Gardeners often focus on spring and summer, but fall can be a delightful season for gardening. As the weather cools down, you can rejuvenate your landscape with vibrant fall-blooming flowers. In this article, we’ll introduce you to 20 favorite flowers for the fall landscape, each bringing its unique charm to your garden.
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Mums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium)
Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum x morifolium
Where it will grow: Hardy to -15°F (-26.1°C) (USDA zones 5 to 9)
Growing Tips: Plant blooming varieties in fall in well-draining soil about a month before the first frost for quick color. Cut them back to about 8 inches above the ground when they finish blooming.
Mums are the go-to plants for a fall garden. With a wide range of flower colors and shapes, they add vibrancy to your landscape.
Asters (Aster spp. and Symphyotrichum spp.)
Botanical Name: Aster spp. and Symphyotrichum spp.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 10)
Growing Tips: Grow best in fertile soil; taller asters may need staking. Divide if they become invasive or woody.
Asters offer a cool contrast to the changing autumn leaves with their pink, blue, and purple flowers.
Decorative Flowering Cabbage and Kale (Brassica oleracea)
Botanical Name: Brassica oleracea
Where it will grow: All zones; provide shelter from the sun in hot climates
Growing Tips: Plant in well-draining soil, and lightly fertilize throughout the garden season. Leaves are edible.
Flowering cabbage and kale, often underappreciated, bring a touch of frosty beauty to the garden.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
Botanical Name: Rudbeckia spp.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 11)
Water Requirement: Moderate to regular
Light Requirement: Full sun to light shade
Black-eyed Susans brighten up fall gardens with their striking yellow and brownish flowers.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Botanical Name: Echinacea purpurea
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 9)
Water Requirement: Regular to moderate
Purple coneflower attracts butterflies, bees, and gardeners alike with its long blooming season.
Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.)
Botanical Name: Coreopsis spp.
Where it will grow: All zones, depending on species
Water Requirement: Low to moderate
Coreopsis, with its yellow, orange, red, or purple blooms, adds a burst of color from spring to fall.
Sedum (Sedum spp.)
Botanical Name: Sedum spp.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 10)
Water Requirement: Regular to moderate, especially once established
Light Requirement: Full sun; can take partial shade
Sedum, especially hybrid varieties, is a favorite for both humans and pollinators in the fall garden.
Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
Botanical Name: Helenium autumnale
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 9)
Sneezeweed contributes bright yellow to brownish flowers to the fall landscape, attracting butterflies.
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
Botanical Name: Gaillardia x grandiflora
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 10)
Blanket flower offers a long blooming season, featuring vibrant yellow, orange, red, and maroon flowers.
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Botanical Name: Eutrochium purpureum
Where it will grow: Hardy to -25°F (-31.7°C) (zones 4 to 10)
Water Requirement: Regular to plenty
Joe Pye weed’s large, showy purple to white flowers are perfect for the back of your fall garden.
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Botanical Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Where it will grow: Hardy to -25°F (-31.7°C) (zones 4 to 9)
Water Requirement: Low to moderate
Russian sage’s fragrant grayish leaves and light purple flower spires bloom from spring into fall.
Toad Lily (Tricyrtis hirta)
Botanical Name: Tricyrtis hirta
Where it will grow: Hardy to -25°F (-31.7°C) (zones 4 to 9)
Light Requirement: Light to full shade
Toad lily adds unexpected pops of white, pink, or purple in shady areas, complementing ferns and other shade-loving plants.
Japanese Anemone (Anemone x hybrida)
Botanical Name: Anemone x hybrida
Where it will grow: Hardy to -25°F (-31.7°C) (zones 4 to 9)
Light Requirement: Full sun to light shade
Japanese anemone’s white or pink flowers bring elegance to the fall garden; plant it under tall trees or shrubs.
Hardy Geranium (Geranium spp.)
Botanical Name: Geranium spp.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -35°F (-37.2°C) (zones 3 to 9)
Light Requirement: Full sun to filtered shade
Hardy geraniums, often overshadowed by pelargoniums, offer a splash of color from summer into fall.
Turtlehead (Chelone spp.)
Botanical Name: Chelone spp.
Where it will grow: Hardy to -25°F (-31.7°C) (zones 4 to 9)
Light Requirement: Full sun to light shade
Turtlehead thrives in wetter conditions and shade, making it ideal for challenging garden spots.
Pansy and Viola (Viola spp.)
Botanical Name: Viola spp.
Where it will grow: All zones when grown as an annual
Mature Size: 3 to 10 inches tall
Pansies and violas, though usually planted in winter and spring, can brighten up your fall garden with their charming blooms.
These 20 favorite flowers for the fall landscape offer a stunning array of colors and forms, ensuring your garden remains vibrant well into autumn. Whether you’re looking for long-blooming perennials or seasonal annuals, there’s a fall flower for every garden.
So, embrace the beauty of fall and transform your landscape with these fantastic floral choices!
Discover More Fall Floral Inspiration
What flowers can you plant in the fall?
When considering flowers for your fall garden, it’s common to think of late-blooming favorites like chrysanthemums and asters. However, the options are vast, with numerous vibrant flowering plants to adorn your beds, borders, and containers, keeping your garden colorful throughout the entire autumn season.
What can you do with fall flowers?
What possibilities do you have with fall flowers? Well, as autumn arrives, your garden and yard become a canvas of beauty. The vibrant fall flowers, which persist until the first frost, can be harmoniously paired with your charming pumpkins, creating a stunning autumn landscape that will undoubtedly catch the eye of passersby!
Where can I buy fall flowers?
Where can you find fall flowers? Well, it wouldn’t be autumn without the presence of mums. These are undeniably among the top choices for fall blooms, and you can easily acquire them at your neighborhood hardware store or garden center. Whether you want to create lush, flower-filled borders in your garden bed or infuse a burst of vibrant color into your porch planters, mums are readily available to brighten up your fall landscape.
What is the best late season flower?
What stands as the finest late-season flower? Look no further than sunflowers. These iconic late-bloomers flaunt their disk-shaped blossoms in an array of cheerful hues, including yellow, red, orange, bronze, or white. Sunflowers not only add a touch of height to your borders, kitchen gardens, and natural landscapes but also extend their vibrant display well into the autumn season. For extended color, consider Suncredible® Saturn™, which boasts blooms that linger for several weeks longer than other sunflower varieties.
