow, burgundy, white, and even black (like these black viola seeds from Amazon).
Violas tend to be dainty and smaller than winter pansies, offering the perfect filler for bare spots in your front yard borders or porch containers.
‘Violas are extremely cold-tolerant, sometimes lasting until the following spring.’ Laura notes. ‘We love how they add a vibrant pop. Clump them together in groups to really make an impact.’
Our guide to thriller, spiller, filler containers can help you use violas to create a sensational seasonal display.
Explore the range of violas on Amazon.
FAQsWhat Are the Best Chrysanthemum Varieties for Halloween?
Mums are some of the best fall flowers to put on display this season. Types of chrysanthemums that can enhance your Halloween planting scheme include spider mums, quill mums, and two-tone mums, all of which have unique textures and hues for spooky season.
Alongside these Halloween porch planting ideas, try incorporating some of the best fall flower and foliage decorating ideas. These can help to transition your porch from Halloween galore to seasonal fall interest, before turning your attention to winter plants and festive details.
Shop Seasonal Planters to Bring Your Halloween Planting to Life:
This wicker basket is the perfect vessel for displaying fall harvests on your porch for Halloween. After spooky season, use it indoors to continue putting homegrown crops on display.
Rustic Metal Pumpkin Planters
These rustic pumpkin planters are a subtle nod to the Halloween season. Planted with mums and fun foliage, they’ll instantly dress up your porch for fall.
Barrel planters scream fall. This set of three allows you to instantly create a uniform container garden look. Plus, they have drainage holes to support moisture management.
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