CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If you're looking at your pots by the front door thinking, "Hmm ... they are looking pretty tired," then let me suggest sprucing them up with some plants that will take you into the fall with color and interest.

The standard rule for growing plants in containers through winter is that they should be hardy two zones colder than your garden, according to Fine Gardening magazine. If they don't meet that standard, they could be planted in your beds before the ground freezes or brought inside to ride out the winter. A third option is to consider some of your container choices as annuals and relegate them to the compost pile at the end of their tenure.

Fiberglass, iron, thick plastic and stone planters work best in the fall, standing up to the elements better than untreated terracotta or glazed pottery.

Good plants for fall containers include:

Rick Darke, garden author and former curator at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, said renewed interest in North American native species in recent years has resulted in perhaps a dozen Amsonia species now available from specialist nurseries in the United States. In the trade journal Plantsman, Darke said the plant, commonly known as bluestar, is grown for its blue flowers and its vibrant yellow and gold foliage color in the fall.

Bluestars are found in wooded areas and on riverbanks from New Jersey to Tennessee to Texas, and they are popular garden plants as well. Blooming in May and June, each flower has five pale blue flower petals and blooms in clusters on 2- to 3-foot stems. The upright stems with narrow leaves are attractive all summer and turn a beautiful butterscotch-yellow in the fall.

A bit of advice gleaned from a garden magazine years ago has allowed me to keep my sanity when fall rolls around. Any time after Oct. 1, just whack away those perennials! Lawn mower, weed whacker, miniature chain saw or hedge trimmers can be used to cut almost everything in the perennial garden to within a few inches of the ground.

Be sure to rake sheared foliage from your beds to reduce future fungal and insect problems. Skip over woody-based plants, like lavenders. They don't like to be pruned in the fall. Also, leave the plants like coneflowers and ornamental grasses for winter interest or to feed the birds.

Florida garden tour

Clyde Watson, one of my favorite gardeners in South Charleston, sent a note about a garden tour he took while on vacation in Sanibel, Fla. The Watsons stayed at Sanibel Moorings, a condo/vacation spot. But that's where typical ends.

"What is so special about it is the landscaping. It is so unusual that they have a full-time horticulturalist on duty. They offer a tour once a week to share with you info about all the plants. Most of the unusual ones are labeled.

"I counted 138 different varieties. One of the unique plants was a century plant. It was in bloom. The bloom was at least 20 feet high it looked almost like a tree. As you know, they only bloom once and then die. While we were there, we had a pretty high wind and it broke the bloom.

"Just for an example, I will list some of the palm trees that I saw: Christmas palm, coconut, paurotis, pygmy date, spindle, sabal, ponytail, Canary Island, areca, thatch, blue latan, triangle, travelers, sago, buccaneer, queen, bamboo, Florida silver, lady, pindo, and Alexander. I am sure I missed some.

"An unusual plant was a coontie (a fernlike perennial). Its origin is in the prehistoric era. The Frangipani and Royal Poinciana were in bloom and, of course, there were periwinkles all over the place. There must have been at least 30 different varieties of hibiscus including Chinese lantern hibiscus."

Sounds like a glorious place, Clyde. I'll ride along on your next trip!

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.