I love fall planting because there are so many beautiful plants that come into their own at this time of year. The colors become warmer, and there’s lovely texture to play with.

For me, the secret to a professional-looking fall container is to think about the plants as a whole rather than choosing individual varieties in isolation. In a large pot, you have the space to combine different heights, shapes and textures, allowing taller plants to bring structure, fuller varieties to create abundance and trailing stems to soften the edges.

In this weekend's episode of Petals & Roots, which you can watch below, I share with you my favorite plant recipe for a fall container. The result feels generous, layered and wonderfully seasonal, giving you a beautiful focal point wherever you want to bring a little more autumn color.

Make sure you choose a statement or oversized planter with drainage holes. Then start by filling your container half full with potting compost.

I always mix a little bit of grit or perlite into these big pots to help with drainage.

Top tip: Water your plants before potting them, as this way they will stay hydrated for longer as they settle and establish in their new environment.

Start with the largest plant, which in my case was the coneflower. This will need the most space and depth, and it will be easier to fill around it with your other plants.

Coneflowers will go on flowering through fall, and will maintain their structure once they've finished, providing vital food for the birds in winter.

Next I added the sedum, which brings dual tones of peach and pale burgundy. I love how easy sedums are to grow (and to propagate by the way, if you wanted to multiply it around your garden or into other pots).

Now it's time to add the smaller plants, so before I do I'll fill the container with some more potting soil, which will raise them up.

I'm adding a purple heather as my next plant ingredient, which is stunning all through winter. It has a unique texture, and any bees left in your garden will be very thankful for it, too.

Now it's time to add those beautiful, textural elements. I am a little bit obsessed with thyme, so I always try to include a trailing variety into my autumn pot recipe.

It smells incredible, of course, and it also helps to soften the container and make the whole display look more naturalistic.

Finally, no fall container recipe would be complete without an ornamental grass. I chose Stipa tenuissima, or Mexican feather grass, to cascade above and over everything else.

Top tip: Water it in situ rather than on your potting bench, as it will be far too heavy to carry once the water is absorbed by the soil. Keep an eye on watering as it doesn't want to dry out, and it will go on to delight well into winter.

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P is a weekly video series fronted by me, Rachel Bull, Head of Gardens at Homes & Gardens. Every weekend on social, I share my seasonal gardening and flower arranging expertise and advice.

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